Liqueur St-Germain

Paris, France – A nice change of pace from a traditional champagne time is to enjoy a champagne cocktail made with a unique French Made in France craft liqueur, St-Germain. The beverage which was named for the Parisian neighborhood of Saint-Germain-des-Prés frequented by artists, writers, Parisians and traditionally American expatriates, is a relatively new edition to the cocktail scene having been launched in 2007 by the American distiller Rob Cooper who inherited his expertise from his grandfather N.J. Sky Cooper, who created in 1987 the delightful Chambord liqueur.

The unique St-Germain liqueur is made from fresh elderflowers and up to 1,000 fresh, wild handpicked blossoms are found in every bottle. The flowers are gathered once a year during about three to four weeks in late spring when their flavor and aroma are at their peak. Each bottle is individually numbered to reflect the year in which the flowers were picked. The flowers are extremely delicate and must be handled with extreme care so as not to bruise them which could have an adverse effect on the delicate taste of the beverage. The liqueur is made using age-old French techniques like the traditional process of maceration which infuses warm water with the fresh flowers. The infusion is decanted and filtered before being blended with previous mixtures and then blended with eau-de-vie vin, water, sugar and a neutral grain spirit to become St-Germain.

For a refreshing St-Germain moment, chill champagne or sparkling wine or Prosecco until throughly cold. Take out your favorite champagne glasses and place on table or counter. Place the Art Deco inspired bottle of St-Germain next to the champagne glasses and take in the golden color of the liqueur which is imparted upon it naturally by the pollen in the elderflowers. Crush three fresh raspberries in a shaker, add 3cl of St-Germain and shake then strain into a champagne glass and top it off with ice-cold champagne. This is the Elégance cocktail recipe recommended by the makers of the liqueur. Alternatively you might want to opt for the St-Germain spritz. The house’s recipe calls for 3 cl of St-Germain, 6 cl of Prosecco and 6 cl of sparkling water. Pour all of these into a large ice-filled glass stir delicately and top it all off with a lemon zest.

And the house has created a special dessert with the luxury Parisian pastry house of Victor & Hugo, a pavlova St-Germain with a meringue, lemon cream and passion fruit creamed a gelée of St-Germain liqueur sprinkled with edible fresh flower petals. The house has also partnered with Hugo & Victor, based in the Saint Germain neighborhood of Paris, and chef Hugues Pouget has created an all natural sorbet, a sorbet made for the very first time with St-Germain complemented by sugar and water.

And elderflowers have a host of possible health benefits and have been used in traditional medicine for their potential antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.
©The Gourmet Gazette
http://www.stgermain.fr

Desserts available at
Hugo & Victor
40 boulevard Raspail (7th)
+33 1 44 39 97 73
http://www.hugovictor.com