Hugo cocktail's UK surge mirrors Adriatic's elderflower revival

The Guardian reports that the Hugo elderflower cocktail is snapping at the heels of market-leader Aperol in what it calls 'the summer of spritz' in Britain. The drink, made with elderflower cordial, prosecco, soda and mint, is enjoying explosive growth, with Campari, Sarti Rosa and limoncello varieties also taking off, according to the paper's business desk.

For the Marche bureau, the story lands close to home. The elderflower that gives the Hugo its floral note is not a novelty here: the shrub grows wild along the region's river valleys and is foraged in the hills behind Ancona, where it has long been steeped into cordials by family firms.

The Guardian's figures point to a shift in taste that could matter for small producers along the Adriatic coast, where prosecco from nearby Veneto and local elderflower cordials already meet in glasses at seaside bars from Senigallia to San Benedetto del Tronto.