sureau fizz

2 oz Beefeater Gin
1 oz St. Germain Liqueur
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 1/2 oz Heavy Cream
1 Egg White
1 drop Orange Blossom Water

Shake once without ice and once with. Strain into a Highball glass containing 2 oz of soda water. Twist an orange peel over the top and discard, and garnish the froth with 3-4 additional drops of orange blossom water. Add a spoon straw.
Two Mondays ago, I heard that Ben Sandrof was doing a guest bartender spot at Backbar which seemed like a good excuse to stop by. Since leaving the full time bartender role, Ben was working for M.S. Walker before picking up the Cooper Spirits product line which includes St. Germain and Crème Yvette. The third addition to the line is a Rock and Rye called Slow and Low. Rock and Rye is a liqueur style of rye whiskey sweetened by rock candy and sometimes flavored by botanicals; often it weighs in at 50-60 proof. Slow and Low does not mess around at a mighty 98 proof though; its base is a 6 year old rye whiskey flavored with lemon, grapefruit, and orange peel, rock candy, honey, and horehound. Essentially, the product is an ice cube and a citrus twist away from an Old Fashioned. Ben had no information on when the product would officially be released, but hopefully it will not suffer the same delays as Crème Yvette did.
For a start, Ben suggested a drink that won him the St. Germain Can-Can Classic back in 2008. While I had tried his fellow competitor Misty Kalkofen's Summer of Sureau, his elderflower take on the classic Ramos Gin Fizz had eluded me. The Sureau Fizz offered an elegant orange aroma from the twist and blossom water garnish. Next, the crisp, carbonated sip contained the citrus flavors from the juice and a pear fruit note from the St. Germain. Finally, the swallow began with a cream and egg white-smoothed gin flavor that ended with a floral aftertaste.