New Years Eve Cocktail: St-Germain & Champagne

The bubbly will be flowing freely Saturday night, but there's a lot you can do with champagne or prosseco than just sip it. You can mix it with many different types of spirits to create a delightful range of cocktails, from the sweet and fruity to the unexpectedly complex. St. Germain is like drinking liquid flowers. Subtle, sweet and captivating, who knew that hand-picked elderflowers from the French Alps could taste so delicious. 

One of the St-Germain dedicated blossom petal-pickers

An artisanal French liqueur, St. Germain is made from hand-harvested starry white elderflower blossoms, that are gathered by a battalion of beret-wearing French farmers, who painstakingly transport the flowers down the Alpine hillsides by bicycle, the blossoms of which are then distilled into this intoxicating nectar. Blended with a small amount of citrus and natural cane sugar to accentuate the subtle flavor of the elderflowers, the resulting liqueur is delicate and balanced with fresh floral aromas and refreshing flavours, with hints of pear, lychee, apricot and grapefruit zest. 

Fragrant Elderflower blossoms

An elegant and sophisticated cocktail, St-Germain compliments Champagne perfectly, making it one of the most delicious champagne cocktails I've enjoyed. Even the shape of the bottle is seductive.

"Without saying 'drink me' on the label, the new St-Germain elderflower liqueur is as compelling as the vial on the table in Alice in Wonderland. 

With its elegant belle époque bottle, its musky-sweet aroma hinting of Meyer lemon and its mouth-filling honeyed pear flavor, it is hard to resist."

Florence Fabricant - Food Editor, The New York Times

St-Germain & Champagne

Makes 1 cocktail

1 ounce St. Germain

Champagne

Strawberry for garnish

Pour 1 ounce of St. Germain into a chilled flute and fill with Champagne. Float a strawberry on top.