Review: St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur (2021)
Review: St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur (2021)
St. Germain hit the scene in 2007 and was an immediate smash, including with this reviewer when we formally covered it in 2010. The lychee-like flavor of elderflower proved itself to be endlessly versatile, to the point where, today, putting St. Germain in a cocktail is considered a bit passe — almost cheating, depending on the mixologist.
I tasted a fresh bottling to see if anything had changed with the brand in the last 11 years and I’m happy to say it hasn’t. It’s not a “serious” liqueur, really, filled with that pineapple-meets-lychee-meets-white-flowers character, seductively sweet with a distinct vanilla/caramel bent, but never overpoweringly sugary. The finish sees more floral notes than I remember (and the lightest hint of bitterness), but those elements meld prettily with the more tropical attack.
I gave St. Germain an A+ back in the day, and while I’m tempering that a touch here, it’s still an excellent and versatile product — one of the most essential liqueurs that anyone should have in their bar, really. As I recommended back in the day, put a splash in your favorite cocktail and see what happens. You may not be breaking new ground any more, but I’m pretty sure you’ll still have a really great time with whatever you end up with.
Note: Keep St. Germain out of the sun, as its color is prone to darkening considerably when exposed to light.
Aka St-Germain. 40 proof.
A / $37 [BUY IT NOW FROM TOTAL WINE]
St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur (2021)
$37
Love your spot-on reviews and St. Germain. What are your thoughts on whether to use it in an old -fashioned?
Phil Ward of famed NYC bar Death & Co created a drink called the “Elder Fashioned” back in 2007. It’s basically a gin old fashioned sweetened with St. Germain, though you can certainly swap out the base with another spirit of your choosing.
2 oz gin
.5 oz St. Germain
2 ds orange bitters
Grapefruit swath garnish
If you’re looking for other St. Germain recipes, Seattle based bartender Jamie Boudreau started collecting recipes and publishing them on a blog. As Chris said, St. Germain has fallen out of favor with most craft bartenders (and I’d argue has been for quite awhile), so it hasn’t been updated in a decade. But there are quite a few good recipes if you’re looking to use up a bottle.
https://stgermaincocktails.wordpress.com