For the first time since moving to DC, Nole and I have a backyard – and you can believe we’re doing our best to take advantage of it this summer. This means grilling, and outdoor parties, eating under the stars… and cocktails! Here are some St-Germain cocktails we’ve whipped up (along with our very first mocktail) for just such a party, perfect for making in big batches for your guests, but still light enough to enjoy next to the grill without leaving you too lightheaded in the heat.

 

St-Germain Sangria

One Bottle Dry White Wine
3 oz St-Germain
3 oz Pisco Brandy
2 oz Lemon Juice
2 oz Honey Syrup
Berries and Grapes

Combine the wine, St-Germain, Pisco, lemon juice, honey syrup (equal parts honey and water heated until the honey melts), and chopped berries and grapes in a pitcher. Let everything sit for a few hours or overnight to let the flavors meld. Pour over lots of ice and enjoy!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Sangria is ridiculously easy to make and so delicious that I’ll never understand why I don’t make it more often. This St-Germain Sangria is no exception. St-Germain’s floral notes and sweetness make it a great complement for a white wine-based Sangria. It’s light and sweet, with just a bit of edge from the oakiness of the wine and funkiness of the Pisco. It only comes in party-friendly pitchers. Oh, and – despite being made from white wine – it turns a great pink color from all that fruit that will probably delight some guests at your party.

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St-Germain Shandy

2 oz St-Germain
2 oz Lemon Juice
Wheat Beer

Combine the St Germain and lemon juice in a glass filled with ice. Top with the wheat beer (we used my personal favorite, Bavaria’s Paulaner Hefeweissbier, but any other wheat beer or even a lager or a pilsner would work too), give everything a good stir, and enjoy!

Traditionally, a shandy is equal parts beer and a soft drink; the Germans are fond of a shandy that matches beer with sparkling lemon soda. Our shandy is a play on this classic, combining the wheat beer’s delicate notes of fruit and spice and citrus with a punch of lemony sourness, balanced by the St-Germain’s sweet fruitiness. It’s a substantial but still light, enormously refreshing, and easy to make in big batches or one at a time.

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Blueberry Mint Shrub Soda

2 oz Blueberry Mint Shrub Syrup*
Soda Water

To make the shrub syrup, combine one cup of muddled blueberries, one cup of sugar, and one cup of raspberry vinegar. Let the mixture sit for 2-3 days, agitating occasionally. (Alternatively, for a much faster process, combine everything in a sauce pan and heat gently, stirring frequently, for 20-30 minutes.) Strain the mixture well through a fine sieve or strainer to filter out the solids.

Take a handful of mint, add a few ounces of the syrup, and muddle gently, pressing but not shredding the leaves. Remove the leaves, squeezing out as much of the syrup and mint oils as possible. Add the minty syrup back to the rest of the shrub. To serve, combine the shrub syrup with the soda water over lots of ice and enjoy!

This is our very first mocktail, and it’s a good one – full of fresh fruit and mint flavor, sweet but with a kick from the vinegar, and enormously refreshing thanks to all that soda water and ice. Shrubs like this one can just as easily be made into a cocktail or a soda like this one. It’s easy to make in a big pitcher and handy to have around for both your non-drinking guests or to sip in between other drinks (you know, to stay hydrated).

All illustrations by Dinara Mirtalipova for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Calligraphy Cocktail Menu Cards: Meant to Be Calligraphy

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

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