St-Germain Founder Robert J. Cooper Dies At 39

Robert J. Cooper, creator of elderflower liqueur brand St-Germain, died April 25 in Santa Barbara, California, the New York Times reports.He was 39. The cause was unknown at press time. Cooper, whose family owns Philadelphia-based liqueur distillery Charles Jacquin et Cie, established his own firm—the Cooper Spirits Company—in 2006 and launched St-Germain in 2007. St-Germain was an instant hit with mixologists, particularly in cities like New York and San Francisco, and neared 100,000 cases in the U.S. by 2012. That year, Cooper sold St-Germain to Bacardi Ltd. for an undisclosed sum. Along with St-Germain, Cooper developed a variety of craft liqueur and spirits brands, including berry liqueur Crème Yvette, whiskey cocktail Hochstadter’s Slow & Low and rye whiskey Lock Stock & Barrel.

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Tagged : liqueurs, spirits, St-Germain

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