St. Germain Spritz Cocktail

St. Germain Spritz is an easy drinking sparkling wine cocktail with a splash of St. Germain elderflower liqueur. This low ABV cocktail is simple to make and tastes fruity and floral with a pleasant sweetness. It makes a wonderful addition to any brunch, bridal shower, sunny afternoon patio session, or pre-dinner apéritif.

Summer will be here before you know it… road trips, fresh garden produce, and cool cocktails are just around the corner. Plant your own mint in the garden or in a small pot for on demand Blueberry Mojito and Mint Julep cocktails all summer long. Cheers to summer patio season!

St. Germain Spritz

Move over Aperol Spritz, there’s a new summer sipper in town! With the increasing popularity of spritz cocktails, I thought it was a great time to introduce this sparkling French aperitif. Don’t get me wrong, I love the bitter orange herbal flavour of an Italian Aperol spritz… so much that I made mocktail version.

However, this St. Germain Spritz has a much gentler, more relaxed approach than its Italian counterpart. St. Germain liqueur imparts a more delicate flavour that is sweeter and floral rather than herbal and bitter.

The final splash of fresh lime balances out the sweet floral flavours, creating an easy drinking, not overly sweet cocktail. Serve it over plenty of ice for the ultimate summer refresher.

What is a Spritz?

A spritz is a wine-based Italian cocktail commonly served before dinner as an aperitif. It was created during the early 1800’s by Viennese soldiers during the Habsburg occupation of Veneto as an alternative to the potent Venetian wine cocktails.

Locally the cocktails consisted of bitters plus sparkling white wine or red wine. The soldiers, unaccustomed to the high alcohol drinks requested the addition of a ‘spritzen‘ of soda water (the German word meaning ‘to spray’) to make the cocktail a touch lighter. The rest is history!

In Italy, a spritz usually contains prosecco, sparkling water or club soda, and some sort of bitter liqueur, like Aperol. However, recipes vary regionally and may include other bitters such as Cynar or Campari. It is served in a large wine glass with plenty of ice, one or two orange slices, and sometimes a green olive to garnish.

Other variations include the use of Limoncello (Limoncello Spritz), Bergamotto (Italicus spritz), St. Germain with mint and lime (Hugo Spritz), a combination of Gin, Vermouth, and Campari (Negroni Sbagliato) and the St. Germain Spritz.

Ingredients in a St. Germain Spritz

Though the basic ingredients of a modern spritz are present, the one difference in a St. Germain Spritz is that it contains St. Germain liqueur instead of a bitter liqueur or amaro.

• St. Germain Liqueur
• Prosecco
• Sparkling Water
• Ice
• Lime

Feel free to substitute champagne, cava, or any other sparking white wine in place of the prosecco. I find that a moderately priced Prosecco is best for mixing in a cocktail. LaMarca Prosecco has a crisp, clean taste with hints of peach & citrus that pair well with the St-Germain in this recipe.

Use club soda, seltzer, or your favourite non flavoured or lightly flavoured sparkling water (such as Perrier). Flavours that work well in this recipe are grapefruit, peach, and lime sparkling water.

Additionally, feel free to use fresh lemon juice instead of lime.

What is St. Germain?

St. Germain is a French liqueur made from fresh elderflowers handpicked every spring. Prominent flavours of St-Germain are floral and fruity with notes of peach, pear, and honeysuckle. Every bottle is made from approximately 1000 elderflower blossoms to achieve the liqueur’s signature flavour.

How to Make a St. Germain Spritz

For this cocktail recipe you will need plenty of ice, a small knife, and a vegetable peeler to make the garnish. Large 16 oz wine glasses will be just enough room to hold 8 ounces of cocktail ingredients and plenty of ice.

The Garnish

Always begin a cocktail recipe by making the garnish and chilling the glass. To make the lime squiggle (optional), use a fruit and vegetable peeler to create a peel around the lime, then straighten the lines with a knife on a cutting board. Set aside the garnish.

The Cocktail

For the cocktail, use a jigger to measure 2 ounces of St-Germain into a large wine glass. Add ice to the glass, filling it halfway and allow it to chill the St-Germain while you pop the Prosecco.

Next, pour in 4 ounces of your favourite chilled Prosecco and top with 2 ounces of sparkling water.

Add additional ice to fill the glass and stir to combine the ingredients. Note: St. Germain liqueur tends to sink to the bottom of the glass.

Finally, squeeze in the juice of 1 lime wedge and garnish with lime slices or a twist of lime. Serve immediately. Cheers!

This cocktail has plenty of ice and is easily made to order. It is not meant to be made ahead of time or in a large batch, but you can (and should!) make multiple cocktails at a time before the prosecco goes flat.

Hi! I’m Bernice Hill and I am the recipe developer, photographer, and writer at Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.

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