Saint Germain
Last night we wanted to make an Aviation which calls for Creme de Violette, unavailable for decades in the USA but now supposedly so. Of course no one in Salem has it, our standby in Peabody the big box Kappy's who one recently said was God's gift to the faithful, failed miserably, and with that gnosis we headed home to the internet. They did however try, and checked their computer and the inventory at their other stores declaring it not available and even suggesting another well stocked store that did not carry it. They did redeem themselves by having Luxardo Maraschino liqueur and Plymouth Gin. I refused to be swayed by the Creme Yvette as I shall have my Aviations with a pale blue sky. Tonight it is off to Downtown Liquors as they carry it in Paris, Somerville.
St Germain. Yeah, I know it's been overdone, but it is good. I first tried it over a year ago at a party, said this is nasty, and dumped it down the drain. Little did I know that it was just a poorly made cocktail. Later Christene was with someone that made a pitcher of them and sent her away with a traveler. She raved about it, so we bought a bottle, and it sat idle on the bar for some time. A few weeks ago we had guests and made a pitcher of it with Prosecco and soda water and realized how good it was. It is an Elderflower liqueur from France made neither by macerating - too weak, nor pressing - too bitter, but by a secret family process. The Elderflowers while not rare only bloom for a few weeks each year and what is harvested then and there determines the supply for the year. They are harvested by beret wearing old men, there are only 40 - 50 of them, and delivered by bicycle to the factory from the Alps.
But where? They won't say, nor has anyone ever seen these elderflower harvesting beret wearing bicycle pedaling old men. Why can't we see them? Why don't we know where they are? At cocktail conferences the St Germain reps are getting hounded for evidence they exist. Evasively, they promise it, soon, but not now.
So we decided to recreate the St Germain Aroused from the Greenland Cafe. What a horrible name like something from the Punk Cocktail craze of the 90's but they were very good and since we couldn't make an Aviation yet, we wanted one. The tubes failed us in a quest for a recipe or one similar. We knew it had vodka, st germain, cointreau, cranberry juice, and ginger puree. It was served with an optional side of a szechuan flower bud, which we did not have but did find a source for and will get this week, and since it was optional we forged ahead.
Ginger puree which was dispensed from a squeeze bottle, we found being equal parts water, sugar, and fresh ginger. Since I no longer have a scale, to be replaced Saturday, I eyeballed it. Peeled and chopped the ginger and pureed in the food processor. It was strong and good but I don't think it needed that much sugar at all. It also left grit in the cocktail, so we will try grinding in a mortar and pestle and pressing through a sieve.
We tried 1 vodka, 1 St Germain, 1/2 Cointreau, 1 of cranberry juice, and a bar spoon of ginger puree. Shaken, Color was too dark, drink was too sweet, not enough bite, but ok.
Second round we went with 1.25 each vodka and St Germain, 1/4 Cointreau, 1 cranberry, and two bar spoons of ginger puree. This was much better but still not perfect less sweet but could be less so, ginger and color was right. Further experimentation is called for.
We may try cranberry bitters thus making it a true cocktail. At the Boston Shaker we were going to pick up a bottle of Fee Brothers Cranberry bitters. We use their orange bitters in Martinis and like them well and have also used the grapefruit ones in Christenes favorite drink. They also had a new brand Sweetgrass from Maine. I asked what the difference was since the Maine one was a lot more expensive and he said come try them. They had a bar setup, and small medicine cups so you could taste them raw. I tried the Fee Brothers Cranberry and the Sweetgrass Cranberry. The difference was startling. The Fee Brothers tasted exactly like cough syrup, while the Sweetgrass tasted pure, and tart, and exactly what I was hoping for thus making the choice clear and well worth the difference in price.
Tonight we soar with Aviations if all goes well.
St Germain. Yeah, I know it's been overdone, but it is good. I first tried it over a year ago at a party, said this is nasty, and dumped it down the drain. Little did I know that it was just a poorly made cocktail. Later Christene was with someone that made a pitcher of them and sent her away with a traveler. She raved about it, so we bought a bottle, and it sat idle on the bar for some time. A few weeks ago we had guests and made a pitcher of it with Prosecco and soda water and realized how good it was. It is an Elderflower liqueur from France made neither by macerating - too weak, nor pressing - too bitter, but by a secret family process. The Elderflowers while not rare only bloom for a few weeks each year and what is harvested then and there determines the supply for the year. They are harvested by beret wearing old men, there are only 40 - 50 of them, and delivered by bicycle to the factory from the Alps.
But where? They won't say, nor has anyone ever seen these elderflower harvesting beret wearing bicycle pedaling old men. Why can't we see them? Why don't we know where they are? At cocktail conferences the St Germain reps are getting hounded for evidence they exist. Evasively, they promise it, soon, but not now.
So we decided to recreate the St Germain Aroused from the Greenland Cafe. What a horrible name like something from the Punk Cocktail craze of the 90's but they were very good and since we couldn't make an Aviation yet, we wanted one. The tubes failed us in a quest for a recipe or one similar. We knew it had vodka, st germain, cointreau, cranberry juice, and ginger puree. It was served with an optional side of a szechuan flower bud, which we did not have but did find a source for and will get this week, and since it was optional we forged ahead.
Ginger puree which was dispensed from a squeeze bottle, we found being equal parts water, sugar, and fresh ginger. Since I no longer have a scale, to be replaced Saturday, I eyeballed it. Peeled and chopped the ginger and pureed in the food processor. It was strong and good but I don't think it needed that much sugar at all. It also left grit in the cocktail, so we will try grinding in a mortar and pestle and pressing through a sieve.
We tried 1 vodka, 1 St Germain, 1/2 Cointreau, 1 of cranberry juice, and a bar spoon of ginger puree. Shaken, Color was too dark, drink was too sweet, not enough bite, but ok.
Second round we went with 1.25 each vodka and St Germain, 1/4 Cointreau, 1 cranberry, and two bar spoons of ginger puree. This was much better but still not perfect less sweet but could be less so, ginger and color was right. Further experimentation is called for.
We may try cranberry bitters thus making it a true cocktail. At the Boston Shaker we were going to pick up a bottle of Fee Brothers Cranberry bitters. We use their orange bitters in Martinis and like them well and have also used the grapefruit ones in Christenes favorite drink. They also had a new brand Sweetgrass from Maine. I asked what the difference was since the Maine one was a lot more expensive and he said come try them. They had a bar setup, and small medicine cups so you could taste them raw. I tried the Fee Brothers Cranberry and the Sweetgrass Cranberry. The difference was startling. The Fee Brothers tasted exactly like cough syrup, while the Sweetgrass tasted pure, and tart, and exactly what I was hoping for thus making the choice clear and well worth the difference in price.
Tonight we soar with Aviations if all goes well.