St-Germain Spritz in Hand? Here Are the Perfect Food Pairings To Go With It

The St-Germain spritz is growing in popularity – and for good reason. A refreshing mix of St-Germain elderflower liqueur, prosecco, soda water and lemon, it’s got light, summery flavours that play well with the warm weather. 

The question is: what should you be having with it?

To save you from decision paralysis, we’ve done the ordering for you (kind of). While it’ll still play well with a bowl of chips and aioli, or a dish of briny olives, it’s subtler flavours that’ll really make it sing.

These five food pairings are a great starting point.

Oysters

The warmer months are the ideal time to kick back with a St-Germain spritz, so you’ll want some fresh seafood to cool things down. A platter of oysters is easy to share or indulge in by yourself. And you can skip the mignonette – the floral notes of the elderflower, combined with the acidity from the prosecco and lemon, mean the St-Germain spritz cuts through the sharp saltiness of the oysters in a similar way. Best of all, the oysters can be ready as quickly as your spritz.

Lotus root crisps 

More venues around the country are leaning into Asian-inspired bar snacks – and we’re not talking about packets of wasabi peas. Freshly fried lotus root (aka renkon) crisps are an ideal midpoint between hot chips and the old-school bartop bowl of salted nuts. They’ve got a more satisfying crunch than chips, and elderflower plays well with root vegetables. 

While a standard bowl of salted lotus root crisps with a squeeze of lemon will do the job just fine,  writer and cook Taahira Ayoob’s recipe adds red onions, chilli, lemongrass and honey to the mix. The honey and lemongrass bring the elderflower to the fore, and the prosecco helps cut through the spice and oil.

Gamberi pizza

Spritzes and pizza go together like sunshine and the beach. There’s no universal recipe for a gamberi pizza, but gamberi means “prawns” in Italian, so you can expect those as a featured topping. It’s typically made with a white base, often with slices of chilli, basil and fresh rocket on top. The elderflower and lemon are a natural fit with the prawns, while the chilli brings out a fruitiness in the prosecco. Fresh herbs – particularly the nuttiness of rocket – also complement the floral notes of the St-Germain.

Walnut and apple salad 

When it’s really hot, sometimes a salad is the only solution. Salad preferences can be as intensely personal as coffee orders, but the classic combination of toasted walnuts and juicy apple brings exactly the kind of vibrant, refreshing flavours that make perfect partners for the St-Germain spritz. Adding fresh rocket heightens the nuttiness of the walnuts and gives a strong foil to the tartness of the prosecco. Toss it all in a parmesan vinaigrette so the sharpness of the cheese can highlight the cocktail’s floral flavours.

Three-cheese toastie

Fancy food is all well and good, but what if you’re having a spritz at home and just don’t want to go to all that effort? There’s always time for a toastie. While everyone has their favourite techniques and ingredients, there’s a particular trio of cheeses that feels like it was made to pair with a St-Germain spritz. The secret? A base of shredded mozzarella (for the creaminess and a perfect cheese pull), thin slices of aged Red Leicester (for the tanginess, slight nuttiness and, let’s face it, the pretty colour) and shaved parmesan (for the sharpness).

That combination brings together saltiness to balance the drink’s sweetness, nuttiness to complement the floral flavours of the spritz, and creaminess for the lemon and prosecco to cut through.

Feeling hungry? Nothing’s stopping you from trying all five alongside your St-Germain spritz.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Bacardi.