a celebratory cocktail: the châtelaine
Here it is, the Sunday before Christmas. The stockings have been hung by the chimney with care [Well, not really. They’re hung by our staircase. We have no chimney.]. I’m almost certain that all of the presents have been bought. Most of them have been wrapped. Christmas dinner plans are in the works, and except for a couple more days of work, I’m ready for this holiday.
I even bought myself a present yesterday – a bottle of St. Germain elderflower liqueur to play with. I heard a podcast about the liqueur earlier this year that piqued my interest in St. Germain. The liqueur is made from fresh elderflowers that grow at the foothills of the French Alps, and they only blossom during a two to three week window in the spring. The St. Germain website has lots of cocktail recipes, and I’m considering making each one of them over the holidays.
Today, though, to celebrate having all of our Christmas shopping done and only two more days of work before some much needed time off, I give you the Châtelaine. The original recipe calls for gin, but I don’t have gin. I used vodka instead. I also had some pomegranate arils stored in the freezer, and I thought the frozen arils made a nice little garnish.
Cheers!
Yield: 1 drin
The Châtelaine
Slightly adapted from this recipe in Food and Wine. The recipe calls for a crisp white wine, and I think Sauvignon Blanc fits that bill quite nicely. I used POM Wonderful pomegranate juice.
Ingredients:
2 ounce Sauvignon Blanc
1 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1 ounce pomegranate juice
pomegranate arils (i.e, seeds) for garnish
Directions:
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add Sauvignon Blanc, vodka, St. Germain, and pomegranate juice. Shake well. Strain the drink into a chilled martini glass, and garnish with 5 or 6 pomegranate arils.
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The perfect Christmas cocktail! I think the vodka is a better match here – enjoy the holiday with your lovely family!
A lovely, light and refreshing cocktail to serve over the holiday.
Happy holidays!
I agree with Brian, this cocktail sounds so light and refreshing. Perfect any time of year!
What a lovely drink! The color is just beautiful. You are almost there, just a few more days!!
What a beautiful drink! It looks so refreshing and the color is so amazing. Happy Holidays 🙂
LOVE LOVE LOVE St. Germain. It’s good in any drink!
I love St Germain and have tried a bunch of cocktails with it since I snagged a bottle. It seems to bring joy no matter how you use it.
I have heard some rumblings that it isn’t actually an elderflower liqueur anymore, rather lychee. It has been hard to confirm this, but the supply scenario around elderflowers seems to be a convincing argument. Who know! It tastes good.
Jason
I have never had St. Germain and now I am intrigued!! The color alone is gorgeous – perfect for the holiday season!!
Wow, your cocktail looks so gorgeous and so good! I’ve never had St. Germain before and after seeing this cocktail, I really want to try it. The pomegranate arils for garnish are such a great idea and add a nice touch to the drink. 🙂
I tried elderflower liqueur a few months ago and loved it. This looks like a perfect holiday cocktail 🙂 Cheers to you and hope your holidays bring you all sorts of deliciousness! xoxo
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Interesting drink.