I got a bottle of St-Germain as one of my birthday gifts this year.
It comes in this very attractive bottle. I was actually just about to buy one for myself to make some St-Germain-based cocktails, but, as luck would have it, my friends really know me well, and so I got it for my birthday!
The website actually has quite a long list of cocktails using St-Germain, so I tried out some of those. The three I ended up trying were basically twists on a classic, adding St-Germain or substituting it where simple syrup was in the original.
First up is a French gimlet.
French Gimlet
2 oz vodka
1 oz St-Germain
0.5 oz lime juice
lime twist
This is basically the classic gimlet, but with St-Germain in place of simple syrup. Given the choice between gin and vodka for the gimlet, I of course went with vodka. The St-Germain is sweet and has this nice floral flavor that kind of reminds me of lychee. I really liked this drink, it’s quite strong like the original gimlet but also has a nice floral, fruity flavor.
Even though I haven’t had the best relationship with Manhattans, I gave the St-Germain version of it a try.
Paris Manhattan
2 oz bourbon
1 oz St-Germain
0.5 oz vermouth
2 dashes Angoustra bitters
maraschino cherry
The St-Germain added a nice sweetness to the drink, but it was still overwhelmingly bourbon-y. Definitely more palatable than a regular Manhattan, but it’s still distinctly a Manhattan. Maybe with less bourbon… but then it wouldn’t be a Manhattan anymore. Maybe I should just give up on Manhattans. Or just keep drinking them till I like them.
Then, I saw a recipe involving pears. I love pears, so of course I just had to try it.
Pear Tree Martini
1.5 oz St-Germain
1.5 oz pear vodka (I used Grey Goose La Poire)
0.5 oz lime juice
1 dash Angoustra bitters
pear slices
The recipe said to add a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg, but I didn’t do that. I was excited that I got to use my rarely-used bottle of Grey Goose La Poire. I thought this was a really nice drink; it had a hint of pear from the pear vodka, and a nice sweetness from the St-Germain. Even though it has a pretty high alcohol content, the sweetness and the lime juice made it very easy to drink. I’m not sure if the dash of bitters actually added anything, though. But I really did like the taste of pear with the elderflower. This one’s definitely a keeper.
I haven’t even made their namesake cocktail, the St-Germain cocktail, yet. I’m saving it for a party next weekend.