Lillet (French pronunciation: [li'le]) is a brand of French aperitif wine. It is a blend of 85% Bordeaux wines (Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle for the Blanc; Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon for the Rouge) and 15% macerated liqueurs, mostly citrus liqueurs from the peels of sweet oranges from Spain and Morocco and the peels of bitter green oranges from Haiti. Lillet belongs in a family of aperitif known as tonic wines because of the addition of a liqueur of Chinchona bark from Peru which contains quinine. Lillet is matured in oak casks and available in red and white versions. While it has been produced since the late 19th century, the current formulation dates from 1986. The formulation was changed only to lower the sugar content; the level of quinine has remained roughly the same.[1]
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Lillet is an aperitif wine (a blend of Bordeaux wines and citrus liqueur). It must be served well chilled at 6-8°C (43-46°F).
In France it is generally served on ice with a slice of orange, lemon or lime.
In other countries, especially in the USA and UK, it is more often used as a cocktail ingredient or long drink. The best known Lillet cocktails are: The Vesper, the Corpse reviver #2, the 20th Century and the Old Etonian. Recipes appear in cocktail books like The Bartender's Bible by Gary Regan, the Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock or the Complete World Bartender Guide by Bob Sennett.
In 1872, the brothers Paul and Raymond Lillet, distillers and merchants of wines and spirits, founded their company La Maison Lillet in the town of 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. Back in France, he settled in Bordeaux, where he produced liqueurs and fortifiers from plants such as quinine. During that time, Bordeaux became one of the most important places for the European wine business.[2] It also represented France's main harbour for products imported from the Caribbean Islands.
In the "Roaring 20's", Lillet became very famous in France especially due to advertising campaigns.[3] During this period, exports greatly increased in Europe and in Africa, and eventually reached the Americas.[4] Lillet Rouge is specially created for the American market.
In Ian Fleming's 1953 novel Casino Royale, James Bond invents and orders a Kina Lillet martini, which he named the "Vesper" after his love interest in the story. He asks the bartender for a dry Martini, a fraction of a second later he adds to the order: "Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet." It is present in both the Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace films. The company has been known to use its appearance in Casino Royale in its promotions.[5] It is also the preferred drink of serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the series of books written by Thomas Harris.