What does St-Germain taste like?
St-Germain tastes sweet and floral, like elderflower with pear, lychee and a little grapefruit, soft and honeyed rather than perfumey, at about 20% alcohol.
St-Germain
sweet, floral elderflower
St-Germain is a French liqueur made from elderflowers, the small white blossoms of the elder bush. It tastes like spring in a glass: honeyed and floral, with pear, lychee and a squeeze of citrus. It's sweet, so bartenders usually use it in small amounts to soften gin, vodka or sparkling wine. People nicknamed it 'bartender's ketchup' because it went into so many drinks after it launched in 2007. On its own over ice it's pleasant but sugary. With bubbles and soda, it's light and easy.
Where you’ll see it
In the St-Germain spritz (St-Germain, prosecco and soda), a close cousin of the Hugo spritz, and in elderflower gin drinks, French 75 riffs and anything listed with 'elderflower'.
Order it if you like floral, fruity drinks like a Hugo spritz or a lychee martini.
Quick questions
- What flavor is St-Germain?
- Elderflower. It tastes floral and sweet with pear, lychee and a little grapefruit, and it's subtle enough to mix with almost anything.
- Is St-Germain strong?
- Not very. It's about 20% alcohol, half a typical spirit, and usually poured in small amounts.