Crème de violette

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A bottle of Crème de Violette

Crème de Violette , also Liqueur de Violette or just Violette (from French violette = violet), is the name for violet-blue or reddish- violet liqueurs with a violet aroma . The term "crème" indicates that the liqueurs have a high sugar content; For products sold in the EU , a minimum of 250 g per liter and an alcohol content of at least 15% are required.

Crème de Violette is regarded as the forerunner of the Parfait d'Amour liqueur and its American variation Crème Yvette , both of which have a purple color, but differ in taste from Crème de Violette. They often have a purple color, but depending on the manufacturer, the delicate, floral violet aroma takes a back seat to aromas of citrus fruits, vanilla and spices, so that they are only suitable to a limited extent as a substitute.

Purple liqueurs have been made since at least the 19th century, and peaked in popularity in the 1890s. Back then, they were enjoyed straight, with dry vermouth or in pousse cafés . There was a multitude of recipes, and the individual products may have differed significantly in taste. In the 20th century, however, the liqueur genus was increasingly forgotten. Almost all manufacturers stopped producing crème de violette, and the ingredient has rarely appeared in cocktail recipes since the 1930s. The rarity of crème de violette was thematized in 1965 in an episode of the television series With Umbrella, Charm and Melon . That changed around the turn of the millennium when historic drinks regained popularity in the United States and Europe.

The liqueur has been imported back into the USA since 2007 and is now offered by a large number of well-known liqueur manufacturers. Well-known brands include Benoit Serres Liqueur de Violette (25 % by volume ) with an alcoholic base of Armagnac and neutral alcohol , which is allegedly made in France according to a recipe from the 1950s , Edmond Briottet Liqueuer de Violette (18% by volume) made from Dijon , Giffard Crème Violette (16% by volume), Miclo Liqueur de Violette (20% by volume), Monin Crème de Violette (16% by volume), Rothman & Winter Crème de Violette (20% by volume) ), made in Austria from alpine violet blossoms, Golden Moon Crème de Violettes (30% by volume, since 2008), Tempus Fugit Liqueur de Violettes (22% by volume) and The Bitter Truth Violet Liqueur (22 % by volume), also produced in Austria % By volume). The violet liqueurs available today consist of water, sugar, brandy or neutral alcohol as an alcoholic base, natural or nature-identical flavoring substances and coloring (e.g. E124, E133). The violet aroma is mostly obtained by maceration of the violet flowers in alcohol.

The most famous cocktails with Crème de Violette are the Aviation and the Blue Moon and the Violet Fizz .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Spirits Regulation EC No. 110/2008 (PDF) , Appendix II No. 33 a), accessed on August 28, 2012.
  2. ↑ Ted Haigh: Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails. Quarry Books, Beverly (Massachusetts) 2004, ISBN 978-1-59253-561-3 , p. 74.
  3. ↑ Examples from Anistatia Miller, Jared Brown: Forgotten Ingredients: Parfait d'Amour and Crème de Violette in: Mixology Magazine for Bar Culture, published online on March 17, 2012, accessed on August 29, 2012.
  4. ↑ Episode 12: Two's a Crowd ( Memento of the original from November 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) Description of the contents of the 12th episode; mentioned is the brand P. Garnier Creme de Violette, accessed on August 28, 2012.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dissolute.com.au
  5. ↑ Crème de Violette list of ingredients in the Internet Cocktail Database , accessed on August 28, 2012.
  6. ^ Gary Regan: The Cocktailian: Creme de violette lifts Aviation to the moon Article in the San Francisco Chronicle (online edition of September 28, 2007), accessed on August 28, 2012.