Bittermilk No. 2 Tom Collins Elderflowers & Hops Mixer
Bittermilk No. 2 Tom Collins Elderflowers & Hops Mixer is a 17 fl oz non-alcoholic cocktail concentrate from Charleston, South Carolina — one part mixer to one part gin or vodka over ice, topped with soda water, yields about 17 Tom Collins-style cocktails per bottle, and it's available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- Format: non-alcoholic concentrate, 17 fl oz (502 mL)
- Yield: about 17 cocktails per bottle
- Recipe: equal parts No. 2 + gin or vodka, ice, top with soda water
- Key botanicals: organic lemon juice, golden cane sugar, elderberry & elderflower extract, Centennial hops
- Origin: handcrafted by Bittermilk Bottling Co., Charleston, SC (Joe & MariElena Raya, est. 2013)
- Also works: mocktails, and with light rum, sparkling wine, or Champagne
The Charleston Take on the Tom Collins
Husband-and-wife team Joe and MariElena Raya launched Bittermilk in Charleston, South Carolina in late 2013 with one idea: cocktail mixers built like a chef would build them, from real ingredients, so good a bartender would steal them. No. 2 is their Tom Collins — organic lemon juice and golden cane sugar balanced by a floral lift of elderflower and elderberry extract, finished with a firm bitterness from Centennial hops. The hops are the twist: instead of a flat sweet-and-sour base, you get a long, gently bitter finish that makes the drink feel finished, not sugary. Press coverage has run from Real Simple and Cooking Light to the Washington Post and Southern Living. Browse the full Bittermilk lineup, or compare with its darker sibling, the Bittermilk No. 1 Bourbon Barrel Old Fashioned Mixer, for the aged-spirit side of the collection.
Tasting Notes
Bright lemon and wildflower elderflower up front, honeyed cane sugar rounding the middle, and a distinctive dry, floral bitterness from Centennial hops on the finish. Mixed with gin, it reads like a modern Tom Collins with an extra gear — fragrant, crisp, and never cloying.
How to Enjoy
Build it in the glass: one part No. 2 to one part gin or vodka, lots of ice, and top with soda water. The brand designed it for light spirits — gin first, then vodka — but it also sings with light rum or Champagne, and it makes an excellent zero-proof Collins with soda alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bittermilk No. 2 alcoholic?
No — it's a non-alcoholic concentrate. You add the spirit yourself (or don't), so one bottle adapts to full-strength cocktails and mocktails alike.
How many cocktails does one bottle make?
About 17 cocktails per 17oz bottle at the 1:1 recipe ratio — roughly a bottle per small dinner party.
What makes it different from ordinary Tom Collins mix?
Real ingredients — organic lemon juice, cane sugar, elderflower and elderberry extract — plus Centennial hops for a dry, bitter finish that typical bottled mix lacks.
What spirits pair best with it?
Gin and vodka are the brand's first picks; light rum, sparkling wine, and Champagne work too. Avoid heavy aged spirits — that's what No. 1 is for.
Stock your home bar with Bittermilk No. 2 and order it online today from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.