La Vie Boheme Leaves TLM Speechless

“Exquisite” is the word that came to mind. Then, I wasn’t sure what else to say. Is it possible for one sip to be so subtly fragrant and refined that it leaves an opinionated spirits commentator at a loss for words? Oui, c’est possible!

St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur transports me to my own fantastical scene where I become one of Erte’s lithe figurines - swathed in silk, languishing on a velvetine fainting couch, with an extended cigarette holder in one hand, and a crystal liqueur glass filled with this delightful nectar in the other. Aahhh, a Muse-y thought, indeed…

Ok, back to the booze!

The Name: After World War II, the Parisian neighborhood of St. Germain-des-Pres became a hangout for artists, writers, wanderlusts, conventional misfits and social rebellion which marked the early decades of 20th century Paris. Nestled into the Left Bank of the River Seine, St. Germain still boasts art galleries, the historic Café des Duex Magots and open-air markets.

Named for this center of Parisian intellectualism, and stomping ground of bon vivants, the actual liqueur is made from wild elderflower blossoms, handpicked in the French Alps, then (supposedly) bicycled down to the distillery. (Is there any more romantic imagery than a capped Frenchman lovingly gathering fragile blooms on a sunny day above Provençe?)

The Liqueur: After harvesting, the ephemeral elderflowers quickly lose their delicate fragrance and flavor. For this reason, until now, non-alcoholic elderflower syrup has been more readily available behind the bar, and made from frozen flowers. In order to make St. Germain Liqueur, the elderflower essence is quickly extracted at the distillery then blended with their eau de vie produced for three generations. The outstanding liqueur is then presented to the public in an elegant art deco-style bottle.

St. Germain is slowly making its way Stateside. I strongly encourage you to take a few seconds to slip away to your own Bohemian Rhapsody, one exquisite sip at a time…

Lovely on its own, here are a few cocktail recipes and photos, supplied by Maison St. Germain:

The Can-Can Martini
2 ounces gin (vodka, ok, too)
1 1/2 ounces St. Germain
1/4 ounce dry vermouth (or white wine)

Shake, with ice, then strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with lemon or orange twist. (High-kicks and petticoats optional...)


French 77
1 ounce St. Germain
1/4 freshly squeezed lemon juice
champagne

Pour liqueur and lemon juice into chilled flute, top with champagne.


The St. Germain Cocktail
2 ounces dry white wine (sauvignon blance) or Prosecco
2 ounces St. Germain
Soda Water

Stir ingredients in a tall, ice-filled Collins glass. Reminisce Paris circa 1947...

Absinthe - A Bohemian Rhapsody

Anthony Dobranski - writer, sipster extraordinaire and half of one of our favorite couples (aka: Tony-and-Jackie) bestowed a rare pleasure upon Jason (the other half of my couple) and me on Bastille Day...

I'm enraptured with "la vie boheme" and literary movement in 1920's Paris. Smoke-filled rooms alive with witty banter, steamy opium-and-absinthe laden brothels, the languid stares of art-deco seductresses who'd seen a little too much of post-war reality... All these romanticized, fanciful illusions danced in my head as Tony, Jackie, Jason and I prepared to sample this most notorious of illicit libations!

I wasn't sure what to expect. Would we hallucinate? How powerful was this stuff, anyway? I was all tingly in anticipation...

Personally, I didn't experience any physical reactions other than the thrill of tasting it (finally!) for myself. It's licorice flavor is simply delightful, the experience as "heady" as any fine (and strong) spirit, and adding Absinthe to my list of 1001 things to try before I die is one more accomplishment to cross off my list! (not that I wouldn't do it again!!)

Tony knows more about it than I do, so I asked him to share a little info. Enjoy...

The Liquid Muse wanted to join the many recent celebrations of New Orleans -- "Laissez le bons temps roulez" is a fine motto. Alas, for mixologists New Orleans is difficult. The hometown cocktail is as sweet as childrens' cereal, sold in paper cups, and worst of all is called ... a hurricane.

Instead we're honoring New Orleans native son Ted Breaux, a chemist who in his spare time figured out how to make Nouvelle-Orleans -- perhaps the world's best absinthe. Absinthe? Isn't that the evil toxic drink that destroyed a generation of artists and poets in 19th century Paris?

Well, yes. Actually, as we learned in a great article in Wired magazine about Mr Breaux, absinthe isn't really toxic, at least not if it's made correctly. But it is strong -- 140 proof and wildly aromatic. Traditionally it's served diluted with ice-cold water and sweetened with a sugar cube. Our photos demonstrate a traditional method, using antique-style crystal absinthe glasses with matching funnels.

Absinthe is naturally wine-bottle green, but when diluted with water it turns the color of key-lime pie. By placing a sugar cube in the funnel, the water dissolves it as it trickles through. A perfect aperitif for Bastille Day or any hot summer night!

Where to get this fine drink? NOT in European duty-free shops, alas. Most of the "absinthe" sold there is closer to mouthwash than something you want to swallow. The good stuff is available, but since it's illegal in the US we're not going to tell you where. That's why they invented search engines, honey.