. Read more about cookies here. Rob Cooper, founder of Cooper Spirits Co. and creator of the wildly popular St. Germain elderflower liqueur, died April 25 in Santa Barbara, CA, according to reports. Cooper Spirits sold St-Germain to spirits giant Bacardi in 2013, but Cooper continued to work with Bacardi as a brand guardian, and his company brought back several other historic spirits, including Hochstadters Slow & Low (a bottled rock and rye cocktail) and Crme Yvette, a mixed-berry liqueur. The Art Deco-esque appearance of the bottle also serves as a nod to the bustling Parisian quarter the brand hopes to provide an experience reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties, when Saint-Germain-des-Prs was at its creative peak. You can create a new homepage by going to "Pages" at the top, click on the "+" icon and select "Standard" page. Cooper, whose family owned Philadelphia liqueur firm Charles Jacquin et Cie, launched St. Germain in 2007. Now you can go to Whole Foods and get elderflower soft drinks., Robert J. Cooper, 39, Creator of Popular Elderflower Liqueur, Dies, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/28/business/robert-j-cooper-39-creator-of-st-germain-elderflower-liqueur-dies.html. Robert Cooper was a businessman who built his company on humility, positive thinking, collaboration, a creative approach to problem solving. (His older brother John, also independently, brought the popular ginger liqueur Domaine de Canton to market.) Cooper, a third-generation distiller whose family lineage includes the birth of Crme Yvette and Chambord is most commonly known for creating St-Germain elderflower liqueur. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a bachelors degree in English and creative writing. Anyone can read what you share. [5] It was followed by Hochstadter's Slow & Low Rock & Rye - a 19th-century pre-made cocktail made with rye whiskey, orange and honey - and Hochstadter's Vatted Rye Whiskey (which I wrote about). They wanted something different they could work with that had integrity. 2014 - 2023 VinePair Inc. Made In NYC, Bartenders: Now's Your Chance To Experience Barbados, Fizzy Business: Why Breweries Are Betting on Hop Water as a Non-Alcoholic Option, The Cocktail College Podcast: How to Make the Perfect Americano, 8 Things You Should Know About St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur | VinePair, https://vinepair.com/articles/ntk-st-germain/, wbs_cat Spirit, wbs_type Liqueur, wbs_brand St. Germain, artisan liqueurs, liqueur, need to know, The Cocktail College Podcast: How to Make the Perfect El Presidente | VinePair, https://vinepair.com/cocktail-college/el-presidente/, wbs_cat Spirit, wbs_type Liqueur, wbs_type Rum, wbs_type Vermouth, Cocktail College, cocktail recipes, The VinePair Podcast. He curried favor with influential young mixologists, sponsored cross-country bartender exchanges in which New York bartenders would guest-bartend at San Francisco bars and vice versa, hired prominent bartenders as brand ambassadors and held an annual Jazz Age lawn party on Governors Island. St-Germain, which was inspired by the neighborhoods essence, took on the name in hopes of encapsulating the same energy. Robert J. Cooper is a third generation distiller who founded The Cooper Spirits Co. in 2006. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. He was also a terrific. PDT and Death & Co, two prominent New York cocktail bars, opened around the same time he introduced St-Germain. You can do this by clicking on "Pages" at the top, select the homepage on the left, and under "HEADER TYPE", select "solar". He anticipated the boom in rye whiskey by buying barrels of prime Canadian stock and then sitting on the liquid for years before releasing Lock Stock & Barrel, a 13-year-old straight rye whiskey, in 2013. Already connected with a vast network of liquor and liqueur producers due to his familial relationships, Cooper decided to explore the possibility of creating his own elderflower liqueur. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. And St-Germain served as the rising tide that lifted all bottles: Theres little doubt that its popularity helped escort older, obscure liqueurs back into the glass. Launched in 2007 by third-generation distiller Robert J. Cooper, St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur kickstarted an elderflower craze that would span the next decade and a half and revived a sleepy liqueur industry. The cause of death is unknown. Even if you thought you were too good for St-Germain, you were going to have an army coming in and demanding it., I asked Brown about my impression that the use of St-Germain has been dialed back a bit over the past few years, that there was a mild bartender backlash against its ubiquity. April in Santa Barbara in Kalifornien verstarb, rechtgegeben. In the early 2000s, Robert Cooper was visiting a London bar where he ordered a cocktail that featured elderflower syrup as a sweetening agent. Completed Graduate School. Beloved by bartenders everywhere, St-Germains delicate floral notes and natural flavors of pear and honeysuckle make the liqueur a savvy addition to a number of cocktails as well as a great stand-alone aperitif in simple spritzes. His death was confirmed by Robyn Greene, the senior vice president of marketing and innovation at the Cooper Spirits Co., who said the cause was not immediately known. St-Germain quickly became a huge success, favored by bartenders and customers. St-Germain has grown to become one of the most valuable bottles in a bartenders arsenal. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. Coopers other cocktail creations included Crme Yvette liqueur and Hochstadters Slow & Low, a throwback to the Rock & Rye, a 19th-century cocktail of rye sweetened with rock candy. They wanted something different they could work with that had integrity. It's no understatement to call him a genius or pioneer (as other. Launched in 2007 by third-generation distiller Robert J. Cooper, St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur kickstarted an elderflower craze that may span the following dec The younger Cooper struck gold with the perfect storm of professional curiosity and timing, launching St-Germain in 2007. Please enter a valid email and try again. The sum was not revealed, but Mr. Cooper said it was more than I expected to see in a lifetime.. In 2006 Cooper introduced the burgeoning cocktail industry to his new liqueur and it quickly became known as 'bartenders' ketchup' because of its popularity. In news that has shocked the global spirits community, Robert J. Cooper, St-Germain founder, has passed away aged just 39. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. St-Germain was created by distiller Robert Cooper, son of Norton Cooper, the owner of Charles Jacquin et Cie, after trying an elderflower-based cocktail at a London bar in 2001. Photo courtesy of Cooper Spirits Company, used with permission. [4], St-Germain introduced a pop-up series, 'Salon St-Germain', based on the historic French salon, in 2020. Twist the lemon peel over the drink (to express its oils), then drop it into the cocktail.makes one serving, Nutrition | Per serving: 200 calories, 0 g protein, 18 g carbohydrates, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 10 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fibre, 17 g sugar. Robert J. Cooper, whose unusual elderflower liqueur, St-Germain, introduced in 2007, was so completely embraced by the cocktail community that it became known as "bartender's ketchup," died. The sweet spirit is made from hand-picked elderflower blossoms that only bloom for a month each spring in France; it has been heralded asone of the most influential new cocktail ingredients of the past decade. It pairs well with almost every spirit, making it incredibly versatile behind the bar. The freshest news from the food world every day. Best Match Powered by Whitepages Premium AGE 70s Robert Germain Leesburg, FL Aliases Robert Thomas St Germaine Robert Thomas St Germain View Full Report Addresses Cooper, whose family owns Charles Jacquin et Cie, a Philadelphia-based spirits distiller and producer founded in 1884, left his family business to pursue the creation of St-Germain, an idea dismissed by his father, Norton J. Cooper. The Cooper family as a whole has been heavily involved in the spirits industry since the early 1900s when Maurice J. Cooper, a merchant of imported food and beverage, partnered with the Charles Jacquin et Cie cordial business. It was lucky, he said. Fort Collins. A vague, anti-drag bill in Tennessee has bar and restaurant owners worried for their future, By submitting your email, you agree to our, Creator of St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur Dead at39. By He is survived by his wife, the former Kaitrin Cramm, and their two children, William and Charlotte. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a bachelors degree in English and creative writing. That was St-Germain, a lightly sweet elderflower liqueur that launched in 2007 and then broke and spread across the drinks scene like a slow-moving tsunami. Launched in 2007 by third-generation distiller Robert J. Cooper, St-Germain elderflower liqueur launched an elderflower craze that would span the next decade and a half and revived a dormant liqueur industry. He would have turned 40 on August 3. Robert J. Cooper, founder of St-Germain liqueur a staple for any self-respecting bartender died this week at the age of 39. St-Germain was created by Robert Cooper, the son of Chambord inventor Norton "Sky" Cooper. 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4. Something went wrong. The remaining brands within the Cooper Spirit Co. Hochstadter's Vatted Straight Rye Whiskey, Lock Stock & Barrel, another rye whiskey; Crme Yvette, a berry fruit liqueur; and Ilegal Mezcal, an artisanal Mexican mezcal for which Cooper Spirit Co is the sole U.S. importer. 2012 verkaufte Cooper St-Germain an Bacardi. Each year when the flowers blossom in late May, farmers spend roughly three to four weeks gathering the blooms that will be used to produce the liqueur. Sad news for the spirits world today: The creator of the wildly popular St. Germain elderflower liqueur, Robert J. Cooper, died Monday at the age of 39 in Santa Monica, Calif., according to. , updated It was a little bit pear, a little bit litchi, a little bit like youd stuck your head into a roadside hedgerow and inhaled air thick with early-summer honeysuckle. Cooper, whose family owns Charles Jacquin et Cie, a Philadelphia-based spirits distiller and producer founded in 1884, left his family . St-Germain creator Robert Cooper shares why he thinks the brand will truly be an international brand as part of . In addition to being a great aperitif to throw in a spritz, St-Germain is considered to be a great modifying liqueur, altering the flavor profile of the liquor it is added to. Robert J. Cooper, whose unusual elderflower liqueur, St-Germain, introduced in 2007, was so completely embraced by the cocktail community that it became known as bartenders ketchup, died Monday in Santa Barbara. St-Germain creator Robert Cooper shares why he thinks the brand will truly be an international brand as. For centuries, Pariss Saint-Germain-des-Prs neighborhood has been widely recognized as one of the worlds most prominent meeting places for artistic creation. Though he had never viewed elderflower as a cocktail ingredient, the floral concoction changed his perspective. Inspired by his floral-scented success, Robert Cooper was keen to revive previously popular brands from hibernation. Cooper launched St. Germain, packaged in a distinctive Art Deco-style bottle, in 2007 and it found near-instant success. Cooper came from a family that has been making beverages since 1884, when Charles Jacquin et Cie Inc. of which his father is president was founded in Philadelphia. The St. Germain brand was acquired by Bacardi in 2012. In fact, St-Germains unique coloring does not come from any artificial additives, but instead is a result of the pollen from each bud blending with the liqueurs liquid components. Junior National Snowboarding team, Rob Cooper joined the family business in 1999, just after finishing his college career at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I really cant even think of a modifier in my era that had more influence, says Brown, who well remembers the impact of the liqueur in his bars. Activates category 3 section on 'Solar' page layout (e.g., https://www.mysite.com/blog/category/bird.html). He moved to Charlott Instead, a year after its release, St-Germain was already a staple on bartenders back bars. Let us raise a glass to his legacy. St-Germain was invented by distiller Robert Cooper and launched in 2007 by Cooper Spirits Co, founded in 2006 and headquartered in New York. Come back to this screen and fill in the input boxes with the URL of your "Blog" page and 3 category URLs from that blog. Chris Pleasance For Dailymail.com A 1994 graduate of Aspen High School, and a former, two-year member of the U.S. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. A mix of the liqueur, champagne and sparkling water garnished with a lemon twist, its being raised by tipplers around the world to toast a force in the cocktail and spirits world and his most famous creation. This distilled beveragerelated article is a stub. With St-Germain, many Americans encountered the flavour for the first time. Chris Pleasance For Dailymail.com, The ultimate sign of respect: Revered Buddhist monk is mummified and covered in gold leaf to become a shrine in China, It really is last orders! Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. This story has been shared 124,626 times. Activates category 2 section on 'Solar' page layout (e.g., https://www.mysite.com/blog/category/cat.html). Because of Coopers family history, Brown says, some in the industry may have perceived his success as the product of legacy, the way people tend to think the children of famous actors get a break. He said, Ill hire you back in a year when you fail, Mr. Cooper once recalled. Associated persons: Robin Anne Barber, Samara Cohen, Daniel J Dresel, Justin B Rosenblatt, Paul W Stgermain (970) 472-9012. This practice allows producers to ensure that the elderflower blossoms are only just beginning to open, meaning the aromas and flavors of the buds will be at their most prominent. Activates Owl carousel slider, ticker, breadcrumbs and latest posts (e.g., https://www.mysite.com/blog.html). 13:17 EST 29 Apr 2016. Liqueurs had been a near-defunct category in the United States, but the intrigue of St-Germain inspired many drinkmakers to delve into neglected European liqueurs such as Chartreuse and various amari to see what theyd been missing. Anticipating high sales, Cooper purchased a number of barrels of Canadian rye and aged them for 13 years before releasing Lock Stock & Barrel in 2013. #Real #Essay #DistillMyHeart #Column #Elderflower #Spirits. With its mysterious flavour, its gracefully grooved art deco bottle and a lovely brand mythology about how its elderflowers were harvested by little old men on bicycles in some idyllic French-speaking location way prettier than wherever you were, it wore a costume of age and continental elegance but was actually a newcomer.