Cooking Lesson #895: St. Germain-Vodka Collins

…from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar

​How you doin’? One of the most popular flavored truffles at Choclatique was our St. Germain in the Epitome collection. It had both an aroma and flavor that was most compelling. When in production you could smell the St. Germain the minute you walked into the chocolate studio. It was one of my top five favorite truffles out of 350—even rating higher than our award-winning Champagne truffles. 
 
Just what is St-Germain? St. Germain is an elderflower liqueur. It is made using the petals of Sambucus nigra from the Savoie region in France. Each bottle is numbered with the year the petals were collected. Petals are collected annually in the spring over a period of three to four weeks and are often transported by bicycle to collection points to avoid damaging the petals and impacting the flavor.
 
St-Germain was created by master distiller Robert Cooper, son of Norton Cooper, the owner of Charles Jacquin et Cie, after trying an elderflower-based cocktail at a London bar in 2001. The brand was named after Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and the bottle shape is influenced by Art Deco motifs associated with the Belle Époque history of this area. Launched in 2007 by Cooper Spirits Co, St-Germain can now be found in many back bars. In 2013, the company was sold to Bacardi and Robert Cooper agreed to work with Bacardi as a "brand guardian" and spokesperson. Unfortunately, the contract didn’t last too long as Robert Cooper died at the age of just 39 in 2016.
 
Ingredients 
1.5 ounces vodka (I prefer Absolut vodka)
1 ounce freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice
1/2 ounce St. Germain liquor
5 ounces soda water
2 lemon wheels, garnish

Directions

1. Fill a Collins  glass with ice cubes.
2. Add all ingredients.
3. Garnish with two lemon wheels.

ChefSecret:  Color up the garnish by using a lemon, lime and orange wheels.

Quip of the Day:  A new priest at his first mass was so nervous that he could hardly speak. After mass, he asked the Monsignor how he had done.
The Monsignor replied, "You did fine, but seemed quite nervous. When I am worried about getting nervous on the pulpit, I put a glass of vodka next to the water glass. If I start to get nervous, I take a sip."
The next Sunday, he took the Monsignor's advice. At the beginning of the sermon when he got nervous, he took a drink. He proceeded to talk up a storm. Upon his return to his office after mass, he found the following note on the door:
*Sip the vodka; don't gulp.
*There are 10 commandments, not 12.
*There are 12 disciples, not 10.
*Jesus was consecrated, not constipated.
*Jacob wagered his donkey; he did not "bet his ass."
*We do not refer to Jesus Christ as the late J.C.
*The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not referred to as daddy, junior, and the spook.
*David slew Goliath; he did not kick the crap outta him.
*When David was hit by a stone and knocked off his donkey, don't say he was stoned off his ass.
*We don't refer to the cross as the "Big T."
*When Jesus broke the bread at the last supper, he said, "Take this and eat it for it is my body." He did not say "Eat me."
*The recommended grace before a meal is not "Rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for the grub, yeah God."
*There will be a taffy pulling contest at St. Peter's, not a peter pulling contest at St. Taffy's.
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                                                                                     ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024

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