ST GERMAIN ELDER FLOWER LIQUEUR

The name St-Germain is taken from an old chapel that is situated in the town of Savoie that is central to the elderflower harvest. St-Germain is an extremely elegant brand – it is presented in a slender bottle that is so stunning it resembles a fine perfume.

PRODUCTION

It is vital to move quickly and produce St-Germain while the elderflower blossoms are fresh. The aim is to capture the blossoms aroma and fragrant flavour before the fragile flowers lose their intensity. A loss of flavour also occurs when flowers are frozen or freeze dried – that is why St-Germain specify only using fresh elderflowers.

The spirit used in the maceration of St-Germain is a blend of 18% eau-de-vie made in a traditional copper pot still and 82% column distilled grape spirit (from Chardonnay and Gamay grapes). Although eau-de-vie is nearly neutral, its addition adds extra character to St-Germain without overpowering the delicate flavour extracted from the blossom. The elderflower infused spirit is then blended with a hint of citrus, and just enough Caribbean cane sugar to enhance the natural flavours. St-Germain is very low in sugar (just 180 grams per litre); a typical liqueur contains 300 grams. Consequently St-Germain is light and not syrupy or overly sweet.

The artisanal shapely eight-sided bottle was created as a tribute to the vibrant art deco period in St-Germain. Each bottle is numbered individually and marked with the vintage year.