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What to do with old St. Germaine?


Yojimbo

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I recently got a leftover bottle of St. Germaine that had been bought for a fundraiser; it allowed me to compare it with the more-than-half-full bottle that I've had for almost two years.

The old bottle is noticeably darker, with a dark brown sediment at the bottom. The taste is, well, kinda like a bottle of asti spumanti that's sat out for a day or so with a little bit of water-from-the-vase-filled-with-dead-daffodils. The fresh floral zip, the citric tartness, the candied flower sweetness have been replaced by something much funkier. An Aviation riff with St. Germaine subbing for the creme de violette in a rather larger ratio did not turn out well; the S-G dominated to such an extent that, if I had to put a name to this one, I'd call it Send Me Dead Flowers.

I could just dump my off bottle in the next bowl of punch I make, or I could try and figure out what it would work with in its current over the hill incarnation.

Has anyone else dealt with this problem? Any tips for keeping it fresher for longer? I really like St. Germain, but not enough to go through a fifth before it starts turning to swamp water. 50 ml bottles for me next time.

"The thirst for water is a primitive one. Thirst for wine means culture, and thirst for a cocktail is its highest expression."

Pepe Carvalho, The Buenos Aires Quintet by Manuel Vazquez Montalban

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Maybe try it as a sub in an Averna Jimjam? The oxidized flavor might be a bit apricot-like, maybe?

Averna Jimjam

by Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli, Eastern Standard

2 oz Amaro, Averna

1 oz Lemon juice

1 oz Apricot liqueur, Marie Brizard Apry

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

(I use R&W Orchard Apricot when I make the above.)

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Kindred Cocktails | Craft + Collect + Concoct + Categorize + Community

Kindred Cocktails | Craft + Collect + Concoct + Categorize + Community

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