A liqueur which revolutionized drink-making when it first launched in 2007, becoming so ubiquitous as to be nick-named “bartenders’ ketchup”.

Developed by the late distiller Robert Cooper, who staked his reputation and place in his family business on the liqueur. Cooper had encountered some elderflower liqueurs in bars during a trip to London, and suggested that his father, the owner of the Charles Jacquin et Cie liqueur house, sold one of his own. His father dismissed the idea and told Robert “I’ll hire you back in a year when you fail”.

Fail he did not, instead his elderflower liqueur, with its beautiful art-deco design, took off like wildfire, with sponsored cocktail parties and bartending competitions helping his cause. It won Grand Gold from the International Quality Institute’s Monde Selection four years in a row, from 2007 to 2010.

St. Germain is named after a particularly chic district of Paris.

The liqueur is meticulously produced. Elderflower petals are gathered from the foothills of the French Alps. There is only one week a year that the flowers are of sufficient ripeness to harvested, which is done by hand.

The flavour of elderflower quickly fades, so the bunches of petals are swiftly macerated in eau-de-vie from Gamay and Chardonnay grapes. This spirit is sweetened, producing the pleasingly floral, viscous, and sweet liqueur that is bottled.

A delicious, delicate liqueur that is present in scores of modern cocktails. An attractive addition to any bar.

• Product type
  Herb Liqueurs
• Distillery / brand
  St-Germain
• Country
  France
• Bottler
  Distillery Bottling
• SKU
  034235