Cooper died April 25 in California at the age of 39, leaving behind a wife and two children; the cause of his death has not been released. The cause of his death has not yet been determined; he leaves behind a wife and two children. St-Germain, packaged in a striking Art Deco bottle, landed like a thunderclap in the then-burgeoning cocktail world. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. The brand was eventually sold to Bacardi in 2012, but Cooper wasn't content resting on his laurels. In broader terms, it helped resuscitate the dormant liqueur business. interview. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings. I'm just a nice lady who likes cocktails and traveling. St-Germain was invented by distiller Robert Cooper and launched in 2007 by Cooper Spirits Co, founded in 2006 and headquartered in New York. As such, he was hesitant to allow Robert to use their companys resources to produce the spirit. 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. Note: You can hide this box under "Theme>Theme Options>Automation [Editor Only]". It had behind it the passion and energy of Robert Cooper, who at the time was only in his early 30s. 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. . 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. He was 39. 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. Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Part of HuffPost Food & Drink. 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. If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, unlimited online access is. 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4. View Details. This distilled beveragerelated article is a stub. . It had behind it the passion and energy of Robert Cooper, who at the time was only in his early 30s. . There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. 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. He also reintroduced Hochstadters Slow & Low to the whiskey market in 2010. Cooper, who later went on to reintroduce several 'dead' liqueurs back to the market. The partnership, which was finalized in 1933, helped transform Jacquins into one of the worlds leading producers of liqueurs and cordials. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. Cooper, whose family owns Charles Jacquin et Cie, a Philadelphia-based spirits distiller and producer founded in 1884, left his family . Robert Cooper was also a master of predicting trends and recognized an emerging excitement for rye whiskey. The comments below have not been moderated, By 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. 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. Even if you already have a home page, you'll need to create a new one since Solar needs a blank page to automatically pull and display your blog posts in the magazine layout. The St. Germain brand was acquired by Bacardi in 2012. Mr. Cooper was a scion of the family that owns Charles Jacquin et Cie, an old cordials and liqueurs house based in Philadelphia. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. 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. He was generous with his time and with his recipe for a new drink, the St-Germain cocktail. Read more about cookies here. The couple owned homes in Palm Beach and Aspen as well as their residence in California, and sold their New York City apartment located in the West Village in 2013 for $2.25million. St-Germain was invented by distiller Robert Cooper and launched in 2007 by Cooper Spirits Co, founded in 2006 and headquartered in New York. Presumed owner of the real estate located at 305 Arlene Dr, Fort Collins. 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. Those who had the pleasure of meeting him noted his kind personality. You can create a new homepage by going to "Pages" at the top, click on the "+" icon and select "Standard" page. Un Jardin a Cythere is inspired by the Greek island of Kythira. 13:17 EST 29 Apr 2016. If success in the competitive world of spirits marketing is a cocktail, its 1 ounce product, 2 ounces elbow grease. 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. It's no understatement to call him a genius or pioneer (as other. Sure, Brown acknowledged but the most popular Beatles songs probably get a backlash, too. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Anyone can read what you share. 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. The St-Germain was delicious, and Robert Cooper was warm and affable, enthusiastic about his product and about the spirits business. 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. Years later, he pops up in the court of French king Louis XV but, after a brief bout with serious political influence and infighting, he fled back to England. 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. He is survived by his wife Kaitrin and the couple's two children William and Charlotte. The flowers are all picked in the mornings, when temperatures are at their lowest. ), 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 ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. Its nothing to do with how good the product is, just the way the market works. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. [7] In 2013, the company was sold to Bacardi, and Robert Cooper agreed to work with Bacardi as a "brand guardian" and spokesperson. 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. Robert James Cooper was born on Aug. 3, 1976, in Manhattan. It was his love affair with straight whiskey that led him to Alberta, Canada to find, taste and buy barrels of rye whiskey. In the early 2000s, Robert Cooper was visiting a London bar where he ordered a cocktail that featured elderflower syrup as a sweetening agent. Brown disagrees: Cooper worked incredibly hard, he says, and would have been successful regardless. A 1994 graduate of Aspen High School, and a former, two-year member of the U.S. 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. St-Germain The native New Yorker passed away Monday in. Robert James Cooper was born on Aug. 3, 1976, in Manhattan. In news that has shocked the global spirits community, Robert J. Cooper, St-Germain founder, has passed away aged just 39. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a bachelors degree in English and creative writing. 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. St-Germain creator Robert Cooper shares why he thinks the brand will truly be an international brand as part of . It was lucky, he said. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. 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. [8], In 2016, Robert Cooper died at the age of 39. 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. 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. The Times notes that it became so ubiquitous, some took to calling it "bartender's ketchup." The Art Deco-esque appearance of the bottle also serves as a nod to the bustling Parisian quarter the brand hopes to provide an experience reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties, when Saint-Germain-des-Prs was at its creative peak. 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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 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. 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. In broader terms, it helped resuscitate the dormant liqueur business. He grew his spirits portfolio into the whiskey category with Lock Stock & Barrel, a fine 13-year-old straight rye. 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. Now that you know the basics, here are eight more things you should know about St-Germain. 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. Doch der Erfolg hat Robert J. Cooper, der am 25. Nearly a decade ago, as the cocktail renaissance was gaining steam, a lot of drinks started developing a particular flavour note. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, His death was confirmed Thursday by the New York Times. 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 . He is survived by his wife, the former Kaitrin Cramm, and their two children, William and Charlotte. His loss is being widely grieved in the bartending and cocktail world. It was more [money] than I expected to see in a lifetime, Cooper admitted at the time. Born in South Bend, IN he was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, as a Data Systems Tech. But success was not guaranteed. 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? He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a bachelors degree in English and creative writing. 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. Robert Cooper was a businessman who built his company on humility, positive thinking, collaboration, a creative approach to problem solving. 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. 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. 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. Once you create a new homepage, apply the "solar" page layout to the new homepage. The younger Cooper struck gold with the perfect storm of professional curiosity and timing, launching St-Germain in 2007. He moved to Charlott In 2012, Cooper sold St-Germain to Bacardi, yielding him "more than I expected to see in a lifetime." He was also a terrific. 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. Fill a Collins glass with ice. Cooper was born into the spirits world. We were all making drinks with it. Nachdem der Likr 2007 erstmals der ffenlichkeit vorgestellte wurde hat St-Germain in den Folgejahren einige Goldmedaillen eingeheimst und war in der Barszene allgegenwrtig. The death of Robert J. Cooper, the creator of elderflower liqueur St-Germain, is tough news for cocktail lovers everywhere. St-Germain was created by Robert Cooper, the son of Chambord inventor Norton "Sky" Cooper. 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. If your site doesn't have a Weebly "Blog" page, then create a new "Blog" page. 2014 - 2023 VinePair Inc. 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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! The UCLA Santa Barbara grad introduced St-Germain in 2007 to great fanfare. Founded byChristine Sloan Stoddard. It was lucky, he said. 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. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. In 2012, he sold St-Germain to Bacardi for what was rumored to be a seven-figure sum. Crme Yvettes production halted in 1969 but relaunched to the liqueur market in 2010. The freshest news from the food world every day. 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. 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. Though he had never viewed elderflower as a cocktail ingredient, the floral concoction changed his perspective. 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. The Cooper family as a whole has been heavily involved in the spirits industry since the early. Because of Coopers family history, Brown says, some in the industry may have perceived his success as the product of legacy, the way people tend to think the children of famous actors get a break. [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. When Cooper responded by leaving the family business behind, his father allegedly told him, Ill hire you back in a year when you fail. As his luck would have it, he did not fail. 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. 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. They wanted something different they could work with that had integrity. Thus, Cooper credits the two bars with skyrocketing the liqueurs success. That company introduced the raspberry liqueur Chambord domestically and later sold it to Brown-Forman. Considered a pioneer in the cocktail world, Cooper was lauded by the liquor industry for years before he sold his uber-popular elderflower liqueur, St-Germain, to Bacardi in 2012 for an undisclosed sum. 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. 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 .