St Germain Champagne Cocktail

This St Germain champagne cocktail mixes elderflower liqueur with champagne, lemon, and gin. A sophisticated bubbly drink perfect for any occasion!

Here’s a drink that’s made for celebration: a St Germain champagne cocktail! It’s sophisticated and refreshing: floral, botanical, tangy, and bubbly all at once. The moment I took a sip of this one, I fell in love. If you’ve never purchased a bottle of St Germain, now’s the time! This bottle of fancy liqueur should be part of your alcohol arsenal. We could imagine drinking this one at holiday parties, New Year’s Eve, or celebrating getting that big promotion or anniversary.

Want more ideas? Check out our Easy Champagne Cocktails, including the Classic, French 75, Cranberry, and more.

What’s in a St Germain champagne cocktail?

Despite its fancy sounding name, this cocktail is easy to make and only uses a few ingredients. There are lots of variations on this drink, unlike cocktails like the Classic Champagne Cocktail and French 75 that have standard definitions. This one is actually very similar to the French 75! What’s in this St Germain champagne cocktail?

• St Germain
• Gin
• Champagne
• Lemon juice
• Simple syrup or pure maple syrup

Alex and I love making naturally sweet cocktails: we find that using pure maple syrup lends a gentle sweetness. Plus, maple syrup is always on hand in our refrigerator, because we use it in lots of our recipes. We use the maple syrup trick in many of our classic cocktails, from our gin fizz to classic daiquiri to whiskey sour. But of course you can use simple syrup instead if you prefer!

What is St Germain?

St Germain is a liqueur made with elderflowers, the small white flowers of an elderberry plant. This flavor is warm and floral. If you’re into trendy cocktails, you’ve probably had a St Germain cocktail at a bar or restaurant. Fun fact: it was invented in 2007! (Here’s the story behind it.) It’s safe to say this newcomer to the cocktail scene has enjoyed massive popularity.

How do you say St Germain? First off, don’t say “Saint”. It’s actually pronounced “Sahn-jer-MAHN.” But however you want to say it to not sound too pretentious with your friends, go for it!

What to do with a bottle of St Germain? Aside from this St Germain champagne cocktail, there are many other flavors that pair well (gin, lemon, vodka, cranberry…). Here are all our best St Germain Cocktail Recipes!

How to garnish it?

Half of the fun of cocktails is the garnish! For this St Germain cocktail, you can use just about anything. Here we’ve shown it with fresh rosemary because we had some on hand, and it gives it a bit more of a holiday drink vibe. But you can also serve it with a lemon twist. Here’s how to make a lemon twist without any special tools.

Can you make a non-alcoholic St Germain champagne cocktail?

Yes! Making mocktails or 0 proof cocktails are great for including people who don’t drink alcohol, pregnant women, or kids. You can make a non-alcoholic version of this St Germain champagne cocktail with a few simple substitutes. Here they are:

• Champagne substitute: Use non-alcoholic sparkling cider, grape juice, or wine for the champagne (these days there are some nice non-alcoholic sparkling wine options).
• St Germain substitute: You can use elderflower juice from IKEA to substitute for this elderflower liqueur. Use this trick to make mocktail versions of all your favorite St Germain cocktails!

Best cocktail shaker to use, and a substitute!

It’s worth buying a cocktail shaker if you make cocktails often! It quickly chills cocktails by shaking them against ice. It has a perforated lid so you can easily strain out the cocktail. Here’s the one we use: 24-Ounce Cocktail Shaker | Amazon

What if I don’t have a cocktail shaker? You don’t need to be a semi-professional mixologist to make this St Germain champagne cocktail.  Use a glass mason jar instead! Place the cocktail in the jar and fill it with ice, then screw on the top and shake. Use a mesh strainer when you pour out the cocktail to keep the ice inside the mason jar.

When to serve a St Germain champagne cocktail

The sophisticated St Germain champagne cocktail makes any occasion more festive! Here are some great times to serve it:

• Brunch drink (Mother’s Day, etc)
• New Year’s Eve drink
• Holiday drink or Christmas cocktail
• Bridal shower, bachelorette party or girls night drink
• Drink to celebrate an anniversary, promotion, etc!
• Romantic dinner or dinner party drink

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