That young entrepreneur was Robert J. Cooper, who sadly passed away this week at the early age of 39. Cooper was born into a family with a rich history in the spirits business, but instead of. 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. The younger Mr. Cooper persisted, however, going so far as to leave the family business to pursue his dream. April in Santa Barbara in Kalifornien verstarb, rechtgegeben. Access all of our expanded, online-only, subscriber exclusive opinion writing. 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. The year 2016 has been a series of gut-punches. 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. 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. . 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. He is survived by his wife, the former Kaitrin Cramm, and their two children, William and Charlotte. You can do this by clicking on "Pages" at the top, select the homepage on the left, and under "HEADER TYPE", select "solar". They wanted something different they could work with that had integrity. 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 introduced St. Germain in 2007, and its timing could not have been better. Add the champagne or sparkling white wine, then the elderflower liqueur. [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. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. St-Germain The native New Yorker passed away Monday in. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a bachelors degree in English and creative writing. St-Germain is an elderflower liqueur. Mr. Cooper proved to be a savvy marketer. Brown at the time trained primarily as a sommelier, and there to improve his skills behind the stick says he and Cooper shared a bond: Neither of us were very good bartenders. (Both initially failed a practical component of the program and had to make it up later. Paul W St Germain, age 54. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. 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. Robert Cooper is survived by his wife, Katie, and their two children William Thor and Charlotte Rose. Staying true to his legacy of liqueurs, he also reintroduced Crme Yvette, a berry-violet liqueur, from his family's Charles Jacquin et Cie imprint. His legacy is one of ingenious marketing that began as his brand was introduced in 2007 and quickly picked up speed in the cocktails and spirits circles. The Cooper family as a whole has been heavily involved in the spirits industry since the early. 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. St-Germain, packaged in a striking Art Deco bottle, landed like a thunderclap in the then-burgeoning cocktail world. The elderflower liqueur was an instant success, and chances are that if you like cocktails, you've probably had one that included St-Germain. 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 . 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 the New York Times. 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. The death of Robert J. Cooper, the creator of elderflower liqueur St-Germain, is tough news for cocktail lovers everywhere. By 2008 it was ubiquitous. The younger Cooper struck gold with the perfect storm of professional curiosity and timing, launching St-Germain in 2007. In broader terms, it helped resuscitate the dormant liqueur business. We were all making drinks with it. Crme Yvettes production halted in 1969 but relaunched to the liqueur market in 2010. Those who had the pleasure of meeting him noted his kind personality. 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. He was 39. With St-Germain, many Americans encountered the flavour for the first time. Mr. Cooper went on to return to circulation bygone bar ingredients like Creme Yvette, a berry-violet liqueur, and Hochstadters Slow & Low, a form of the common 19th century drink rock and rye. 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. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Vermouth was starting to come back, crme de violette came back, but St-Germain was new. Now you can go to Whole Foods and get elderflower soft drinks., Robert J. 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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 on Monday in Santa Barbara, Calif. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Due to the delicate nature of handpicking and the finite yield harvested, limited batches of St-Germain are produced every year. Dubbed the bartenders ketchup, the sweet, floral liqueur distilled from French elderberry blossoms became a must-have for mixologists. Bacardi Limited acquires St-Germain liqueur. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. That company introduced the raspberry liqueur Chambord domestically and later sold it to Brown-Forman. By 2008 it was ubiquitous. Completed Graduate School. Activates category 3 section on 'Solar' page layout (e.g., https://www.mysite.com/blog/category/bird.html). 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. 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 . 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). Cooper, whose family owned Philadelphia liqueur firm Charles Jacquin et Cie, launched St. Germain in 2007. Fort Collins. 13:17 EST 29 Apr 2016. Once you create a new homepage, apply the "solar" page layout to the new homepage. The partnership, which was finalized in 1933, helped transform Jacquins into one of the worlds leading producers of liqueurs and cordials. [9] A second iteration, Fleuriste St-Germain, opened in New York City in August 2021, in collaboration with ballet dancer James Whiteside and director Laura Kim. 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. 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. 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. We encountered an issue signing you up. 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. 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. In the wake of that development, Cooper went out on his own to start Cooper Spirits and launch St-Germain. Sure, Brown acknowledged but the most popular Beatles songs probably get a backlash, too. It was lucky, Cooper told The New York Times. This story has been shared 124,626 times. [5] Let us raise a glass to his legacy. [10], The spirit won a Grand Gold Medal at the Monde Selection in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012 and the "Chairman's Award" in the Liqueur category at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2010.[11][12]. The St-Germain was delicious, and Robert Cooper was warm and affable, enthusiastic about his product and about the spirits business. This gave Cooper an in to introduce mixologists to St-Germain, which was instantly a hit. As such, he was hesitant to allow Robert to use their companys resources to produce the spirit. It wouldnt have sold itself. The cause of death is unknown. 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. 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. You can do this by clicking on "Pages" at the top, click on the "+" icon and select "Blog Page". Robert Cooper. The brand was eventually sold to Bacardi in 2012, but Cooper wasn't content resting on his laurels. It's no understatement to call him a genius or pioneer (as other. St-Germain was invented by distiller Robert Cooper and launched in 2007 by Cooper Spirits Co, founded in 2006 and headquartered in New York. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. Photo courtesy of Cooper Spirits Company, used with permission. 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. 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. Mr. Cooper was a scion of the family that owns Charles Jacquin et Cie, an old cordials and liqueurs house based in Philadelphia. Cooper was quick to credit bartenders for the success of the spirit, and rightfully so: They fell hard for St-Germain, which can elevate a mediocre sparkling wine, complement the tang of fresh citrus and blend beautifully with the botanicals of gin. Dennis Michael St. Germain Mr. St. Germain, age 51, of Charlotte, passed away on July 21, 2008. 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. The freshest news from the food world every day. 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! Oops. 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. Un Jardin a Cythere is inspired by the Greek island of Kythira. 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. View Paul St Germain results in North Carolina (NC) including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. 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. The cause of his death is so far unknown. PDT and Death & Co, two prominent New York cocktail bars, opened around the same time he introduced St-Germain. Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. In 2013, the business was sold to Bacardi, and Robert Cooper agreed to work with Bacardi as a "brand guardian" and spokesperson and died in 2016 at the age of 39. 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. Top with the club soda or seltzer, as needed to fill. In news that has shocked the global spirits community, Robert J. Cooper, St-Germain founder, has passed away aged just 39. [8], In 2016, Robert Cooper died at the age of 39. He was an avid surfer and loved collecting esoteric wines from obscure regions. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Nachdem der Likr 2007 erstmals der ffenlichkeit vorgestellte wurde hat St-Germain in den Folgejahren einige Goldmedaillen eingeheimst und war in der Barszene allgegenwrtig. 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. View Details. Cooper worked his drink on to bar menus by getting it into the hands of young, influential mixologists, and sponsoring cross-country bartender swaps at famous institutions. He would have turned 40 on August 3. This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. In 2006 Cooper introduced the burgeoning cocktail industry to his new liqueur and it quickly became known as 'bartenders' ketchup' because of its popularity. Cocktail bartenders, hungry for new ingredients and flavors to work with, tossed it into every other new drink. Two such cutting-edge cocktail bars PDT and Death & Co. had just opened, and bartenders at each were itching to experiment with new ingredients. St-Germain creator Robert Cooper shares why he thinks the brand will truly be an international brand as. 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. 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. Asked how much money he had received, Cooper said it was 'more than I expected to see in a lifetime'. 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. All things ebb and flow.. He was also a terrific. Activates Owl carousel slider, ticker, breadcrumbs and latest posts (e.g., https://www.mysite.com/blog.html). It was lucky, he said. The St. Germain brand was acquired by Bacardi in 2012. Robert J Cooper, the creator of elderflower liqueur St-Germain the he sold to Bacardi back in 2012, has died at home in Santa Barbara, California, aged 39. The native New Yorker passed away Monday in Santa Barbara, Calif. His death was confirmed Thursday by the New York Times, though the cause was not known. [1] It is made using the petals of Sambucus nigra from the Savoie region in France, and each bottle is numbered with the year the petals were collected. View Details. [5] St-Germain was launched in 2007 by Cooper Spirits Co,[6] a company founded 2006 and headquartered in New York. Mr. Cooper went on to return to circulation bygone bar ingredients like Crme Yvette, a berry-violet liqueur, and Hochstadters Slow & Low, a form of the common 19th-century drink rock and rye. Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. #Real #Essay #DistillMyHeart #Column #Elderflower #Spirits. Mr. Cooper proved to be a savvy marketer. . By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. 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. PDT and Death & Co, two prominent New York cocktail bars, opened around the same time he introduced St-Germain. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. The area, which contains the iconic Luxembourg Gardens and a multitude of art galleries, was once home to creative greats like cubist painter Pablo Picasso, poet Charles Baudelaire, and novelist Ernest Hemingway. He is survived by his wife Kaitrin and the couple's two children William and Charlotte. St-Germain was invented by distiller Robert Cooper and launched in 2007 by Cooper Spirits Co, founded in 2006 and headquartered in New York. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a bachelors degree in English and creative writing. St-Germain was created by Robert Cooper, the son of Chambord inventor Norton "Sky" Cooper. 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. 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. The cause of his death is so far unknown. , updated . Cooper was born into the spirits world. Read more about cookies here. In 2013, the business was sold to Bacardi, and Robert Cooper agreed to work with Bacardi as a "brand guardian" and spokesperson and died in 2016 at the age of 39. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. A 1994 graduate of Aspen High School, and a former, two-year member of the U.S. When Robert returned from London and approached his father about creating an elderflower liqueur, his father was immediately skeptical. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. Though he would ultimately settle next to the Pacific, it was Cooper's experiences in Europe that would inspire his most successful business idea. 21:10 EST 28 Apr 2016 He was 39. Adapted from a recipe on the St-Germain website. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. ", "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. Robert J. Cooper, founder of St-Germain liqueur a staple for any self-respecting bartender died this week at the age of 39. Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. We have enabled email notificationsyou will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. http://www.quailbellmagazine.com/the-real-20, http://www.quailbellmagazine.com/the-unreal-20, http://www.quailbellmagazine.com/news-from-the-nest, http://www.quailbellmagazine.com/quail-bell-affiliates, Distill My Heart:Remembering Robert J. Cooper and His St-Germain, Press & Productions, 2021. 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. ), Now the owner of multiple D.C. bars and the president of beverage consultancy Drink Company, Brown says St-Germains success was hugely due to Coopers dogged work. Cooper launched St. Germain, packaged in a distinctive Art Deco-style bottle, in 2007 and it found near-instant success. The UCLA Santa Barbara grad introduced St-Germain in 2007 to great fanfare. 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. 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. 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. He also reintroduced Hochstadters Slow & Low to the whiskey market in 2010. They wanted something different they could work with that had integrity. Mr. Cooper attributed his success in part to timing. Each bottle of St-Germain contains up to 1,000 elderflower blossoms, all of which are handpicked annually. 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. 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. He is survived by his wife, the former Kaitrin Cramm, and their two children, William and Charlotte. ice 2 ounces champagne or other dry sparkling white wine 1 1/2 ounces St-Germain or other elderflower liqueur 1 1/2 to 2 ounces club soda or plain seltzer twist of lemon peel, for garnish, 1. Robert Cooper was a businessman who built his company on humility, positive thinking, collaboration, a creative approach to problem solving. It was Robert Cooper's passionate work that made the elderflower liqueur wildly popular. They wanted something different they could work with that had integrity. Thus, Cooper credits the two bars with skyrocketing the liqueurs success. Cooper, whose family owns Charles Jacquin et Cie, a Philadelphia-based spirits distiller and producer founded in 1884, left his family . He didnt fail. But success was not guaranteed. In the early 2000s, Robert Cooper was visiting a London bar where he ordered a cocktail that featured elderflower syrup as a sweetening agent. The comments below have not been moderated, By Cooper grew up on the east coast before crossing the country to attend college at the University of California Santa Barbara where he graduated with a degree in English with creative writing. 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. The Times notes that it became so ubiquitous, some took to calling it "bartender's ketchup." 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, His death was confirmed Thursday by the New York Times. 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?