Photo: Muy Yum

My favorite way to celebrate spring is with a deserving cocktail. Though most weekends and occasional weekdays, my heart does belong to an Old Fashioned, I can’t discuss the arrival of spring without discussing the wonder that is the elderflower.

The elderflower is the star of St.Germain, the first liqueur in the world created in the artisanal French manner of freshly handpicking elderflower blossoms. Located in the French Alps and surrounding countryside, 40-50 men ride their bicycles and scour through the area to hand-pick elderflower blossoms. However, because of a harvest and blossoming period of 4-6 weeks, the time devoted to finding these blossoms is careful and done with exact precision.

Once the flowers are selected, they are delivered to collection stations where harvesters are paid by the kilo. Then, the flowers are immediately macerated to capture the freshest flavor possible. Throughout the weekly harvest process, the maceration of all the flowers are added together before marrying with the spirits.

The elderflower maceration is combined with eau-de-vie, a traditional grape spirit used for years in the creation of St. Germain. Read More

Photo: adactio

A few months ago, someone gave my parents a bottle of St. Germain, an elderberry liquor from France. While it has swept mixologists around the country off their feet, what can a couple do with this exotic spirit at home?

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