Sunday, August 24, 2008

Drinks I Love: St Germain Elderflower Liquor

This stuff is heaven! I was first introduced to it from an article in Food & Wine Magazine. We found it in England, but our suitcases were too full to bring any back. Our fantastic local liquor store, Norman's, were able to order it for us. I have to say I was not disappointed.

If you've never tasted elderflower before, it has a nice light flavor and is paired with lemon to give it a slight tart taste. St. Germain's website has a fantastic description: Neither peach nor pear, lychee nor citrus, the sublime taste of St-Germain hints at each of these and yet none of them exactly. It is a flavor as subtle and delicate as it is captivating. A little like asking a hummingbird to describe the flavor of its favorite nectar. Trés curieux indeed, n'est-ce pas?

While living in England, I used to drink elderflower cordial and presse all the time. It is the most refreshing drink on a hot day. Elderflower Cordial is a soft drink made largely from a sugar and water solution and uses the flowers of the elderflower. The most popular companies that I'm aware of that make elderflower cordial and presse are Bottle Green Company, Belvoir, and Duchy Originals (set up by Charles, Prince of Wales).

As it's hard for me to get Elderflower Cordial here, I'm elated to have Elderflower Liquor. Not only does St. Germain have a blissful taste, it also comes in this sublime bottle! I don't know which I like more. So far, and you can tell I've had just a few tastings (ha, ha), my favorite way to drink it is with ginger ale. Though it's not bad in a Gin & Tonic either. Their website is full of good drink recipes, but we've had fun experimenting with our own. Each bottle is also individually numbered with the year in which it was bottled, along with the number of the bottling order. This has definitely become a staple in our bar. It comes from France and is made of Elderflowers hand picked in the Alps. We will be on our way to the French Alps in just over a month, fingers crossed that I will be inundated with all things elderflower!!!

You can actually make Elderflower Cordial. Here is a link to a recipe, along with a few serving suggestions: http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/516164

To view St. Germain's website, please click the following link: http://www.stgermain.fr/index2.php

6 comments:

Jane King said...

Thank you for posting about elderflower cordial now i know what to look for in the shops!! i feel thirsty just reading your post!

Amy J said...

Oops, that was supposed to be titled "Liquor", not "Cordial". Either I was censored by Blogspot, or maybe I had one sip too many... either way, it is so good!!!

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Anonymous said...

This stuff is truly magnificent. I love it with Champagne and a splash of San Pellegrino. I just discovered it comes in a Coctail Carafe Gift Set - I picked it up at costco for lass than $30!! Recipe book included. I noticed this post is over a year old - hope you still enjoy St-G.

Peter in San Francisco

Amy J said...

Hi Peter, I am still enjoying St. Germain at any given opportunity! :-) Sparkling Rose and a spash is my favorite at the moment. We don't have a Costco around, but I must have that!!! Great value! Am going to have to do some research, thanks for sharing. Please let me know if you have any other recipes that you would recommend. Cheers! Amy

@SFranciscoTweet said...

It's me - Stylembe - Amy I never subscribed to this post. Just happened upon this through Google - so it is only now that I see you're response. Another favorite is Aperol with sparkling wine. The colour is 'LifeSaver' orange and out of this world. www.stylembe.wordpress.com/category/aperol/
Discovered it in Naples 2 years ago. I alternate between that and St-Grermain. It is the cheaper of the 2. Peter