Blackberry Collins with St. Germain Liqueur

When my birthday rolls around two weeks before Christmas, I have become accustomed to not making a big deal out of it. It’s smack dab in the middle of celebrating the biggest birthday of the year and as anyone born in December knows; good luck with yours mattering. Why I had a child on the 3rd of this month is beyond me; knowing what I know, I should have planned better! So when my friend Sandy asked me to meet her for Happy Hour; I was thrilled. She suggested a place near both of us that I had not been to before so we decided to meet at the Brick House Tavern and Bar. Why is a place a Tavern and Bar? Isn’t that redundant? Would that be the same as just calling it the Brick House Bar & Bar? OK, I digress, sorry.

While I love my new house, my neighbors and my new neighborhood; I miss some things from my old homestead. I miss my yard. I wanted a smaller yard but did not realize just how close that would make neighbors…they are CLOSE. I miss my garden and yes, I can do that here but I’m sort of over the backbreaking labor part of gardening so I’m not looking as forward to that as I did 20 years ago. I might just put a hundred pots back there and call it good! I miss being 5 minutes from the grocery store too but I’ve learned to plan better and try to  make a once weekly trip; no more quick runs to Sprouts for me. Five minutes was one thing, 15 is another. I don’t go into downtown Denver as much either; it’s gone from a half hour trip to taking an hour and I’ve got to be pretty motivated to go somewhere to incorporate a 2 hour round-trip drive into the equation and that’s if traffic cooperates. So, I need to further explore my new surroundings and this would be a good opportunity to check out a place I had never been.

It was an enigma for sure. First; an absolutely terrific Happy Hour menu with real Happy Hour prices. Nice comfortable furnishings and a gorgeous fireplace we sat near to warm our tootsies. So far so good. The food sure did not disappoint; we ordered several dishes to share and each one was outstanding.

Bleu & white chips were house made potato chips with bleu cheese crumbles and white queso. Crisp chips, sharp cheese and creamy queso. How could you not love that right? A terrific crispy, sweet and spicy shrimp dish that I loved. Their Calamari was hand breaded and tossed with cherry peppers and came with a side of basil marinara. As good as it was I found myself favoring that shrimp more and we considered ordering another plate of it. But then? The ‘oh my’ moment. The duck legs were something only previously of my dreams. Served crispy with what they called ‘man cave sauce’ (reminded me of a sweet teriyaki sauce), topped with fresh cilantro and a small pot of Sriracha Ranch dressing on the side. Probably a good thing they don’t deliver; I think I would have eaten these every night for the past week. Not purposely but interestingly enough I had done something that has been habit since I was a kid. I saved the best for last. So worth it. So want some more!

So what’s the enigma. It’s a sport bar so on top of the many pluses there is the vast sea of television sets everywhere. It didn’t seem to jive; this idea of really great food in a place focused on people eating while watching TV. But to be fair I couldn’t complain…much better than being in a place focused on food and only finding bar food right? It wasn’t that the television annoyed us (there was no big event on that night either); more than anything we were just surprised at how good the food was in a Bar and Bar (couldn’t help myself!)

Happy Hour cocktails are well drinks. We all know what that means. Bottle of the barrel liquor. No thanks; after all it IS my birthday. A quick perusal of the menu and a suggestion from our waiter and I chose the Blackberry Collins with St. Germain Liqueur. Sure looked pretty but I’m not that shallow; true love was at first sip. Definitely fruity but I love what blackberries bring to a cocktail; all the pluses of having fruit without making them overly sweet. A sweetened blackberry puree is combined with a homemade sour mix, vodka, the magic of St. Germain liqueur and all are topped off with the fizz of club soda. The St. Germain liqueur has been the darling of the cocktail (and bartender) set the past couple of years but it is worthy of any legend that precedes it for what it adds to a simple cocktail. I knew I would have to recreate this one at home. For me and for you.

The St. Germain liqueur is made from elderflowers, a small, white starry flower that blooms through the spring and summer. In Europe, the flower is used in many foods and drinks, but in the U.S. it’s gaining popularity in the form of this liqueur. Still produced in an artisanal manner, the flowers are gathered from the hillsides in the French Alps during a short four- to-six-week period in spring where the picked flowers are bicycled to a collection depot and are immediately macerated to preserve the fresh flavors of the bloom. Extracting the flavors of this flower is not an easy process, and the Saint Germain company keeps  the sweet and aromatic flavor profile a family secret. For me I taste notes of sweetened grapefruit but I’ve heard pear and lychee mentioned by other reviewers so it’s not cut and dried but it is one thing. It is so good. Just the slightest touch brings such a unique and flavorful addition to the cocktails I’ve used it for; I recommend sourcing this one if you can. It’s not cheap but it also comes in smaller bottles too; so downsize and start with a small bottle…bet you’ll be hooked too!

Needless to say, just loved this cocktail. It’s beautiful, tasty, light on the alcohol content and on the menu for a holiday party I’m hosting tomorrow night…you’re all invited! :)

Cheers!

Blackberry Collins with St. Germain Liqueur   Print Author: Barb Ingredients

• 1. 5 oz sweetened blackberry puree (1/2 pint of blackberries and 2 Tbsp sugar blended and strained to remove seeds)
• 2.5 oz Sweet and Sour mix (See Notes)
• 1 oz vodka
• .5 oz St. Germain
• Club Soda
• Whole blackberries for garnish

Instructions

1. Mix the blackberry puree, sweet and sour mix, vodka and St. Germain in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously until cold.
2. Pour over ice in a short cocktail glass; top with chilled club soda. Stir and garnish with a fresh blackberry.

Notes To Make Sweet and Sour Mix:
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
Preparation
Combine water and sugar in large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Remove from heat and cool syrup.
Mix syrup, lemon juice and lime juice in pitcher. Chill until cold. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover; keep chilled) 3.2.2807