Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur (pronounced: [ʃɑ̃.bɔʁ]) is modelled after a raspberry liqueur produced in the Loire Valley of France during the late 17th century. The liqueur was said to have been introduced to Louis XIV during one of his visits to the Château de Chambord. It was common during that time for liqueurs and cognac to be consumed with elegant meals. As of October 2011, the Chambord product brand is owned and produced by the Brown-Forman Corporation.
Chambord is made from red and black raspberries, Madagascar vanilla, Moroccan citrus peel, honey and cognac.
Chambord is produced on the premises of a traditional Loire Valley chateau, using all natural ingredients. Whole raspberries and blackberries are steeped in French spirits for a period of several weeks to produce a fruit infusion. This infusion produces a distinct raspberry flavor and aroma.
After the infusion is extracted, a second set of spirits is added to the fruit and allowed to rest for a few weeks. After this second infusion is drawn off, the remaining fruit is pressed to obtain the natural sugars and juice. The fruit-infused spirits and juices from the final pressing are then combined, and finally, the berry infusion is married with a proprietary blend of cognac, natural vanilla extract, black raspberries, citrus peel, honey, and herbs and spices. The liqueur is 16.5% alcohol by volume.
Chambord comes in a spherical bottle. Through mid-2010, the bottle came with a metallic gold plastic lettered 'belt' around the middle, and a crown atop its lid. The bottle was modeled after a Globus cruciger.
In the U.S. market, the manufacturer began using a different bottle design in summer 2010, with modifications to the belt, lid and other elements.[1]
In addition to redesigning the bottle for the traditional Chambord liqueur, the manufacturer has also begun using the Chambord brand name on an additional product: a flavored vodka.[1]
Common drinks made from Chambord include the Raspberry Margarita, French Manhattan, Butler Miller (Chambord Vodka Gimlet), Kir Imperial (Chambord and Champagne), Chambord Daiquiri, Chambord Royal Spritzer, Little Purple Men, The Purple Hooter Shooter, Sour Grapes, Black Opal, Peanut Butter and Jelly (w/ Frangelico or Castries Peanut Cream), Grape Crush, French Martini which started the 'cocktails as a Martini' craze, the "Blood of Christ".
The label recommends that, once opened, the bottle be consumed within six months for optimum flavor.
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Over the last five years, Chambord has earned silver and bronze medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Other spirit ratings organizations have rated Chambord relatively highly as well. Based on Chambord's reviews from various professional raters, Proof66 has categorized Chambord as a "First Tier" liqueur.[2]