Saintly Germain

After a unseasonably cold early summer, with lots of rain, it's suddenly sweltering in New York--you can see people visibly wilt on the street. I'm shuttling between my (absurdly) cold office and our shaded little garden apartment, but sometimes, cooling agents are necessary.

St. Germain is one of my quintessential cocktail ingredients for summer. A liqueur made from elderflowers, it's hard to describe to people who've never had it--light, sweet, and floral, but gorgeously complex. Sure, a bottle of it can be pricey (it's $34 at my local wine shop), but a little goes a long way. St. Germain goes into all manner of fancy bespoke cocktails these days, but I mix my own drinks a little more simply:

1. Buy one (1) bottle St. Germain
   
2. Measure out one (1) capful per unit of alcohol
3. Mix
   
4. Drink at your leisure
   
5. Repeat

My preferred bases: white wine (something cheap and crisp, like a $3 bottle of Trader Joe's Chardonnay) and iced tea. I also add it to homemade wine spritzers (o gosh, I really sound classy now), to add a little pizzazz. But I really haven't found a bad combination yet.

I'm winding my day down with a St. Germain and soju right now... hence my general feeling of beatitude. But man, it's just an awfully nice way to end your day.