cascode
Lillet Blanc
Other Aromatized Wine — Bordeaux, France
Reviewed
November 9, 2020 (edited August 10, 2022)
Appearance: Bright straw-gold
Aroma: Sweet white grape juice, peach, apricot, orange blossom water and honey.
Flavour and Texture: Sweet, crisp vibrant entry. Lime marmalade, honey and ripe apricots. There are some light citrus notes and a very faint hint of resin, but it's barely noticed. The texture is silky, but also crisp.
The nose is very reminiscent of moscato, white muscat or a noble riesling and the palate follows suit. The only way this diverges from a sweet dessert wine is the hint of bitterness in the background and a more lightly textured body. The bitter notes are from citrus and cinchona bark extract (but the quinine component was greatly reduced 1986).
The older, more bitter product that predated this was called Kina Lillet, and if you want to get an idea of what it tasted like grab a bottle of Cocchi Americano Aperitivo, which is quite similar.
Lillet is excellent neat over ice as a refreshing aperitif and also delightful as a spritz or long drink. Lillet and tonic is a great two-ingredient drink but it seems to be something of a secret - it's a fabulous alternative to a gin & tonic when you feel like less alcohol. Try experimenting with a dash of amaro or bitters and a variety of garnishes as well. If you want to beef it up try adding a little cognac.
It appears in many old-school cocktails but remember these were originally created with the older Kina Lillet as the ingredient, so contemporary Lillet may result in an unbalanced level of sweetness. If you do get this impression I'd recommend a drop or two of grapefruit bitters to restore the balance.
A refined but light-hearted classic that should be in every bar.
"Excellent" : 88/100 (4.5 stars)
40.0
AUD
per
Bottle
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Sorry to hear that about Kina. Cocchi is my preference for the Vesper of all the variations I have tried I like it. Plus I enjoy it over ice.
@Ancient33w Thanks! Unfortunately Tempus Fugit Spirits appear to have lost their distributor in Australia, and I've not been able to find Kina L'Aéro d'Or for ages. There are several aromatised products specifically formulated to replicate the old Kina Lillet, but Cocchi Americano is the only one I can reliably get here. Fortunately it's not a critical part of our bar. Occasionally Mrs Cascode & I get "the taste" and Lillet or Americano becomes our pre-dinner drink for a week or so, but that's about it.
Great review. I have been substituting Cocchi Americano for Kina Blanc and also using Kina l'Aero d'Or.
Thanks for the warning about older cocktail recipes! I doubt I'd have figured that one out on my own.