A Cocktail to Warm Up Cold January

Pears are a wonderful winter fruit.  One of my favorite salads at this time of year is made with pears, roasted nuts and Stilton cheese.  But, pears can also be an absolute stunner in an aperitif.  This recipe, made with pear vodka, is sure to warm up anyone on a chilly winter's evening.

Another ingredient in this luscious pre-dinner drink is an elderflower liqueur by the name of St Germain.  If you don't own a bottle buy one as the flavor is truly delightful (and the Art Deco-inspired bottle alone is worth the price).  Elderflowers are very tiny fragrant flowers, and their essence has long been popular in European baked goods.  While I have loved the elderflower floral profile for some time, it recently skyrocketed to fame when Megan Markle chose it as the flavor for her wedding cake.

The recipe below can be tweaked to fit your preference for flavors (e.g. you may want to increase the St Germain and decrease the vodka).  Also, the amount has been designed for a Champagne flute or a martini glass...both hold the same amount (which is less than a wine glass).

Pear Elderflower Aperitif (per glass)

• 1/2 jigger pear vodka
• 2 teaspoons St Germain
• 1/3 cup good quality sparkling wine
• Thinly slice ripe pear

Serve with a slice of pear...in front of a roaring fireplace.

Happy 2020!

St Germain---the Mixologist’s New Best Friend

Southern California is ripe with strawberries at the moment and I can’t think of a better early spring aperitif than berries with Prosecco and a splash of St Germain (or replace the sparkling wine for bubbly water to make a nearly non-alcoholic version).   While created only ten years ago, St Germain feels like it’s been around for a century with its classic art-deco inspired bottle---the bottle alone is worth the price of admission at about 30 bucks.

St Germain is an artisanal French liqueur made from hand-picked flowers of the elderberry shrub, a member of the honeysuckle species of plants.   Like the family to which it belongs, the elderberry’s tiny white flowers are especially fragrant.   Grown in France’s Alps, the star-shaped flowers are harvested from the hillsides during a short four to six week period in spring.  Immediately after picking the flowers are macerated to preserve their bloom’s delicate flavors.  The method used in extraction of the flavors is a secret process which the company keeps a closely guarded secret.

                                         Delicate elderflowers require painstaking plucking

After maceration and extraction a type of un-aged brandy is added to the elderflowers to create an alcoholic liquid.  There are also additions of other ingredients such as citrus.  Last, a small amount of sugar is added to remove some of the bitterness and accentuate the subtle flavor of the elderflowers.                                    

Elderflowers have recently been in the press as the upcoming Royal wedding's cake will be flavored with St Germain.   This is no surprise as Europeans have long used elderflowers to flavor foods and drinks (e.g. jams and jellies, cakes and puddings, teas and lemonades).   In the last several years in the US, however, St Germain has been rapidly gaining in popularity in the cocktail arena.  One of the most unusual aperitifs I’ve had on American soil in the last five years was a concoction made with St Germain, pear vodka and Champagne.  Sublime.

Not only does St Germain offer a unique flavor profile (think lychee, pear, peach with a hint of lemon), but its aromas are an intoxicating nectar reflecting a palette of floral and ripe fruit notes.   Moreover, each one of its gorgeous French-inspired bottles are individually numbered, reflecting the year in which the flowers were picked.  (I save mine and use them in a collection of candlestick holders on my dining table).  While several guests usually inquire about this “candlestick,” all ask about the St Germain aperitif I serve to kick off the event.