St~ Germain Elderflower Liqueur

I am absolutely in love with St. Germain.  I caved and bought a bottle for myself the other day.  In case you didn't know, it is an Elderflower Liqueur from the French Alps.  Each bottle is carefully crafted, and the Elderflower blossoms are picked over a 3-4 week period, once a year for the entire year's worth of St. Germain.  This small window of harvesting the blossoms makes this liqueur very special and limited.

When I first started drinking St. Germain I didn't really know much about it.   I knew it was an Elderflower liqueur, but that's about all... I didn't even know what an Elderflower was.  I knew that I liked it, so when I see it in a cocktail, I order it.   The flavor reminds me of the lychee fruit, but it's one of those things that everyone experiences differently.

I did a little research and learned a lot about everything that goes into producing a bottle of St. Germain, and it's kind of a romantic process.  During peak Elderflower season, a French man goes into the French Alps and carefully plucks each Elderflower bunch of blossoms by hand.  He gathers them in large linen sacks, straps them to his bicycle and rides down the Alps to the market.  They even label each bottle with the date on which the flowers were picked!

Here's a recipe for a cocktail off the website:

St. Germain cocktails are fantastically fruity with just the right amount of sweet floral notes. When I've had one in bars or restaurants, I've usually had it with champagne or gin.  It's also very versatile, and I found a recipe for St. Germain Sangria that sounds awesome.  I'll have to post a picture when I try it out. Try St. Germain next time you come across it... think of the cute little French men plucking flowers for your cocktail.

The Cedars Social

My friend Laurel and I decided to try out The Cedars Social for drinks and lunch one afternoon.  It is located on 1326 South Lamar, near The Loft & Palladium Ballroom.  We went around 3 or 4 o'clock on a Thursday, so needless to say, it wasn't very crowded.  We had our choice of seating, and chose a half booth, half chair table located in the middle of the "cocktail den" near the fireplace (obviously not burning because of the extremely high temperatures).  After a few minutes we noticed a cozy nook near the back of the restaurant where you could have a little more privacy.  I hate comparing Dallas to Austin, but the place did have a bit of an Austin vibe to it.  It is certainly a leisurely, make-yourself-at-home type of establishment, and I loved that about it.  The mood is very relaxed and laid back.  The dining area had a mid century modern library feel to it.  It was nice, without making you feel uncomfortable. 

When we were seated, we were left with what looked like top secret files; a file folder containing a bracket bounded stack of paper that was our menu.  I was shocked to realize that the bulk of the menu was made up of just cocktails!  We were both overwhelmed, and needed to peruse the menu before making an ultimate decision.  I had a hard time deciding if I wanted the London Summer (Plymouth Gin, Lemon Juice, Orange Juice, Cane Syrup, and Muddled Cucumber) or the Mexican Monk (Milagro Silver Tequila, Green Chartreuse, Serrano Pepper, Lime Juice and Agave Nectar).   The waitress said the Mexican Monk was really spicy so I decided to go with the London Summer.  Laurel got a similar drink that was on special called a Cucumber Rickey.  We both really enjoyed our drinks.  Mine was light and refreshing, it started off citrus-y and then finished with the cucumber and piney gin flavors.

Since it was our first time at The Cedars Social, we decided to try a couple of the small plate offerings and one entree and share.  I ordered the Iceberg Wedge with Maytag Blue Cheese, Crumbled Roquefort, Toasted Walnuts, Crispy Bacon, Marinated Cherry Tomatoes and Chives.

We decided to share the Fried Oysters and Deviled Eggs.  Both were good, but nothing to write home about.  I found the fried oysters to be a little bit too battered in corn meal for my taste.  The deviled eggs were just that, nothing spectacular.  Both were average but were done well.

Laurel ordered the Cedars Social Burger.  It is served basically American style, with Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions, Cheddar cheese, Applewood smoked bacon, and House Made Pickles.  Despite not liking pickles, Laurel pointed out it was nice that they gave you three different types of pickles; Dill, Sweet and Bread and Butter.  She let me try a bite of her cheeseburger and it was juicy, meaty and delicious.  The fries were excellent, perfectly hot and crispy.

Instead of dessert, we opted for another cocktail.  This time I went with the Bay City Roller, which is made with Porton Pisco, Housemade Berry Cordial, Demarera Syrup, Lime Juice, Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters and Egg White.

It may have been because this drink felt like dessert, but it was by far my favorite part of the meal.  It was silky smooth and just burst with berry flavor.  I love a good Pisco Sour, so when I saw this drink I had to order it.  I used to be afraid to order drinks with egg whites, but when I first tried one at La Duni, I was hooked.  Try one next time, you'll be surprised.


Our experience at The Cedars Social was fun, and we left with full bellies.  I definitely recommend the place for afternoon cocktails.  The decor was fabulous, the drinks were amazing and the food was great.  I'll certainly be dropping in the den again soon.

Falksalt

While grocery shopping at Central Market I noticed a special on Falksalt.  I have tried Maldon salt, but not Falksalt.  They seemed very similiar, both being flaky salt crystals. The Falksalt on the other hand, came in a variety of flavors.  The one I was most intrigued by was the Black salt.  I just imagined using it in a sweet caramel sauce and pouring it over vanilla bean ice cream.  Before buying the salt I wanted to go home and do a little research so I knew what I was getting into.  Falksalt's website recipe with the Black salt takes it a step further by creating a Dark Side Ice Cream with Raspberries.  Apparently the black variety still holds it's color so it can add some beautiful dark hues to your dish. I'm sold.  Next time I go in I'm going to pick some up and try one of the recipes from the website!

Other flavors include Smoke, Lemon, Wild Garlic, Chipotle, Wild Mushroom, Chili, and Rosemary.

Visit Falksalt online to learn more and explore yummy recipes, and even new ways to liven up your next cocktail!