st. germain

Juice of 1/2 Lemon (1 oz)
Juice of 1/4 Grapefruit (1 oz)
1 Egg White
1 liqueur glass Green Chartreuse (2 oz)

Shake once without ice and once with and strain into a cocktail glass. I strained into a rocks glass and garnished with a mint leaf.
On Monday night, I was in the mood for something herbal when I spotted the St. Germain in the Café Royal Cocktail Book. The drink pre-dates the elderflower liqueur of the same name by over 70 years, and instead it contains a healthy slug of green Chartreuse. The St. Germain's nose was rather herbal from the Chartreuse and the mint leaf garnish. The drink began with a crisp, full-mouthed sip from the lemon juice and egg white, respectively. Next, the Chartreuse notes filled the middle of the sip and the swallow, and the grapefruit worked with the egg white to smooth out the drink. The drink was not as sweet as the Silent Order although this could be due to the size of the citrus we used. Cutting the lemon juice down to a half ounce would change the balance of this drink greatly. Moreover, the lemon and grapefruit took the drink in a very different direction than lime. For example, Andrea commented that this citrus combination accentuated the anise notes in the green Chartreuse that are not highlighted in the Silent Order.

Postnote: See the entry for the Milord Gower as to why the St. Germain acquired its name.