If you've been living under a rock or in Canada you might not have heard of St. Germain liqueur. St. Germain is an all-natural elderflower liqueur produced in France. Prior to its 2007 release elderflower cordial or syrup made of frozen flowers was the only option for cocktails calling for the herb. This is because the flower is delicate and tends to lose its fragrance when processed. St. Germain bypasses that problem by processing the fresh, handpicked blossoms as soon as they are (reportedly) biked down from the Alps.
It has become the 'it' liqueur for cocktails. Last summer while in Denver we spied it on drink menus and jumped into the pool. With one sip we could see why it was so popular and everyone on chowhound, in magazines, and over the internet was braying about it. Sadly it is not to be found in Canada. Not to be denied, we searched until we found a store in Denver that carried it and we brought a bottle home. We don't use this precious stuff for just anyone or any reason, let me tell you!
On Sunday, in order to celebrate the return of warm weather and the opening of our terrace we made a classic St. Germain cocktail . . . with a twist. This cocktail is easy and freaking amazing - a perfect celebration in a glass!
La Rosette
1 oz St. Germain
1 bottle pink sparkling wine (we used a wonderful pink moscato)
strawberries
Pour the St. Germain into a chapmagne flute. Fill with sparkling pink wine (careful not to overflow!). Garnish with strawberries.
This looks so fun for spring. I love St Germain. Shannon introduced me to it at last year's Slow Bowl and I'm hooked. I'm trying to come up with a sorbet with it. I'm going to run to Ikea to get some cordial and then spike it with the liquor. Or I might try Lychee sorbet with St Germain.
Posted by: marta | March 16, 2012 at 01:15 PM
One has to love friends that get you hooked on brilliant things . . . Lycee sorbet sounds delicious Marta!!
Posted by: JDeQ | April 01, 2012 at 07:16 AM