Spritz Season Is Far From Over – and This Might Be Your New Favourite

Summer is well and truly here – and despite already being a couple months into the season, we’re not sick of spritzes just yet. On the contrary, we’re craving them more than ever.

While the warm weather has some reaching for a bottle of something bitter to mix with, bartenders around the country are fielding calls for lighter, more refreshing options. Many are turning to a favourite cocktail ingredient: St-Germain, the French liqueur made with fresh elderflower.

“I think when people see elderflower on a menu, they just naturally gravitate to it,” says Roean Patawaran, head of beverage at 25 Hours The Olympia in Sydney. 

He says drinks like the Hugo spritz, which features St-Germain and prosecco, are regular orders at the hotel’s three venues. “We’ve actually got a signature cocktail on the menu at [the hotel’s Mediterranean restaurant] The Palomar using St-Germain, citrus vodka, some lemon and sparkling water. It’s one of the bestsellers.”

St-Germain has been a backbar staple since its launch in 2007, during the early days of the craft cocktail revival. It was a hit with bartenders at New York City bars like Death & Co and PDT, which used St-Germain to add a floral note to their creative concoctions. Nearly 10 years later, bartenders are now using it less like a supporting player and more like the main ingredient. 

“I just think it’s such an easy liqueur to pair. It’s floral, it’s light, not too sweet, and it goes really well with any kind of mixer that you can think of, whether it’s sparkling wine, soda, lemonade or tonic. It’s really mixable,” says Patawaran. That versatility extends to pairings with warm-weather fruits, like lychee and stone fruit, and flavours such as ginger.

But the ultimate way to enjoy St-Germain is the simplest: in the drink named after the liqueur. The St-Germain spritz sees it mixed with equal parts dry prosecco and sparkling water, then capped off with a lemon twist. Essentially, the drink swaps the characteristic (and, for some, overpowering) mint leaves of the Hugo spritz for the brighter flavour of lemon, “which is fantastic”, says Patawaran.

He recommends having one or two to start your night. “A proper aperitif really does set the tone for the evening. It’s easy to make and the palate is clean and fresh. A nice spritz to start off the evening really changes things.” If you’re out for dinner, the St-Germain spritz pairs perfectly with menu favourites like seafood and salad. “The fresh notes of the elderflower will pop whenever you bite into the salad.”

Staying home instead? The cocktail comes together in seconds, and the recipe is easy to scale up for a carafe.

St-Germain spritz

Makes 1 serving. Approx. 1.2 standard drinks

Ingredients

40ml St-Germain elderflower liqueur

60ml Martini brut prosecco

60ml sparkling water

Lemon twist

Edible flowers (optional)

Method

Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour St-Germain into glass. Top with prosecco and sparkling water. Give the drink a good stir.

Gently twist a lemon peel on top of the drink. Garnish with edible flowers (optional).

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with St-Germain