It turns out the delicate white flowers of the Elderberry plant produce a fine little liqueur when steeped in a base spirit, and with the addition of sugar. The taste is fruity and has been described as “peach, meets lychee, meets pineapple”.
St. Germaine is the top shelf Elderflower liqueur, with a decorative bottle to match, and at $35 for 750ml, I left it on the top shelf. I did, however, find St. Elder on sale, at a lower altitude. The reviews indicated that the two products were virtually the same.
It is sweet, and I have sipped it over ice. I’ve only tried it one cocktail so far, and wasn’t a fan of the apple juice heavy drink, so the verdict is out on using it as mixer.
Proof: 40 (20% ABV)
Paid: $17 (on sale) for 750ml
(for those doing the math, that is half the price of St. Germaine)
Buy again: Probably (if I can find some cocktails that work well with it)
