Suzi's Blog

Saint Anne Cocktail with St-Germain Liquor

by Brian on February 17th, 2010 in Dedicated Drinker's Diary,Recipes

Suzen and I do not haunt bars. The only time we’ve ever hung out in one was our very first date. In Boston, on a night when the chill factor was about 10 below. We would have sat in Boston Commons instead, but the bar had Irish coffee and a fireplace. It was an easy choice, and apparently a good one: we did have that second date.

And were married in six months.

Back to the bars. I wait for the latest bar “hits” to filter out. New products, new beverage ideas, come and go as fast as a vibrating cocktail shaker. There will be buzz about something and then it’s gone to beverage heaven, or hell. So, pausing for a year or so to see if a new beverage idea has real legs is my policy. I want beverages destined for the Hall of Fame.

A few years ago a wonderful new liquor, St-Germain, was introduced. Dubbed an elderflower elixir, this beverage is versatile and delicious. My first sip, straight up from the bottle, was on a summer night after a full meal. The full, fragrant body of this liquor was enough to constitute dessert.

Creative mixologists have expanded the domain of St-Germain. The recipe below, from the seasonal-American restaurant James in Prospect Heights Brooklyn, combines St-Germain with my beverage favorites: mint, lemon juice and sugar. The cocktail name, Saint Anne, honors the chef-owner’s great grandmother. It’s a lovely creative tribute. This cocktail is complex, refreshing and one I hope you sample.

Saint Anne Cocktail

Ingredients:

8 Mint leaves
1 ounce lemon juice
2 ounces gin
1 ounce St-Germain
Dash sugar syrup

Preparation:

Muddle the mint leaves and the lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. Add the gin, St-Germain, and simple syrup to taste. Add ice, shake, strain, and serve in a chilled martini glass.

Source: James Restaurant, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn