St‑Germain’s Elderflower Harvest

The Secret to St‑Germain

Fresh, wild elderflowers are the DNA of St‑Germain and result in its sweet, light, bright and fresh taste. Our partnership with nature begins as we handpick at full bloom during our narrow harvest window, it takes up to one thousand carefully selected flowers to fill every bottle.

What’s a Harvest?

A harvest refers to the process of gathering fully bloomed florals from gardens or fields. Our elderflowers blossom for just 4-6 weeks in the wild spaces of Europe — when the environmental conditions are just right — no rain and not too hot. It’s a race against time to pick them, but catching the flowers at full bloom is critical to capturing their distinctive flavour. We delicately hand-pick each flower, seizing the fresh, wild essence that you can savour in every sip of St‑Germain.

What happens next?

Next up: the maceration and blending of the flowers. Maceration is the process of soaking the florals to extract their flavors and aromas. The race against the clock continues, as the elderflowers must be infused within 24 hours to preserve their aroma. First, the extract rests to allow natural separation, then comes a final filtration and blending with our all-natural ingredients and a touch of French brandy, which magnifies the elderflower taste and creates St‑Germain’s balanced finish.

Cheers to blooming elderflowers and a successful harvest season! Santé!