St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur (37.5cl, 20%)

St-Germain is a French elderflower liqueur made with elderflower petals of the Sambucus nigra species from Savoie. The blossoms are hand-harvested during a three- to four-week window in late spring, picked in the early morning and macerated in grape eau-de-vie within 48 hours. That eau-de-vie is made from a blend of Chardonnay and Gamay grapes. Each bottle contains the essence of up to 1,000 fresh elderflower blossoms, with about 180 grams of sugar per litre. On the nose there is fresh elderflower and honeysuckle, ripe peach, pear and grapefruit zest, with hints of tinned lychee and sweet pastry. The palate is lightly syrupy with elderflower and pear, then passion fruit and lemon meringue pie, balanced by citric acidity. The finish is long and floral, with elderflower, gooseberry and lemon zest.