Sepia-toned booze

I was out with M and Lala and Jordan today when we passed this block-long ad for St-Germain, which is my new favorite form of alcohol.

I've been a big fan of elderflower cordial since right after high school, when I drank it (non-alcoholic) mixed with mineral water in England. (I remember bringing a bottle back to Houston and being questioned by customs officers until they realized it wasn't alcoholic.) IKEA carries it in their grocery section, right next to the lingonberry syrup; I've most recently picked it up at Kalustyan's, where it is not cheap.

Last month, while we were waiting in the interminable line for the bar on the Met's roof, I overheard the girls behind me discussing the cocktail choices. While appraising the Yellow Dog recipe, one mentioned that "St-Germain is, you know, the elderflower liqueur."

I most certainly did not know. I had been tearing out and throwing away the obnoxiously thick paper ads from magazines for quite a while. They really should put that it's elderflower-flavored in the ads. I'm sad that I could have been drinking it before and wasn't.

And yes, the bottle really does look like that.