It’s never too early to get wrapped up in holiday festivities, especially when it comes to good company, good food, and good drinks. From crowd-pleasing grubs to a delightful night in, we're here to spread some holiday cheer with our favorite recipes.

The best part? Every recipe pairs perfectly with elderberry syrup, making these duos an immune-supporting* holiday superstar.

Elderberries are nutritional powerhouses, full of immune-supporting flavonoids and anthocyanins.* These powerful compounds are found in plant foods and are what give elderberries their dark purple color.  

Adding elderberry syrup to your daily routine, or in your drinks and recipes, may help support a healthy immune system* — perfect timing for the busy holiday season!

Elderberry syrup is delicious. It's both sweet and tart and adds the perfect amount of fruity sweetness to your dishes. The syrup's dark purple color is a great way to add vibrant natural color to food and drinks, too.

Elderberry syrup can be used in many different recipes. It's great as a drizzle or glaze, mixed into drinks and smoothies, and whipped with cream to make frosting.

With a texture as smooth as honey and a burst of tarty sweetness on the palette, a little really goes a long way. Sambucol Black Elderberry Syrup is proudly vegan and contains only natural sugar from the berries; this makes a wonderful substitution in high sugar recipes.

Let’s get cooking!

Important note: When using the syrup in your recipes, it's best not to heat it because that can disturb the natural benefits of the berries. Instead, we recommend incorporating the syrup after cooking or baking, like as a drizzle, dressing, or frosting.

Seasonal drinks can help set the tone for your holiday gathering. They put your guests in the party mood while invoking the scents and flavors of the season. Our Elderberry Moscow Mule will be sure to spread holiday cheer and can be made as a cocktail or mocktail. Plus, it's made with a splash of Sambucol Elderberry Syrup for added immune support.*

 Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 oz Sambucol Black Elderberry 
• Two 6.8 oz ginger beers
• 3 oz honey simple syrup
• 3 oz vodka (or soda water to make this a mocktail!)
• 1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger
• Juice of one lime 

Directions:

1. Add honey simple syrup, vodka, elderberry, grated ginger, lime juice to a shaker and shake.
2. Fill mugs to the top with ice.
3. Split the shaker bottle into the two mugs, fill to the top with ginger beers.
4. Garnish with lime wedge. Enjoy!

Recipe by Michal Grappe (@michalgrappe)

• Elderberry Winter Sangria
• Elderberry Ginger Fizz Mocktail
• Elderberry Tea Latte 

Your first line of defense against hangry guests, appetizers are a must at any gathering. There are so many appetizers out there to appeal to a wide variety of tastes. We chose this Roasted Beet Crostini because it's delicious, easy to put together, and looks great on any party tray. The drizzle of elderberry syrup adds a touch of immune support* to an already healthy recipe. 

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 lb. fresh beets
• 1 baguette, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 4 oz. goat cheese
• 3 tbsp Sambucol Black Elderberry Syrup
• Fresh dill and thyme, for garnish

• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1 tbsp sesame seed
• 2 tsp coriander seed
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 1/2 tsp fennel seed
• 1 tsp pink salt, or flakey salt
• 15 grinds black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel beets, and play in a small tray. Toss with 1 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt. Cover tray with foil. Bake for 45 minutes until tender. Once the beets are cool cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces. 

Whisk together greek yogurt and 3 oz. of goat cheese. Season with salt. 

To make the almond dukkah place all ingredients except salt and pepper in a small saucepan. Lightly toast over low heat. Once toasted let the almonds and spices cool. Then add to a blender or spice grinder with salt and pepper. Pulse a few times until you have a coarse powder. 

Assembly: 

Toast the slices of bread until golden. Next, spread a thin layer of goat cheese and yogurt mixture over toast.  Top with beets, herbs, almond dukkah, and the rest of crumbled goat cheese. Drizzle with Sambucol Black Elderberry Syrup. 

Recipe by Michele Narsinghani (@momunderpressure)

• Mozzarella, Prosciutto & Kale Flatbread with Black Elderberry Drizzle

We're not here for the holiday ham, we're here for the sides! If you really want to impress your guests, this beautiful elderberry sweet potato puree will not disappoint. The color is exquisite on any holiday table and the taste divine. Did we mention its also vegan?

Ingredients:

Filling 

• 2 3/4 cup purple sweet potato puree 
• 3 teaspoons Sambucol Black Elderberry Syrup
• 1/3 cup of maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• Sprinkle of sea salt 

Crust

• 1/4 cup of almond flour
• 1/2 cup of gluten-free oats 
• 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 6 Medjool dates pits removed
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 3 teaspoons of coconut oil room temperature (not melted) 
• Sprinkle of sea salt

Instructions:

Filling

1. Mix together all of the ingredients for the filling and set aside. 

Crust

1. Add all of the ingredients together in a food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together. 
2. Add the filling to the bottom of two glass cups or mason jars. 
3. Add equal parts of the filling to each cup. 
4. Optional: Add homemade whipped cream on top of the filling and enjoy. 

Recipe by Tara (@bearnecessities)

• Elderberry Fig Butter
• Sweet Potato Fries with Elderberry Dipping Sauce

Ah, dessert. Arguably the best part of any gathering. (Or is it just us?) We love a big slice of holiday pie with a hot cup of coffee to end the night. We're sharing an easy and delicious Blueberry Holiday Pie, featuring fresh or frozen blueberries, topped with elderberry syrup for immune support.* Feel free to experiment with different berries! 

Ingredients:

• 1 pie crust
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 5 cups fresh of frozen blueberries, divided (if using frozen berries, thaw and drain extra liquid)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1-2 tbsp Sambucol Black Elderberry Syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. On a floured surface, roll dough to fit a 9-in. pie plate. Trim and flute edge. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Bake on a lower oven rack until golden brown up to 25 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Combine over medium heat in a saucepan; sugar, cornstarch, salt and water until smooth. Add 3 cups blueberries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for a few minutes until thickened and not runny.

Once removed from the heat, stir in lemon juice, butter, remaining berries.

Once cool pour into crust and refrigerate until serving. Before serving, top with extra blueberries and coat the top with 1–2 tbsp of elderberry syrup. Serve warm with a dollop of fresh Elderberry Whipped Cream or ice cream! 

• Vegan Elderberry Sweet Potato Pie
• Elderberry Chocolate Truffles
• Holiday Sugar Cookies with Elderberry Icing
• Elderberry Mini Meringues

IMPORTANT NOTE: Raw elderberries are toxic to eat unless they are safely extracted and processed to remove the toxins. Elder branches, bark and leaves should not be consumed at all. If you are purchasing elderberry products it is crucial to purchase from a reputable source. Sambucol is the original and trusted black elderberry product sold around the world.