Lillet Rouge

Pleasant smell, but does have a rather thin flavor.

Appearance: Burgundy. Aroma: Full-bodied, fruity red wine with spice and citrus notes – it brings mulled claret to mind. Flavour and Texture: Sweet and bitter in equal measure on the entry. Oak tannin, quinine and a bright fruity bitterness that fades to a full but dry finish. There is a crisp and lively character throughout. Lillet Rouge is less well-known than its illustrious older sibling, which is a great shame. While the Blanc is indispensable as a bar ingredient (and delightful by itself) the Rouge expression is more suited as the base for punches, spritzes, and other long drinks. It’s a cousin to Italian aperitivi such as Aperol and Select, but it has a richer and more elegant profile as the base is full-bodied red wine. It is also a cousin to Dubonnet and Byrrh. When used as a long drink base it becomes similar to Lambrusco, rouge Moscato, Sangria and other light summer wines and punches. It teams spectacularly well with red meat, particularly charcoal-grill meat on a hot afternoon. Lillet Rouge is excellent neat over ice with a slice of orange as a refreshing aperitif and it mixes very well with tonic to make a longer drink (as does Lillet Blanc). For those with a sweet tooth try substituting sparkling lemonade for tonic to make a very easy-drinking cooler, but if that is too sweet then try soda water of varying types. I’ve found Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic to be a marvelous combination. Incidentally, if you are watching your weight and trying to find a long spritz-like cooler for summer it's worth noting that the bitter notes in Lillet Rouge precisely mask the taste of artificial sweetener in no-sugar lemonade. The combination of the two is brilliantly balanced. It's a delicious aromatized wine that deserves to be more widely acknowledged. Buy a bottle and start experimenting - it will work a treat in any applicable context. “Excellent” : 88/100 (4.5 stars)