Signature Cocktail: St. Germain

Posted Thursday, July 10, 2008 10:20 AM

Move over cherry blossoms! There's a hot new wedding flower in town called elderflower. While you may be hard-pressed to find its small white petals in a bridal bouquet, you will definitely see it in cocktails, thanks to St. Germain. This elegant French liqueur is making a big splash on drink menus all across the country, and lends itself perfectly to a wedding because of its romantic nuances. Here's the gist: Once a year in late spring, French farmers hop on their bicycles and pedal up to the foothills of the French Alps to hand-select fresh, wild elderflower blossoms at their peak level of flavor and aroma. After the harvest and maceration process, the result is a lovely pale gold liqueur with light citrus, pear, and passionfruit notes. For a wedding, we love the idea of mixing up St. Germain with a little champagne. Take a look:

St.-Honore 75
1 shot St. Germain
1/4 shot freshly squeezed lemon juice
Champagne

Pour first two ingredients in a chilled fluted glass. Top with Champagne. Garnish with lemon twist. Variation: subsitute grapefruit juice, orange juice, or fresh fruit purees -- think Bellinis! -- for lemon juice.

Looking for more cocktail recipes? Get 13 summer wedding cocktail recipes.