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. 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. This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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). Instead, a year after its release, St-Germain was already a staple on bartenders back bars. In 2012, Cooper sold St-Germain to Bacardi, yielding him "more than I expected to see in a lifetime." This gave Cooper an in to introduce mixologists to St-Germain, which was instantly a hit. #Real #Essay #DistillMyHeart #Column #Elderflower #Spirits. 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. Tragic news for the bartending community Robert J. Cooper, the creator of the elderflower liqueur St. Germain, passed away on Monday, April 25. PDT and Death & Co, two prominent New York cocktail bars, opened around the same time he introduced St-Germain. In broader terms, it helped resuscitate the dormant liqueur business. 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. It was lucky, Cooper told The New York Times. 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. [5] St-Germain was launched in 2007 by Cooper Spirits Co,[6] a company founded 2006 and headquartered in New York. Crme Yvettes production halted in 1969 but relaunched to the liqueur market in 2010. The younger Cooper struck gold with the perfect storm of professional curiosity and timing, launching St-Germain in 2007. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. He didnt fail. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. You can do this by clicking on "Pages" at the top, click on the "+" icon and select "Blog Page". He is survived by his wife Kaitrin and the couple's two children William and Charlotte. Mr. Cooper was a scion of the family that owns Charles Jacquin et Cie, an old cordials and liqueurs house based in Philadelphia. If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, unlimited online access is. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings. 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. Its nothing to do with how good the product is, just the way the market works. 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 Weird (and Wired) Truth Behind Whats Really in Coca-Cola, Why Coca-Cola contracts with a chemical company to manufacture cocaine in New Jersey, Robert J. Cooper, 39, Creator of St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Dies [NY Times], one of the most influential new cocktail ingredients of the past decade, Liquid Deaths New Tea Tallboys Are Coming for AriZonas Neck, If You Took the Drag Away, Then Its Just Another Boring Bar, How to Make Misis Iconic Ricotta-Filled Occhi Pasta. 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. St-Germain creator Robert Cooper shares why he thinks the brand will truly be an international brand as part of . I'm just a nice lady who likes cocktails and traveling. Presumed owner of the real estate located at 305 Arlene Dr, Fort Collins. Oops. Once you create a new homepage, apply the "solar" page layout to the new homepage. Add the champagne or sparkling white wine, then the elderflower liqueur. 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. The St. Germain brand was acquired by Bacardi in 2012. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Part of HuffPost Food & Drink. 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He moved to Charlott This distilled beveragerelated article is a stub. Cooper was born into the spirits world. Activates category 1 section on 'Solar' page layout (e.g., https://www.mysite.com/blog/category/dog.html). 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 on Monday in Santa Barbara, Calif. 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. 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. ), 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. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. His loss is being widely grieved in the bartending and cocktail world. Two such cutting-edge cocktail bars PDT and Death & Co. had just opened, and bartenders at each were itching to experiment with new ingredients. 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. 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 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. 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. It was lucky, he said. So many spirits get launched, and many of the ones that fail are decent but never get the market penetration Cooper got with St-Germain. 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. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. They wanted something different they could work with that had integrity. It had behind it the passion and energy of Robert Cooper, who at the time was only in his early 30s. 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. Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Activates category 2 section on 'Solar' page layout (e.g., https://www.mysite.com/blog/category/cat.html). 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). While St Germain was named by the likes of the Times as one of the most influential drinks of the decade, it also helped to reintroduce enthusiasm in liqueurs to the cocktail market. Cooper launched St. Germain, packaged in a distinctive Art Deco-style bottle, in 2007 and it found near-instant success. We were all making drinks with it. Robert J Cooper, the man who created the incredibly popular elderflower liqueur St Germain, has died at the age of 39, his business partner has confirmed. (His older brother John, also independently, brought the popular ginger liqueur Domaine de Canton to market.) Born in South Bend, IN he was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, as a Data Systems Tech. But success was not guaranteed. Cooper, whose family owns Charles Jacquin et Cie, a Philadelphia-based spirits distiller and producer founded in 1884, left his family . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. St Germain was inspired by other elderflower liqueurs that Cooper encountered in bars in London. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. 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. 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. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, His death was confirmed Thursday by the New York Times. Inspired by his floral-scented success, Robert Cooper was keen to revive previously popular brands from hibernation. He didnt fail. 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. 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. He is survived by his wife, the former Kaitrin Cramm, and their two children, William and Charlotte. Adapted from a recipe on the St-Germain website. We encountered an issue signing you up. . Robert J. Cooper, 39, the founder of the award-winning St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, died this week of unknown causes. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. 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. 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. 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4. Access all of our expanded, online-only, subscriber exclusive opinion writing. The freshest news from the food world every day. Doch der Erfolg hat Robert J. Cooper, der am 25. 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. 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. Note: You can hide this box under "Theme>Theme Options>Automation [Editor Only]". He said, Ill hire you back in a year when you fail, Mr. Cooper once recalled. Robert Cooper was a businessman who built his company on humility, positive thinking, collaboration, a creative approach to problem solving. Those who had the pleasure of meeting him noted his kind personality. For centuries, Pariss Saint-Germain-des-Prs neighborhood has been widely recognized as one of the worlds most prominent meeting places for artistic creation. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. 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. The cause of his death is so far unknown. 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. They wanted something different they could work with that had integrity. Thus, Cooper credits the two bars with skyrocketing the liqueurs success. The St. Germain brand was acquired by Bacardi in 2012. Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. Bacardi Limited acquires St-Germain liqueur. 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! Robert Cooper was a businessman who built his company on humility, positive thinking, collaboration, a creative approach to problem solving. 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.. Robert J. Cooper, founder of St-Germain liqueur a staple for any self-respecting bartender died this week at the age of 39. 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. By
By 2008 it was ubiquitous. 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. 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. 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. 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. Robert Cooper is survived by his wife, Katie, and their two children William Thor and Charlotte Rose. 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 2012, he sold St-Germain to Bacardi for what was rumored to be a seven-figure sum. Robert J. Cooper is a third generation distiller who founded The Cooper Spirits Co. in 2006. He was an avid surfer and loved collecting esoteric wines from obscure regions. It was more [money] than I expected to see in a lifetime, Cooper admitted at the time. St-Germain was created by Robert Cooper, the son of Chambord inventor Norton "Sky" Cooper. 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. 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. In news that has shocked the global spirits community, Robert J. Cooper, St-Germain founder, has passed away aged just 39. [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]. When the news of spirits industry visionary Robert J. Cooper broke, the cocktail community bowed its collective heads. Nearly a decade ago, as the cocktail renaissance was gaining steam, a lot of drinks started developing a particular flavour note. In 2012 drinks giant Bacardi came knocking and bought St Germain for an undisclosed sum. 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. Launched in 2007 by third-generation distiller Robert J. Cooper, St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur kickstarted an elderflower craze that may span the following dec 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. 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 grew his spirits portfolio into the whiskey category with Lock Stock & Barrel, a fine 13-year-old straight rye. He would have turned 40 on August 3. Each bottle of St-Germain contains up to 1,000 elderflower blossoms, all of which are handpicked annually. Let us raise a glass to his legacy. 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. The flowers are all picked in the mornings, when temperatures are at their lowest. He was also a terrific. It pairs well with almost every spirit, making it incredibly versatile behind the bar. 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. 2023 National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Mr. Cooper proved to be a savvy marketer. Founded byChristine Sloan Stoddard. Cooper, who later went on to reintroduce several 'dead' liqueurs back to the market. St-Germain quickly became a huge success, favored by bartenders and customers. 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. The cause of his death is so far unknown. St-Germain, which was inspired by the neighborhoods essence, took on the name in hopes of encapsulating the same energy. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. Robert Cooper was a businessman who built his company on humility, positive thinking, collaboration, a creative approach to problem solving. The cause of his death has not yet been determined; he leaves behind a wife and two children. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. , updated Though he had never viewed elderflower as a cocktail ingredient, the floral concoction changed his perspective. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Robert James Cooper was born on Aug. 3, 1976, in Manhattan. Rob Cooper St-Germain - YouTube Bacardi Limited acquires St-Germain liqueur. He said, Ill hire you back in a year when you fail, Mr. Cooper once recalled. Please try again, Derek Brown met Cooper when they sat next to each other at the Beverage Alcohol Resource (BAR) Educational Program nearly 10 years ago. 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. It wouldnt have sold itself. He launched St-Germain in 2007 and currently imports Creme Yvette and Illegal Mezcal. 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. You can do this by clicking on "Pages" at the top, select the homepage on the left, and under "HEADER TYPE", select "solar". St-Germain (now wholly owned by Bacardi), an artisanal French liqueur made from fresh elderflower blossoms. Stir gently to incorporate.2. Cooper died April 25 in California at the age of 39, leaving behind a wife and two. SOLAR's 'Blog Automation' feature automatically pulls content from your blog and displays it on other parts of your site. 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. When Robert returned from London and approached his father about creating an elderflower liqueur, his father was immediately skeptical. Robert St Germain We found 100+ records for Robert St Germain in FL, VA and 33 other states. Those who had the pleasure of meeting him noted his kind personality. Asked how much money he had received, Cooper said it was 'more than I expected to see in a lifetime'. St-Germain, packaged in a striking Art Deco bottle, landed like a thunderclap in the then-burgeoning cocktail world. It was lucky, he said. 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. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a bachelors degree in English and creative writing. 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. In the wake of that development, Cooper went out on his own to start Cooper Spirits and launch St-Germain. Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. St-Germain was created by Robert Cooper, the son of Chambord inventor Norton "Sky" Cooper. Activates Owl carousel slider, ticker, breadcrumbs and latest posts (e.g., https://www.mysite.com/blog.html). In 2006 Cooper introduced the burgeoning cocktail industry to his new liqueur and it quickly became known as 'bartenders' ketchup' because of its popularity. Dennis Michael St. Germain Mr. St. Germain, age 51, of Charlotte, passed away on July 21, 2008. 21:10 EST 28 Apr 2016 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. . The cause of death is unknown. Brown disagrees: Cooper worked incredibly hard, he says, and would have been successful regardless. Something went wrong. It's no understatement to call him a genius or pioneer (as other. It was his love affair with straight whiskey that led him to Alberta, Canada to find, taste and buy barrels of rye whiskey. 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 supplies and beverage, partnered with the 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. 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 . All things ebb and flow.. Vermouth was starting to come back, crme de violette came back, but St-Germain was new. The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox. The younger Mr. Cooper persisted, however, going so far as to leave the family business to pursue his dream. The Cooper family as a whole has been heavily involved in the spirits industry since the early. Robert J. Cooper launched the popular spirit back in 2007. Cocktail bartenders, hungry for new ingredients and flavors to work with, tossed it into every other new drink. Associated persons: Robin Anne Barber, Samara Cohen, Daniel J Dresel, Justin B Rosenblatt, Paul W Stgermain (970) 472-9012. The drink itself is made from flowers of elderberry plants that grow in France and bloom for just one month of the year. 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. As such, he was hesitant to allow Robert to use their companys resources to produce the spirit. To print a list of all the drinks in which St-Germain appeared over the years would probably require at least the full Food section. Paul W St Germain, age 54. It's beginning to feel like a season of 24 or Game of Thrones because one of your favorite people seem to be safe, anymore. 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 . The cause of his death has not yet been determined; he leaves behind a wife and two children. 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? 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. Robert Cooper. The founder of the popular bar essential St-Germain elderflower liqueur died earlier this week.Robert J. Cooper, who introduced the hugely popular St-Germain liqueur to the cocktail. 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.