Trader Joe’s New Drink Is Bringing Spring Vibes To Fall

We’re not exactly short on fall flavors. That’s as true when it comes to fruit as when it comes to any other food type: Cranberries. Blackberries. Pears. Figs. And – of course – apples. Apple flavors, and particularly apple cider flavors, have been everywhere this year, in a welcome break from the tyranny of pumpkin spice. It was only a matter of time before retailers started to think about how they could do things a little differently.

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Now, Trader Joe’s has delivered – with an apple beverage that has a spring twist to it. Color me jealous, because I’d very much like to get my hands on this one. 

Trader Joe’s Sparkling Apple Elderflower Juice Beverage

Trader Joe’s has just released a new Sparkling Apple Elderflower Juice Beverage, which combines the autumnal vibe of apples with the promise of new beginnings (ie., spring) in the form of elderflower. This is far from the first time that Trader Joe’s has featured elderflower in its drinks. Its Lemon Elderflower Soda is a fan favorite, and by all accounts it’s excellent as a mixer for gin. It is the first time it’s combined it with apple, though – and while its Lemon Elderflower Soda tends to pop up around springtime, this is a late-in-the-year showing for an elderflower flavor. 

According to customers, though, the combination works very well. People are already raving about this new Sparkling Apple Elderflower Juice Beverage, with a lot of folks enjoying the fact that TJ’s has held off on putting too much sugar into it. “This was really tasty. It had a Pinot Grigio vibe to me, but non alcoholic,” said one customer on Reddit. “I would get it again for a special occasion.” Another person on Facebook said that the drink was “beyond good.”

The Rise Of Elderflower

The same Facebook commenter also remarked on their pleasure that elderflower was getting more traction in the US, following its burst of popularity in the UK – and it’s definitely true that over here, we can’t get enough of it. That said, though, elderflower isn’t exactly anonymous in the US, even if it seems to be more on the rise in its purest form. It’s the base flavor in Swedish Fish.

Personally speaking, I adore elderflower: Its floral, citrusy, almost lychee-like flavor and scent have a brightening effect on all manner of drinks. Some supermarkets over here have started mixing it into tonic water, which I thoroughly recommend doing yourself if you can get your hands on some elderflower cordial: It offsets the tonic water’s bitterness and plays beautifully with gin botanicals. Elderflower’s also a winner with tequila…just sayin’.