Briottet Liqueur de Basil (Basil Liqueur) 18% 70cl

Description

Briottet Liqueur de Basil, also known as Basilic, is herb-flavoured liqueur made in Burgundy by Edmond Briottet.

Maison Briottet is a family business, founded in 1836, and has been run by the 6th generation of the Briottet family, Claire and Vincent, since 2014. The Maison is located in the centre of the town of Dijon in the Burgundy wine-growing region. Originally, the family were negociants of Burgundy wine, involved with ageing, blending, bottling and selling the wines. Following the development, and massive popularity of the Blanc Cassis Aperitif (white wine with Crème de Cassis also known as a Kir), in the 1900s, the company progressively focused its activities on producing fruit crèmes, liquors, brandies and Marcs de Bourgogne.

Maison Briottet maintains a very high level of quality. It is the selection of the ripest fruit, locally sourced where possible, from the most suitable cultivars that provides for the finest flavours. The first step on the ladder in the process is contracting the right growers to produce the finest, best quality, ripe fruit. Then, at the headquarters, the fruits undergo carefully observed maceration with very pure neutral alcohol and blending with the correct proportion of sugars to achieve the balance between fruit flavour, sweetness, acidity and alcohol to create top of the range crèmes and liqueurs.

Edmond Briottet Liqueur de Basil is made by macerating basil leaf and flowers in pure, neutral alcohol which is then sweetened with sugar (a liqueur must have at least 100g sugar per litre, a creme at least 250g). This is a really interesting liqueur, ideal for use in more experimental cocktails, and also a interesting ingredient in desserts. It is a clear coloured liqueur (not green like many of the homemade “Basilcello” concoctions I have seen). It is intense, pure, clean, aromatic and, of course, smells like basil!