Lillet (in French pronounced as /li.lɛ/) is a French wine–based aperitif from Podensac. Classed as an aromatised wine within EU law, it is a blend of 85% Bordeaux region wines (Semillon for the blanc and for the rosé, Merlot for the rouge) and 15% macerated liqueurs, mostly citrus liqueurs (peels of sweet oranges from Spain and Morocco and peels of bitter green oranges from Haiti). The mix is then stirred in oak vats until blended. During the aging process, Lillet is handled as a Bordeaux wine (undergoing fining, racking, filtering, etc.).
In the original Kina Lillet formulation (so named with respect to its status as a quinquina), quinine liqueur made of cinchona bark from Peru was included among its ingredients. "Lillet" belongs to a family of aperitifs known as tonic wines because of the addition of quinine.
In 1872, the brothers Paul and Raymond Lillet, distillers and merchants of wines and spirits, founded their company La Maison Lillet in Podensac, south of Bordeaux, France. The idea of making aperitifs in Bordeaux came from Father Kermann, a doctor who left Brazil at the beginning of Louis XVI's reign. He returned to France and made Bordeaux his home, where he created liqueurs and fortifiers using herbs like quinine. During that time, Bordeaux became one of the most important places for the European wine business.[1] It was also France's main harbour for products imported from the Caribbean islands.
At the end of the 19th century, people developed a great fear of illness as a consequence of the discoveries made by Louis Pasteur (1822–1895). Nevertheless, "Wine", Pasteur said, "can be considered with good reason as the most healthful and the most hygienic of all beverages". As a result, tonic wines (with quinine) became very popular as quinine was used to fight fevers and ease malaria symptoms.
In 1887, Pierre and Raymond Lillet created Kina Lillet. Originally blanc, when all other aperitifs were red, Lillet was the only aperitif from a specific geographic location, one of the most famous, the Bordeaux region, or more precisely Great Sauternes region (at that time Sauternes was covering appellations that are now considered as Bordeaux or Graves appellation).
During the 1920s, Lillet exports greatly increased in Europe and Africa.[1] The brand also became famous in France, thanks to advertising campaigns.[1] At the same time, Lillet was served on transatlantic liners, part of the reason for its success with high society in New York. American bartenders used it for making fashionable cocktails.
In 1962, Pierre Lillet, grandson of Raymond, keen to capitalize on America's growing taste for red wine, created Lillet Rouge for the American market.
In the early part of the 1970s, Maison Lillet removed "Kina" from the brand name calling it simply Lillet. "Kina" had become a generic term used by many aperitifs to emphasise their quinine content, and was no longer relevant for the times. Lillet is the name of the family, and became the only name of the brand.
To improve the quality and sustainability of the Lillet recipe, in 1985, Lillet was reformulated,[2] after close work with the Bordeaux University's Institute of Oenology, applying modern oenology. Both the quinine bitterness and corresponding sweetness were reduced.
In 2011, under cellarmaster Jean Bernard Blancheton, rosé Lillet version was introduced.
Lillet is an aperitif wine, intended to be served well chilled at 6–8 °C (43–46 °F). In France, Lillet is usually served on ice with a slice of orange, or a lemon or lime peel. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland Lillet blanc is more often served as a Lillet Vive, a Lillet blanc long drink. A Lillet Vive is 5cl Lillet blanc, 10cl tonic water, a slice of cucumber, a strawberry and mint leaves.
In other countries, especially in the US and UK, it is more often used as a cocktail ingredient. The best known Lillet cocktails are the Vesper, the Corpse Reviver #2, the 20th Century and the Old Etonian. Recipes appear in cocktail books including The Bartender's Bible by Gary Regan, the Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock and the Complete World Bartender Guide by Bob Sennett. In the 1930s the Savoy Cocktail Book published 22 Lillet cocktails recipes (46 Cointreau, 24 Dubonnet, 24 Chartreuse and 10 Grand Marnier, by comparison).[1]
A Lillet spritz is a two-ingredient cocktail in which white or rosé Lillet is mixed with sparkling water and a garnish such as mint, berries, cranberries, or thyme sprigs.[7] In the United States, a booklet titled "The Lillet Book of Apertif Cocktails" was distributed with bottles of Lillet. It included a recipe which described a "Lillet Spritz" as "3 parts Lillet Blanc or Lillet Rose and 3 parts tonic water. Build over 3 large ice cubes in a tall wine glass and garnish with cucumber, mint and strawberry."
The Vesper was prepared for James Bond in the films Casino Royale (2006) and Quantum of Solace (2008).
