St. Germain is an ingredient you’ll see tucked away on many bars as it is used in plenty of cocktails. While it isn’t usually drunk on its own because of its sweet character, its elderflower flavors bring a delicious floral note to many drinks. Affectionately known as bartender’s ketchup for its common use in cocktail making, it is most frequently used in small quantities as its elderflower flavor is potent.
If you’ve got a bottle of St. Germain and are wondering where to start using it, try some of these classic cocktails.
Hugo Spritz
This bubbly, refreshing drink is the St. Germain classic. Appealing to those who enjoy an Aperol Spritz but want a version which is less bitter and more floral, this drink has the great advantages of being easy to make and easy to tweak. To fancy up the simple cocktail you can add garnishes like mint and lime.
Ingredients:
- 40 ml St. Germain
- 60 ml Prosecco
- 60 ml soda water
- Mint leaves and lime wedges
Method:
This drink, like other spritzes, can be built in the glass. You can use a large wine glass, copa glass, or collins glass for this drink as you prefer. Add plenty of ice to the glass then pour in the St. Germain, Prosecco, and water and mix well. Then add the mint leaves and lime wedge as a garnish.
You can also adjust the quantities to your taste. If you have a sweet tooth, you can up the amount of St. Germain, while if you prefer something drier you can increase the amount of Prosecco.
Elderflower 75
This take on the French 75 is another sparkling cocktail which looks beautiful and elegant in the class as well as tasting delicious. It’s a great treat for a pre-dinner drink to kick off a fancy evening, when you want the experience of Champagne but you’re looking to enjoy it in a new way. Watch out, though, because these slip down easy but carry quite the punch!
Ingredients:
- 30 ml St. Germain
- 10 ml gin
- 10 ml lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 75 ml Champagne
Method:
Add the St. Germain, gin, and lemon juice to a shaker tin with plenty of ice. Shake well until the tin is cold to the touch, and double strain into a Champagne flute. Top with the Champagne, and garnish with a lemon peel twist.
Elderflower Martini
If you enjoy a gin martini but are looking for a variation, or if you want something to add a hint of sweetness to balance out all of that booze, then the Elderflower Martini may be for you. While it’s not a purist’s martini, it is a tasty variation that keeps the standard gin and dry vermouth but adds more floral and fruity flavors to make the drink more approachable. As this drink includes lime juice, it is shaken rather than stirred.
Ingredients:
- 30 ml St. Germain
- 30 ml gin
- 15 ml dry vermouth
- 15 ml lime juice
Add all the ingredients to a shaker tin with plenty of ice and shake very well. Double strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a lime twist or a cucumber slice.
Kew Garden
Named for the lush botanical gardens in London, this drink has all the fresh flavors of summer in a glass. It is a take on a mojito that includes the floral flavors of St. Germain plus plenty of fresh cucumber and mint, which gives it the green appearance and flavors of a garden.
Ingredients:
- 60 ml white rum
- 15 ml St. Germain
- 15 ml simple syrup
- 20 ml lime juice (freshly squeezed)
- club soda to top
- generous handful of mint leaves
- several cucumber slices
Method:
Add the mint leaves, cucumber slices, and simple syrup to a shaker without ice and muddle (if you don’t have a muddler, you can use the back of a spoon to press the ingredients together). Add the rum and St. Germain to the shaker along with the lime juice and plenty of ice. Shake well, then strain into a tumbler with one large ice cube. Top with the club soda, and garnish with more mint leaves and a cucumber ribbon.
Sunflower
This take on a Corpse Reviver No. 2 brings a lot of flavors into one glass, by combining St. Germain with gin, Cointreau, and even a dash of absinthe. The flavors layer together to create a drink which is complex but delicious and easy to drink, with bright zingy flavors that are sharp and juicy in combination.
Ingredients:
- 30 ml gin
- 30 ml St. Germain
- 30 ml Cointreau
- 30 ml lemon juice
- 5 ml absinthe
Start off by giving a coupe glass an absinthe rinse. You do this by pouring a tiny amount of
Then add the gin, St. Germain, Cointreau, and lemon juice to a shaker with plenty of ice and shake well. Strain into the coupe glass and garnish with a lemon peel.
