Spirits · Savoie, France
St. Germain
A French elderflower liqueur that became a bartender's staple.
- Founded
- 2007
- Founded by
- Robert Cooper
- Based in
- Savoie, France
Making it since
2007
Their story
St-Germain began with Robert Cooper, a second-generation liquor man whose father ran the liqueur house Charles Jacquin et Cie. After tasting an elderflower cocktail at a London bar in 2001, he set out to bottle that flavor.
His company, Cooper Spirits Co., launched St-Germain in 2007, naming it after the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood of Paris. Bartenders took to it so quickly that it picked up the nickname "bartender's ketchup."
Bacardi bought the brand in 2013, and Cooper stayed on as a brand guardian and spokesperson. He died at 39, but the liqueur remains a fixture on back bars.
How it's made
The liqueur is made from fresh elderflower blossoms gathered in the Savoie region of the French Alps over a few weeks each spring. Collectors have traditionally carried the delicate flowers to collection points by bicycle so they arrive undamaged, and each bottle is marked with the year the blossoms were gathered.
Why we carry them
A small splash of St-Germain brightens sparkling wine, gin, or a simple spritz. We keep it in mind for anyone building a home bar who wants one floral bottle that earns its spot.
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