13 Nov Girlfriend Drinks: The Elderflower Manhattan
Girlfriend Drinks: The Elderflower Manhattan
In case there was ever any doubt who is writing which post, today will be an easy one.
Girlfriends. They’re the best. It’s pretty vogue to be the tomboy and exclaim “Oh, I only ever was friends with boys growing up,” but despite liking what’s vogue, that was never my thing. I had sisters, and was shy, and truly loved every stereotypical gender norm that one expects of a girl: dolls, barbies, hair, nails, cooking. The list goes on. And, yes, squaring this with my gender-equality beliefs has always been troubling.
I left some pretty dear girlfriends behind in Beantown, one of whom I met at a Christmas party. I knew instantly after sharing a 5-minute rant on our love for Joe’s Jeans that good things would come from this cheery, warm, red-headed party host. Our shared interests progressed eventually into more substantial things like Beyonce, and Lululemon, and–of course–St. Germain.
(We’re clearly a part of the same marketing demographic).
I don’t know how we each discovered it, but we both instantly loved this elderflower liqueur dearly, practically swooning when we saw it on a menu. Now don’t get me wrong, St. Germain is a legit liqueur, and all you men out there should definitely try it. But it’s also a liqueur that 75%, maybe 85%, of all ladies are bound to love (yes, yes I know, I shouldn’t make sweeping gender statements like this). It’s sweet and floral and can be paired with practically anything. If you’re new to the cocktail world, I definitely recommend looking at a menu and ordering whatever has St. Germain in it (might be listed as simply ‘elderflower,’ though if you’re buying, purchase the brand name: it is indeed better, and that bottle is just so pretty).
This drink is the perfect spin on a classic and often more masculine cocktail, turned slightly sweeter but still sophisticated. Drink it at your next girls’ night or in honor of a friend, as I will be doing this weekend (as it’s aforementioned red head’s birthday and I won’t be there to celebrate).
To girlfriends and the weekend!
The Elderflower Manhattan
Girl Crush Date (serves 1)
- 2 oz Bourbon
- 1 oz St. Germain
- .5 oz dry vermouth
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 Luxardo cherry (again, don’t buy those bright red ones you find on the top of a banana split)
Instructions
Pour Bourbon, St. Germain, vermouth, and bitters into ice filled mixing glass. Stir. Strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with cherry.
Ladies Night In (serves 8)
- 2 cups bourbon
- 1 cup St. Germain
- 1/2 cup dry vermouth
- 30 dashes angostura bitters
- 8 luxardo cherries
Instructions
- 1-2 hours before serving:
- Mix Bourbon, St. Germain, vermouth, and bitters into glass pitcher. Stir.
- Put in refrigerator to chill.
- Right before serving:
- Put cherries into a small bowl with a spoon OR place one in each glass you plan to serve in.
- Stir a small handful of ice into the pitcher.
- Pour.
(Note, it’s perfectly acceptable to serve a Manhattan on the rocks. When serving in a pitcher ice can get a bit tricky. We normally add ice to the pitcher and let the drinks be a bit stronger in the beginning and a bit weaker by the end…and that really doesn’t seem to hurt anyone).
