St. Germain Elderflower Liquer
I just returned from a wknd trip to nyc and we hit several restaurants and lounge/bar places and a began to notice a recurring theme on their cocktail menus - St. Germain Elderflower liquer. It was in everything. I had some amazing cocktails, including a pear cosmo at Bar Boulud, the mosquito at The Rose Bar @ Gramercy Park Hotel and red pepper, red pepper at Pegu Club. All were exquisite. I also saw many cocktails made with lillet blanc, a favorite summer treat for me.
I know very little about St. Germain and am thinking of buying a bottle. I've read a little on the internet. What do you use it in?
lynnlato
Apr 10, 2009 02:39PM
I love it . There is an interesting story re the inventor and his brother who also concocted a new liquer Will try to locate. Last night in Cambridge at Rendezvous I had what bartender Scott calls a " Boutoneirre "(sp) Apple Jack, Sweet Vermouth and St Germaine shaken served up with a twist of orange Wonderful....there is also a Parisian Orchid at Green Street that has vodka St germaine and lemon...another hit
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By far this is my faovrite liqueur to date.
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We just bought our third bottle... the bottles are gorgeous by the way. At The Wine House when we were there burning a gift certificate they had a product demo girl passing out little St. Germain sorbets. Yes it was great! Would make a lovely snocone too! We'd previously bought a bottle - never having had tasted it - as a gift for the host of a party we went to. So we picked up a bottle at Wine House and tried it. Very nice. Mostly we've had it with champagne - if I recall, I think there's a little recipe booklet around the neck of the bottle and if not there are recipes at their Website. We do need to branch out to other uses, but it's nice and light and unique.
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St. Germain is next on my list of purchases.
Jamie Boudreau writes a blog that I follow, and a while back he did a good piece about St. Germain. If you are interested in spirits, his whole blog is worth following.
http://spiritsandcocktails.wordpress....
There are some recipes there, and in the comment section as well.
I've read that it is also a good add-in for a variation on a pisco sour, or an aviation.
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Made this one last night:
L'amour en fuite (Love on the Run)
1.5 Plymouth gin
1.0 Lillet blanc
0.5 St. Germain
Shake over ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass given a rinse of Kübler absinthe (pastis, like Henri Bardouin, will do, too). Garnish with a shaving of lemon peel.
Very smooth, balanced.
http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/
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Weird... I made one of them Thursday night! Good, but even just a wash absinthe seemed to take over the drink (I used lucid)
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Time to bust out the eye-dropper! I really liked the accent that the absinthe added. I think the drink would have lacked depth without it.
http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/
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"bust out the eyedropper" - excellent
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Not really my idea: there's an outstanding high-craft cocktail bar in Boston called Drink that stores all its bitters in uniform bottles with pipette caps. The working areas look like chemistry labs, everything measured with precision. Very cool place.
http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/
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try using a spray mister to cover just the surface of a drink with hint of absinthe or bitters, liqueurs, etc. Works better than an eye dropper.
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Okay, yum. I don't know about the absinthe though. How about a little green chartreuse?
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Just tried this and it's very tasty and very light:
shochu (Japanese equivalent but probably better, of soju, a light sake-esque spirit)
coconut water
St. Germain
tiny bit of cane sugar syrup
lemongrass stalk to chew on
I'll make this again. The coconut water and shochu are both light and delicate enough to not overwhelm the St. Germain. I am also wondering how St. Germain would pair with rosewater or rose syrup in something.
Here is a thread on shochu:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6107...
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Wow, another one - damn, this sounds good. I love the lemongrass stalk - very nice. Too bad the liquor store isn't open on Sundays!
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Here are two I invented and really enjoy:
Special Snowflake - 2 oz gin, 1/2 oz Lillet, 1/2 oz St Germain
Sans Serif - 2 oz rye, 1/2 oz Aperol, 1/2 oz St Germain
The Special Snowflake was created independently of Jamie Boudreau's L'Amour en Fuite but I'm excited to have had the same basic idea as him!
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Nice names. Why sans serif?
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Just tried the Special Snowflake tonight. Very nice. In some sort of way it reminded me of lychee?!
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I would definitely say that St. Germain has a floral and lychee flavor profile.
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St. Germaine seems to be enjoying quite a marketing blitz.
My favorite way to enjoy it is the simple recipe from the booklet tied to the bottle neck:
In a glass filled with ice-
2 shots white wine (or champagne)
1 1/2 shots St. Germaine (I prefer a bit less)
2 shots Sparkling water
As another poster said, the bottle is quite exquisite!
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My wife loves St. Germaine. I just polished off our first bottle this weekend. My favorite cocktail is basically a SG Cosmopolitan:
Vodka
St. Germaine
Grapefruit juice
Cranberry
Shaken with ice...
The St. Germaine really meshes well with Grapefruit juice. The flavors are similar, but the St. Germaine really brings out the best in the juice.
THz
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Agreed, it pairs with grapefruit quite well. I think maraschino also plays well with both St Germain and grapefruit; here's a drink I've been working on, pairing grapefruit with bourbon and both liqueurs:
2 ounces pink grapefruit juice
2 ounces bourbon (I've most recently been using Bulliet)
1 tsp St Germain
1 tsp maraschino
2 dashes each, Angostura and Peychauds
My notes from last time I worked on it (a few weeks ago) say that it was still a bit flat so if anyone has ideas for making it pop a bit more let me know. I'm intrigued by grapefruit as a drink ingredient but haven't found many recipes that use it really well.
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Tonight at Hungry Mother, I had a drink with my dessert that was St. Germain, lemon and lime juices, and sparkling wine, rimmed in Peychauds and sugar. Substituting grapefruit juice for the other citrus would work quite nicely, and I don't see why maraschino wouldn't work in there as well.
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off-topic but my favorite use of grapefruit juice in a cocktail:
Hemingway Daiquiri
juice 1/2 pink grapefruit
juice 1/2 lime
2 oz white rum
1/2 oz Maraschino
on-topic, one of my fave St Germain uses:
St Germain Sidecar
2 oz cognac
1 oz St Germain
1/2 oz lemon juice
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I <3 Sidecars.
Stoked to try the St Germain version as soon as my husband comes home with some cognac and the kidlets are asleep.
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substitute Campari for maraschino?
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Sure, but don't call it a Hemingway Daquiri. That's a very traditional recipe that's stood the test of time, for a reason.
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actually i was referring to davis sq pro's question...another option might be a drop of Canton ginger liqueur
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Good idea on the Campari. I'll give it a try next time I have some grapefruit in the house.
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davis sq pro: Really liked your idea so I adapted your recipe thusly:
2 oz Rittenhouse rye (100 proof)
juice 1/2 pink grapefruit
1/2 oz St Germain
2 dashes each Peychaud's and Angostura bitters
The increased amount of St Germain makes this sweet enough, and the interplay of bitterness from the two bitters and the grapefruit is really nice. That muscat-floral St Germain effect lurks beneath every sip. Nice strong spicy rye works perfectly as a base spirit. I call it a success--what would you name this?
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Wow, I really need to go buy some grapefruit so I can try this reformulation! I think even a dash of maraschino might be nice to keep around, but I love the stuff more than is probably healthy.
As for naming, I'm at a loss. I'll have to drink a few of them first and get into the mode to do some serious brainstorming :-)
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how about some mirto to give it more depth?
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I'd never heard of "mirto" before and just Googled it. Not too many links; is it relatively available in the US?
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i haven't found it yet in Boston but have had it several places locally (Eastern Std, Franklin Southie, Umbria, Craigie...)...
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another link in case you haven't seen it already http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/se...
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found mirto at Federal WInes
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OK, I finally found a bottle of mirto yesterday, and I have to say that you totally nailed it -- perfect addition to the drink (not to mention, perfect addition to my liquor cabinet; I already love the stuff). Not only does it give the drink a piquant depth, it also enhances the pink color from the grapefruit.
Here's my current working version, taking into account Kenito799's suggestions, the mirto, a bit of lemon juice to lighten up the grapefruit's punch, and a few drops of absinthe to provide a tiny dab of extra background depth. This version has enough flavor that I think serving it on the rocks, rather than straining, is the way to go:
2 oz rittenhouse rye
1.75 oz grapefruit juice
0.25 oz lemon juice
0.25 oz st germain
0.25 oz maraschino liqueur
0.25 oz mirto
4 drops absinthe
2 dashes each, peychauds/angostura
Shake with crushed ice and pour, with ice, into a double old fashioned glass.
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sounds excellent, glad you found it! now you have to name it! since you're in Davis square (Boston), how about...the Redline? (as in "he redlined the car..."
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Here's a name suggestion:
There is a drink called a Blinker, made with rye, grapefruit juice and grenadine. Replacing the grenadine with St Germain and bitters, translate Blinker (or Winker) into French and you get the Clignotant...what do you think?
see: http://www.cocktailchronicles.com/200...
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Looks promising... What's the correct phonetic pronunciation?
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something like "CLEEN-yo-tahng"
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Follow-up cocktail:
2oz gin (I used Seagram's)
1/2 oz St Germain
juice 1/2 grapefruit
juice 1/2 lime
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
this is a riff on the Hemingway Daiquiri and the Clignotant (see above), it is terrifically refershing and goes down way too easy. What to name it. I like it enough to call it after the place I mixed it first: Bayside, Queens. Therefore I will call it the Bayside. If anyone has seen this simple but effective concoction before, let me know.
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I had a very similar cocktail at Gramercy Tavern called a Ruby Rye.
I don't have the exact proportions with me right now, but the bartender did write the recipe down for me.
It was made with Rittenhouse rye, Campari, ruby grapefruit juice, simple syrup, and bitters. It was fabulous, but I really like your idea of using the St. Germain instead of the simple syrup. I'll post the exact recipe if you want.
St. Germain is my new favorite, but it sure is dangerous!
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My brother had a St. Germain cocktail in NYC and duplicated it at home. It's called the Grapes of Wrath. His recipe:
3 Kirkland brand vodka
1 St. Germain
1 apple juice
1 sauvignon blanc
Shake over ice and pour into cocktail glass. Add 1 or 2 frozen red grapes. Yum!
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What about the Vieux Mot from PDT?
1 1/2 ounces Plymouth gin
1/2 ounce St-Germain elderflower liqueur
1/4 ounce (1 1/2 teaspoons) simple syrup
3/4 ounce (1 1/2 tablespoons) fresh lemon juice
Refreshing, and a total crowd pleaser. It's one of my favorites in warm weather.
http://www.latimes.com/features/print...
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This sounds lovely. Although, I have to say, I thought PDT was the most ridiculous place EVER! Waiting in a phone booth to get into a lounge - HA!
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I have Elderflower syrup...anyone have any experience using this in place of St. Germain? I know, I know it won't be the same, but maybe something close? Or is elderflower syrup completely different?
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Is it light colored or dark? (If it's dark it may have elderberry in it too, which tastes generally different.)
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This is a nice, easy recipe.
http://www.chow.com/recipes/11261
If you have the syrup you need to dilute it as indicated on the bottle (at least the directions were on my bottle).
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I make a "spritzer" using St. Germaine that is wonderful and light, great for the warm summer days coming up.
1 jigger St. Germaine
Good squeeze of lemon
Top if off with seltzer
Served over ice in a highball with a slice of lemon for garnish
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My Favorite is the Dragon Fly... made for me by my favorite bartender Mark at the Abbey Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY. The Dragon Fly transformed my whole summer last year!
I am guessing here...
Over ice shake
1 shot of St Germain
A generous splash Orange Liquier like Cointreau... (my addition Blood Orange Liquior)
and Prosecco.
Pour over crushed ice in a martini class with a spiral of orange rind...
The most delightful fresh experience.
I am now experimenting with St Germain with Acai... adds the sweet and works very well with the raw pulpyness of Acai.... great potential! Might add a sparkle or blood orange to this!
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I made a Basil Mojito with SG last weekend that came out great:
Muddle 1/2 lime and Basil
1 jigger Rum
2/3 jigger SG
2/3 jigger Simple Syrup
1 jigger Grapefruit
Ice
Shake and Serve
We all liked it quite a lot, although I am still playing with the simple syrup amount
THz.
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Bubbles and ice in a "martini" glass? Blasphemy!
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@ 116 Crown in New Haven, CT
The Belmont
bluecoat american dry gin, st. germain elderflower liqueur, rothman & winter creme de violette, soda - served on the rocks
No idea what the ratios were but it was DELICIOUS, particularly after it sat for a bit.
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Jeebus, that sounds lovely. I've never had creme de violette, but I looked it up and wow, how interesting. The cocktail you described is like and effervescent bouquet of blossoms!
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you need to try it, lynniato. it's everything you'd expect it to taste like only better. :)
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A buddy recently got me a copy of the Food & Wine Cocktails '09 book, which he sent with a long list of boutique booze for me to procure at GA's much-lower tax rates.
The St. Germain cocktail we tried and liked was the "Boris Karloff" credited to Todd Thrasher:
3/4 oz gin
3/4 oz St Germain
1 oz lime juice
1 T confectioner's sugar
1 egg white
ice
1 oz chilled club soda
Shake the first 5. Add the ice. Shake again. Strain into a collins glass with ice. Top w/ club soda.
I was surprised that it was balanced despite the sweet elderflower liqueur and the sugar. I also tried the "Maximilian Affair" (Misty Kalkofen), which has mezcal (sub. tequila since I didn't have any), St Germain, Punt e Mes, and lemon juice. Found it too sweet/floral.
I also noticed the Thatcher's organic elderflower liqueur in one shop. Cheaper than St. Germain, and I found one review online (liquorsnobs.com) that thought it was better and less cloying. Didn't try it yet.
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