My St. Germain recipes are in the running. Woo-hoo!

Hi Kyle,
 
Thank you for entering! I’ll make sure this is part of our 2008-9 competition, as we’ve extended the deadline.
 
Kind regards,
 
Sam
 
Samantha Jung
Cooper Spirits | St-Germain
286 Fifth Avenue
11th Floor
New York, NY 10001
212-560-9600 x 52
www.stgermain.fr

Her Majesty

Feeling regal and rebellious?  Why not take a cocktail revered by the most royal relish and start a revolution?  Blasphemy! Or, is it alchemy?  One sip and you’ll realize how to turn a tried and true recipe to gold.  Let us make a toast to:

Her Majesty

• 1 1/2 oz. Plymouth English Gin
• 3/4 oz. Dubonnet Rouge
• 3/4 oz. St. Germain

Shake all ingredients for 20 seconds, serve up in a martini glass and garnish with lemon peel.

Paradisiac

Come one, come all! We have before us a tempting libation that lures every sense to the edge of an exotic void.  A concoction unparalleled. But be forewarned my friends! Only drink this drink with a favorable companion, for once it passes your lower lips you’ll feel it in your hips. I give you the:

Paradisiac

• juice of 1 lime
• 1 oz. St. Germain
• 1 oz. 10 Cane rum
• 1/2 oz. Herbsaint
• 1/4 oz. pineapple syrup

Shake all ingredients for 20 seconds, strain in rocks glass.
Splash with soda and garnish with lime wheel or twist.

Blueberry Shrub Shrub

With the resurgence of hand-crafted drinks, many cocktail contrivers are taking cues from our forefathers.  With pre-made drink mixes containing such modern things as “high-fructose corn syrup” and “artificial flavors,” it is only natural to question how our colonial ancestors flavored their drinks.  A little research reveals a now nearly extinct additive that deliciously sweetened your cup, be it filled with water or rum.  What is this colonial constituent?  Shrub!

So, where does one acquire Shrub in the 21st century?  Well, you could browse the shelf of delicious shrubs at Tait Farm Foods: http://www.taitfarmfoods.com/shop/food/shrubs.html.  However, we both know that purchasing a pre-made mix leaves little room for your inner creativity to shine.  Fortunately for you, I am feeling generous today and have tracked down a basic recipe for you to experiment with.

Shrub Syrup
adapted from a recipe by Walter Staib, Chef of Philadelphia’s City Tavern

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 pints berries of choice (yay, freedom of choice!)
• 2 cups white wine vinegar

Whisk water and sugar together at a boil.  Reduce heat for a few minutes and add berries, stir occasionally for about 10 minutes.  Add the vinegar and bring to a boil for 2 minutes.  Strain, cool, bottle, and refrigerate.

Now that you have access to a home-made sugar syrup of yesteryear, go forth and experiment.  For starters, try something basic (like mixing it with club soda and rum).  Yum!  Have a teetotaller at your party?  Use it as a salad dressing.

Stop Murdilating Your Mint!

Q: With summer nearing, what could be more refreshing than a Mojito?

A: A well made Mojito.

Mastering this cocktail begins with the first ingredient: mint.

The idea is to press the herb with lime juice, not turn it into a soupy mess. Use a muddler similar to this:

You want to release some of the essential oils into your mix, not the entire leaf.  Only have one of those spikey muddlers?  No problemo.  Try using the opposite end.

St. Germain Recipe Contest!

Hey fellow mixologists, check out: http://www.stgermain.fr/

ST-GERMAIN BARTENDER COCKTAIL COMPETITION

Submit your own original recipe for a sublimely delicious cocktail made with St-Germain. Should your recipe be judged a winner, not only will you bask in the glowing admiration of your fellow mixologists, you will also enjoy a prize commensurate with your outstanding efforts.

Monthly Prize:
1st Place Winner – $300 American Express Gift Card
2nd Place Winner – $200 American Express Gift Card
3rd Place Winner – $100 American Express Gift Card

All monthly winners will be eligible to enter the annual competition to win a week-long, expense-paid trip to Paris.* 2nd place will receive a $2,000 American Express gift card. 3rd place will receive a $1,000 American Express gift card.

*The prize includes airfare for 2, hotel for 8 days/7 nights (to be arranged by Cooper Spirits International) and a $1,500 American Express gift card for spending money. Winner can alternatively choose to receive a $5,000 American Express gift card in lieu of the trip to Paris. Further details to be posted at a later date.

Rules/Regulations:
Entrants must be a current professional member of the spirits industry. Entrants must be 21 years of age at the time of entry. Employees or relatives of employees of Cooper Spirits International, LLC and its affiliates are not eligible. All recipes must be original creations or modifications of existing recipes and must include St-Germain Liqueur as an ingredient. If recipe is currently on the cocktail list of your establishment, please specify as such. To submit multiple recipes, please email info@stgermain.fr. Monthly winners will be chosen at the beginning of the month following the month in which entries are made. Winners will be notified and prizes will be awarded by the last day of the month in which winners are announced. Cocktail recipe submissions will be considered property of Cooper Spirits International, LLC and may be reprinted for future promotional use. Submission of recipe constitutes acknowledgement of the transfer of these rights.

Pineapple Syrup

In my opinion, real cocktails require a sophistication only achieved through the use of hand-made ingredients.

For my first post, I thought I would share a recipe for pineapple syrup.  This syrup can be used as a tropical base for custom summer concoctions or as an ingredient in a classic cocktail like the Brandy Fix:
http://www.imbibemagazine.com/Recipe-Brandy-Fix

Pineapple Syrup
Recipe adapted from the genius of Ted Haigh, aka Doctor Cocktail.

• 1 pineapple
• 4 cups of cane sugar
• 2 cups of water

Combine and stir the sugar and water in a large enough bowl.  Clean and cube your pineapple, adding the chunks to your sugar water.  Cover and let stand for  24 hours.  Remove the pineapple cubes, place into a hand juicer, and squeeze the juice into your syrup.  Stir your bowl to mix everything together and then strain into a bottle.  Add a splash of 151, seal the container, shake and refrigerate.  The “fruit” of your labor will keep for a couple of months or until you use it all up!

Stay tuned for an original cocktail recipe that makes use of your not-so hard work.