I’ve said before that I’m not the biggest fan of gin, but the Vieux Mot, a drink served at Please Don’t Tell in New York is slowly turning me around to it.

St. Germain is an elderflower liquor which is all the rage now. I’ve never actually had elderflower or smelled it, but this liquor smells a lot like lychee. I’ve noticed it’s good at giving drinks a hint of sweetness without making it too cloyingly sweet because a lot of it comes from the fragrance. In this cocktail, it plays the role of tempering the strong pine tree scent of gin. With the added lemon juice, the drink is refreshing — something that I wouldn’t mind drinking in the morning.

I like that the drink has almost a fluorescent sheen to it.  It’s a nice contrast from the richy, orange hue of the whiskey drinks I’ve been having.  It tastes as different as it looks from them.

Recipe (via LA Times)

1 1/2 ounces Plymouth gin
1/2 ounce St-Germain elderflower liqueur
1/4 ounce (1 1/2 teaspoons) simple syrup
3/4 ounce (1 1/2 tablespoons) fresh lemon juice

Pour the gin, elderflower liqueur, simple syrup and lemon juice into a shaker filled with ice. Shake, then strain into a chilled coupe.