En l'honneur de St Germain

As lasting friendships formed among the lovely ladies I have met thought blogging, so did our love of a certain artisanal French liqueur, St Germain. St~Germain is an all natural product, made from fresh handpicked elderflower blossoms which are harvested annually during springtime in the Alps. The resulting taste is subtle and delicate, yet curiously complex. It suggests flavors of lemon and grapefruit, pear and passion fruit, melon and cherry, without settling on one. This hand crafted elixir pairs well with a variety spirits and in numerous cocktails. We decided to celebrate its versatility and elegance with a late summer cocktail party. Emily offered to host on her spacious Cambridge patio and a Horizon Beverages rep (who we connected with at an event last month) graciously supplied her with carafes, stirrers and other St Germain media. This generous gesture added festive touches to the already picturesque ambiance. Megan's Chocolate Lab, Gunner and Emily's Black Lab, Sadie joined the party, too!Each of us crafted a drink with the ingredient du jour in addition to providing savory and / or sweet appetizers to pair alongside. Emily's Peach Germain Spritzer with homemade peach simple syrup and seltzer was a hit, in addition to her crostini topped with Trader Joes goat cheese and blueberry spread and some delicious lemon tarts. Megan's dry white wine and fruit filled carafe of fresh blueberries, nectarines and strawberries blended to create a refreshing Sangria Flora. She baked some Parmesan crisps and served them alongside a beautiful heirloom tomato dip. And she made Elderflower, almond and lime teacakes with St Germain infused frosting. Yes, they were even better than they sound. Elizabeth's savory cucumber and ricotta filled crepes and her non-alcoholic blueberry topped ginger peach juice were equally creative and delicious. Bianca paired St Germain with Limoncello, brought some spicy Sopressata and made incredibly addictive chocolate chip cookie dough truffles! Inspired by a favorite cocktail on the menu at Bricco; I made the Left Bank which blends St Germain with Hendrick's Gin and Sauvignon Blanc. I purchased some fancy Italian cheeses and an olive antipasto at Salumeria Italiana. A classic pecorino as well as a moliterno al tartufo, which is a rich sheeps milk cheese infused with black truffles were an excellent pairing with Bianca's Soppressata. We ate and drank well into the evening, still I sampled more inventive cocktails from Meghan's zesty herbal vodka, lemon and basil concoction to Amy's St Honore 75 adorning the coveted liqueur with bubbles and lemon. Relaxing and listening to music while catching up over inventive cocktails in this plush garden patio, I can't think of a more perfect way to spend a Thursday evening. Harmoniously blending with a variety of spirits and delighting the most discerning of palates, the sophisticated, exquisitely balanced St Germain not only makes truly lust worthy libations, but proves an exciting guest of honor!Have you ever thrown a liqueur themed party? Should we make this a tradition?