A pull from something I wrote recently. Wine lovers will like these gorgeous low-alcohol fruit liqueurs from the Loire Valley, I think.
The Combier Fruit Liqueurs are totally transparent, in that they consist of pure, unadulterated fruit in a, slow, gentle maceration and infusion of pure neutral spirits. Some flavors may take up to four months of infusion to capture the essence of fruits. No coloring, no external flavoring, simply fruit steeped in spirits. Consider these fruit liqueurs are only 40 Proof---20% alcohol---and you have an ideal flavor enhancer for foods and cocktails and light drinks.
The results of this simple approach and low alcohol process are rather astonishing. Each flavor---there are five extant---is totally focused on natural fruit flavors, and each is flawless, precise, and pure.
Crème de Pamplemousse Rosé
This pale pink grapefruit is the very essence of pure, fresh-sliced grapefruit, not in any way perfumey or cloying, just natural and fresh and citrus-bright. Added to a basic soda water spritz, lightly splashed in white wine, or---my favorite---used in cocktails with tequila, this could be the perfect summertime mixer.
Crème de Pêche de Vigne
One of the delights of France in the spring and summer is their luscious peaches. Some vignerons have a tradition of allowing the occasional peach tree to escape from its orchard and “jump” over into adjoining vineyards by spreading its seeds. These singular outlier trees are called Pêche de Vigne…the Wild Peaches in the Vineyards…and they are singularly delightful: small, squashed-looking peaches that are unbelievably juicy and habit-forming delicious.
Combier’s Crème de Pêche captures the exact aroma and flavor of this special fruit delight at the peak of ripeness. This is the taste of France captured in a bottle.
Crème de Mûre
If you love blackberries, this is the liqueur to try; it is a perfection of tart/sweet, tangy, brambly Loire Valley blackberry (mûre is French for blackberry), and nothing else, macerated in pure neutral spirits. Smells and tastes as if the berries were picked early that morning.
Crème de Cassis
If it’s French and it’s a line of fruit liqueurs, you can bet there will be blackcurrants somewhere. Here they are in all their concentrated glory, pungent and rich and earthy and dark. This is the ideal Cassis for a Kir cocktail---simply add a splash in a highly acidic white wine, preferably Burgundian Aligote---or to make a European soda. It’s also tasty beyond belief in iced lemonade on a hot day, in a blackberry tea, or to spike up a Collins with an extra burst of pure flavor.
Crème de Fruits Rouge
When you want the fresh, bursting ripeness of berries, pop open this blend of Loire Valley blackcurrants, bilberries, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. As a cocktail ingredient, a soda spritzer, or in elaborate punches, this one is a natural---in the very real sense of the word.
With so many uses, with such rich, natural aromas and flavors of pure fruit, and low alcohol levels combined, Combier Fruit Liqueurs make a great addition to your home bar or kitchen. You get only fruit flavors, with no artificial or chemical aftertastes, so these spirits combine with anything to add enhanced layers of delicious fruit flavors.
