My Mid-Century Cocktail: The LBJ

My search for a signature mid-century cocktail has come to an end thanks to a work happy hour. We went to the Stephen F. Austin hotel bar, where I ordered one of their signature cocktails: The Lady Bird. On the menu, the Lady Bird cocktail is simply described as Grey Goose La'Poire vodka, St. Germain Elderflower and lemon. I've never had St. Germain or any elderflower liqueur before, but it tastes fantastic and sounds like it came out of Skyrim, so I love it.

I went on a hunt for a cocktail with those and only those ingredients, without any luck. I was hoping the Lady Bird cocktail at the Stephen F. Austin was just a renamed elderflower and pear vodka cocktail. Turns out it's not. So I had to start experimenting (or get a job at the hotel bar, but that seemed like a long way to go for a cocktail recipe).

Luckily, the St. Germain website has an extensive cocktail menu so I had a place to start. The closest thing to the Lady Bird cocktail seemed to be the French Gimlet or the Pear Tree Martini. But neither of them had the right ingredients or right taste. So, after a few trails and tastings, I came up with my own mix.

Since I can't be sure it's the exact recipe of the Lady Bird cocktail (though it's probably pretty close), I feel like I can give this cocktail its own name – making it a true signature cocktail for my mid-century home. Taking from it's inspiration (the Lady Bird cocktail), point of origin (the Stephen F. Austin hotel and the city of Austin) and the fact that it will be served in a mid-century home, I'm dubbing this concoction the LBJ.

The LBJ

1 part Grey Goose La'Poire vodka

1 part St. Germain Elderflower liqueur

A squeeze of lemon

Ice

Now I just need to tinker a bit to make it perfect for our Austin home. I'd love to find an organic pear vodka (which I don't think exists) and an organic elderflower liqueur (which I can't find for sale in Austin). So that might mean infusing my own pear vodka (organic vodka and organic pears) and shipping in some organic elderflower liqueur. It's extra work, but that only adds to the story of our signature cocktail. 

If I can make this an all-organic cocktail, I'm going to dub that version The Organic LBJ. It not a totally original name, but it's the perfect mix of old and new Austin.