In 2006, father and son duo Norton and Robert created the Cooper Spirits Company, which today houses labels like St-Germain, Crme Yvette, and many more under its umbrella. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. But one of its best-known roles is in the not-so-creatively named St-Germain Cocktail, which was invented by the company itself and has been unusually, enduringly popular for a drink of such provenance. 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. Cooper, whose family owns Charles Jacquin et Cie, a Philadelphia-based spirits distiller and producer founded in 1884, left his family . It was a good product, and people would have picked it up in time, but Rob was a constant presence. Mr. Cooper was a scion of the family that owns Charles Jacquin et Cie, an old cordials and liqueurs house based in Philadelphia. 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. Associated persons: Robin Anne Barber, Samara Cohen, Daniel J Dresel, Justin B Rosenblatt, Paul W Stgermain (970) 472-9012. You can create a new homepage by going to "Pages" at the top, click on the "+" icon and select "Standard" page. Years later, he pops up in the court of French king Louis XV but, after a brief bout with serious political influence and infighting, he fled back to England. The St. Germain brand was acquired by Bacardi in 2012. From a tailored suit to hair wax to keep his coif in place, Don't miss this deal on Microsoft Office's full suite of applications and tools, Best Buy, Fable and DAVIDsTEA, to name a few. Activates Owl carousel slider, ticker, breadcrumbs and latest posts (e.g., https://www.mysite.com/blog.html). 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. The younger Mr. Cooper persisted, however, going so far as to leave the family business to pursue his dream. Cooper was born into the spirits world. When Cooper responded by leaving the family business behind, his father allegedly told him, Ill hire you back in a year when you fail. As his luck would have it, he did not fail. But success was not guaranteed. Add the champagne or sparkling white wine, then the elderflower liqueur. His brand Cooper Spirits also makes Crme Yvette, a violet liqueur brought back from obscurity, and serves as the U.S. sales arm for Ilegal brand mezcal. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Presumed owner of the real estate located at 305 Arlene Dr, Fort Collins. It was lucky, he said. But a stunning Art Deco-style bottle, sponsorship deals with young mixologists, and clever promotion saw St Germain appear on almost every cocktail menu across the country. 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. [5] St-Germain was launched in 2007 by Cooper Spirits Co,[6] a company founded 2006 and headquartered in New York. He was generous with his time and with his recipe for a new drink, the St-Germain cocktail. Due to the delicate nature of handpicking and the finite yield harvested, limited batches of St-Germain are produced every year. In addition launching his own spirits brand, the Cooper Spirits Co., Cooper was known for hosting bartender exchange programs between New York City and San Francisco, as well as the annual Jazz Age lawn party on New York City's Governor's Island. Paul W St Germain, age 54. 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. This distilled beveragerelated article is a stub. In 2012, Cooper sold St-Germain to Bacardi, yielding him "more than I expected to see in a lifetime." St-Germain creator Robert Cooper shares why he thinks the brand will truly be an international brand as part of . 13:17 EST 29 Apr 2016. The effort was met with scrutiny by his father Norton "Sky" Cooper (the inventor of Chambord), forcing Robert to launch the Cooper Spirits Company in 2006. April in Santa Barbara in Kalifornien verstarb, rechtgegeben. In 2012, he sold St-Germain to Bacardi Ltd. Now you can go to Whole Foods and get elderflower soft drinks., Robert J. Cooper, creator of St-Germain elderflower liqueur, dies, Horoscope for Saturday, 3/04/23 by Christopher Renstrom, Snowboarder dies at Tahoe ski resort following historic blizzard, West I-80 closed near Tahoe due to snow and 'multiple spinouts', Wife of Jeffrey Vandergrift issues somber update, Even Salesforces tower HQ isnt safe from office cuts, Horoscope for Friday, 3/03/23 by Christopher Renstrom, Inside Harry and Meghans favorite In-N-Out, Massive Lake Tahoe waterfront compound slashes price by $20M, Mochi muffin bakery closes SF cafe after just 4 months, This beloved East Bay hybrid cafe and bike shop is closing, 14 things you need in your car before you drive to Tahoe, In search of vegan food, I found a world-class Mendocino inn, You can see Maggie Rogers in SF for under $100 this weekend, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Vermouth was starting to come back, crme de violette came back, but St-Germain was new. 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. 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. He was 39. 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. The sum was not revealed, but Mr. Cooper said it was more than I expected to see in a lifetime.. St-Germain quickly became a huge success, favored by bartenders and customers. Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Cocktail bartenders, hungry for new ingredients and flavors to work with, tossed it into every other new drink. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, His death was confirmed Thursday by the New York Times. His death was confirmed by Robyn Greene, the senior vice president for marketing and innovation at the Cooper Spirits Company, who said the cause was not immediately known. St-Germain, which was inspired by the neighborhoods essence, took on the name in hopes of encapsulating the same energy. By his account, his father, Norton J. Cooper, gave him the cold shoulder when he suggested creating an elderflower liqueur like the ones he had encountered in bars in London. Petals are collected annually in the spring over a period of three to four weeks, and are often transported by bicycle to collection points to avoid damaging the petals and impacting the flavour. PDT and Death & Co, two prominent New York cocktail bars, opened around the same time he introduced St-Germain. Around the time that St-Germain was introduced, the craft cocktail revolution was gaining traction and a new, creative crop of bartenders were eager to experiment with exotic ingredients. St-Germain has received nearly every major accolade in the spirits industry, and has been hailed as one of the most influential cocktail components of the last decade by the New York Times. The comments below have not been moderated, By 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. Cooper died April 25 in California at the age of 39, leaving behind a wife and two. In 2007, Cooper launched the elderflower liqueur, similar to ones he had seen in London, and by 2008, bartenders across the country considered it a staple of their repertoire. Anyone can read what you share. Launched in 2007 by third-generation distiller Robert J. Cooper, St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur kickstarted an elderflower craze that may span the following dec St-Germain, packaged in a striking Art Deco bottle, landed like a thunderclap in the then-burgeoning cocktail world. Chris Pleasance For Dailymail.com A 1994 graduate of Aspen High School, and a former, two-year member of the U.S. Mr. Cooper was a scion of the family that owns Charles Jacquin et Cie, an old cordials and liqueurs house based in Philadelphia. View Details. Kylian Mbappe became Paris Saint-Germain's all-time top scorer with his 201st goal for the club in their 4-2 win over Nantes in Ligue 1 on Saturday.PSG had also blown a two-goal lead in their last . 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. St-Germain has grown to become one of the most valuable bottles in a bartenders arsenal. [5] 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. 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. Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. The younger Cooper struck gold with the perfect storm of professional curiosity and timing, launching St-Germain in 2007. At the same time St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur was first hitting markets, cocktails and cocktail bars were undergoing a massive renaissance in major cities like New York. The year 2016 has been a series of gut-punches. Photo courtesy of Cooper Spirits Company, used with permission. Two such cutting-edge cocktail bars PDT and Death & Co. had just opened, and bartenders at each were itching to experiment with new ingredients. Mr. Cooper attributed his success in part to timing. The Times notes that it became so ubiquitous, some took to calling it "bartender's ketchup." The sweet spirit is made from hand-picked elderflower blossoms that only bloom for a month each spring in France; it has been heralded as one of the most influential new . 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. Dennis Michael St. Germain Mr. St. Germain, age 51, of Charlotte, passed away on July 21, 2008. If success in the competitive world of spirits marketing is a cocktail, its 1 ounce product, 2 ounces elbow grease. 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. 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. I'm just a nice lady who likes cocktails and traveling. It had behind it the passion and energy of Robert Cooper, who at the time was only in his early 30s. If a drink lacked mystery, if a drink lacked that certain je ne sais quoi, for a while St-Germain was a bars cure-all, so common a source of drink-patching that industry folks began to refer to it affectionately as bartenders ketchup., You hear that all the time, bartenders ketchup, and its just so true. 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. "What Drinks Should You Use St Germain Liqueur In? Cooper was born in Manhattan to the man who ownedCharles Jacquin et Cie,an old cordials and liqueurs house based in Philadelphia that helped introduce Chambord to the market. He was 39 years old. 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. Robert J. Cooper, founder of St-Germain liqueur a staple for any self-respecting bartender died this week at the age of 39. He didnt fail. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. 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. It's no understatement to call him a genius or pioneer (as other. Activates category 2 section on 'Solar' page layout (e.g., https://www.mysite.com/blog/category/cat.html). This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Robert James Cooper was born on Aug. 3, 1976, in Manhattan. He said, Ill hire you back in a year when you fail, Mr. Cooper once recalled. Those who had the pleasure of meeting him noted his kind personality. Robert J. Cooper, the creator of St-Germain, the elderflower liqueur so ubiquitous that it eventually became known as "bartender's ketchup," has died at the age of 39. Now owned by Bacardi LimitedSt-Germain is one of the most consumed liqueurs in the world and even attracted media attention after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their lemon . He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a bachelors degree in English and creative writing. [3] [4] The brand was named after Saint-Germain-des-Prs, and the bottle shape is influenced by Art Deco motifs associated with the Belle poque history of this area. 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. He is survived by his wife, the former Kaitrin Cramm, and their two children, William and Charlotte. Read more about cookies here. The cause of his death is so far unknown. Its nothing to do with how good the product is, just the way the market works. In the wake of that development, Cooper went out on his own to start Cooper Spirits and launch St-Germain. View Details. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. He would have turned 40 on August 3. Activates category 1 section on 'Solar' page layout (e.g., https://www.mysite.com/blog/category/dog.html). This gave Cooper an in to introduce mixologists to St-Germain, which was instantly a hit. The cause of his death has not yet been determined; he leaves behind a wife and two children. 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. ", "St. Germain Liqueur: What It Is, And What To Do With It", "The Story Behind St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur", "Robert J. Cooper, 39, Creator of Popular Elderflower Liqueur, Dies", "Liqueur Saint-Germain (St-Germain): concept, how to drink, cocktails", "The Cooper Spirits Company - Linked In profile", "St-Germain Elderflower Liquor Acquired By Bacardi, Plans To Go Global", "St-Germain Launches Holidays Series, Salon St-Germain", "St-Germain Is Ushering in New York City's Creative Renaissance", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St-Germain_(liqueur)&oldid=1135574548, This page was last edited on 25 January 2023, at 14:37. Adapted from a recipe on the St-Germain website. The drink itself is made from flowers of elderberry plants that grow in France and bloom for just one month of the year. That company introduced the raspberry liqueur Chambord domestically and later sold it to Brown-Forman. Activates category 3 section on 'Solar' page layout (e.g., https://www.mysite.com/blog/category/bird.html). It had behind it the passion and energy of Robert Cooper, who at the time was only in his early 30s. When Robert returned from London and approached his father about creating an elderflower liqueur, his father was immediately skeptical. 2012 verkaufte Cooper St-Germain an Bacardi. He was an avid surfer and loved collecting esoteric wines from obscure regions. The Times notes that it became so ubiquitous, some took to calling it "bartender's ketchup." Furthermore, St-Germains multitude of complex flavors allows for mixologists and novices alike to experiment with it, leading to its nickname, the bartenders ketchup or the ketchup of liqueurs.. He launched St-Germain in 2007 and currently imports Creme Yvette and Illegal Mezcal. Dubbed the bartenders ketchup, the sweet, floral liqueur distilled from French elderberry blossoms became a must-have for mixologists. 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. In 2012 drinks giant Bacardi came knocking and bought St Germain for an undisclosed sum. St-Germain, packaged in a striking Art Deco bottle, landed like a thunderclap in the then-burgeoning cocktail world. Cooper, whose family owned Philadelphia liqueur firm Charles Jacquin et Cie, launched St. Germain in 2007. 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. In fact Cooper Sr. was so convinced the product would flop he told his son he would hire him back in a year 'when you fail', the New York Times reports. In order to activate this feature, simply add the URL of your blog, and the URL of 3 categories from your blog, to the input boxes below. Robert J. Cooper, 39, the founder of the award-winning St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, died this week of unknown causes. The St. Germain brand was acquired by Bacardi in 2012. 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. Nachdem der Likr 2007 erstmals der ffenlichkeit vorgestellte wurde hat St-Germain in den Folgejahren einige Goldmedaillen eingeheimst und war in der Barszene allgegenwrtig. In the early 2000s, Robert Cooper was visiting a London bar where he ordered a cocktail that featured elderflower syrup as a sweetening agent. Founded byChristine Sloan Stoddard. Robert J. Cooper is a third generation distiller who founded The Cooper Spirits Co. in 2006. I would see him everywhere D.C., New York, New Orleans supporting the product and getting it off the ground., Elderflower syrup has been a thing in Europe for centuries; Cooper first came across it in bars in England, where he was inspired to develop it into a liqueur. Robert Cooper was a businessman who built his company on humility, positive thinking, collaboration, a creative approach to problem solving. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Ukraine soldiers shoot down enemy drones with drones of their own, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Isabel Oakeshott clashes with Nick Robinson over Hancock texts, Dozens stuck in car park as staff refuses to open gate for woman, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA. Please enter a valid email and try again. He moved to Charlott . We've received your submission. In broader terms, it helped resuscitate the dormant liqueur business. QuailBellMagazine.com Last month, there was "sad news in the spirits world" when it was reported by Eater.com and countless other food and beverage blogs that Robert Cooper, the founder of the wildly popular St-Germain elderflower liqueur, died suddenly at the age of 39. St-Germain was created by Robert Cooper, the son of Chambord inventor Norton Sky Cooper. Mr. Cooper proved to be a savvy marketer. Cocktail bartenders, hungry for new ingredients and flavors to work with, tossed it into every other new drink. Remembering Robert Cooper, who turned elderflower liqueur into a global sensation, Chris Selley: Calgary mayor's would-be crackdown on free speech should alarm everyone, Shania Twain still doesn't speak to ex and former best friend after affair, John Ivison: Even Liberals sense the China scandal could spell the end of Trudeau, NP View: Chinese interference shows Trudeau can't run a functioning government, 'I've lost a lot': Prince Harry tells Canadian trauma expert Gabor Mate in streamed interview, With its four-part harmony, the Last Word keeps on speaking, Cocktail capital of Canada? If you need to flag this entry as abusive. (His older brother John, also independently, brought the popular ginger liqueur Domaine de Canton to market.) Now owned by Bacardi Limited, St-Germain is one of the most commonly used liqueurs in the world and even garnered a host of media attention after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their lemon elderflower wedding cake. It wouldnt have sold itself. For St-Germain, liqueur is thicker than water. When Cooper unveiled his new idea to his father, also a liqueur magnate, he was convinced the idea was a non-starter. St-Germain creator Robert Cooper shares why he thinks the brand will truly be an international brand as. 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.