Need to give your margarita or sidecar a bit spin? Attempt a triple sec that’s a bit completely different — based mostly on yuzu as a substitute of orange. This new, restricted version providing comes courtesy of Maison Ferrand and longtime accomplice David Wondrich, whose Dry Curacao is a high-end bar staple.
Listed below are all of the particulars:
“We wished to create a Curaçao that showcases the fascinating aromatics of Yuzu in a complicated nineteenth century type introduced ahead by brandy and cognac. This might not have been attainable with out the learnings and analysis that David and I had carried out a few years earlier than when creating the traditional orange Dry Curaçao from historic recipes. With our group, I traveled to Corsica and Morocco to know the various facets of Yuzu. Our analysis led us to the attractive Moroccan citrus property of L’Agrumiste. We’re very pleased with the top consequence, with its stunning aromatics of citrus complemented by an unparalleled complexity and gourmandise because of the presence of brandy and cognac. I have to say, this was actually a feat to distill and mix. We love creating these certainly one of variety expressions, most of which we get pleasure from with pals right here on the distillery. It makes me extraordinarily completely satisfied when a primary sip places a sparkle within the eyes of the drinker. In the long run, because of this we work so arduous,” says Alexandre Gabriel.
Sourced from L’Agrumiste, a biodiverse orchard within the Mediterranean specializing in additional than 250 unique fruit varieties, the Yuzu grown listed below are sometimes harvested within the fall by way of a strict hand-picking course of. For Ferrand Dry Curaçao Yuzu, to seize the true essence of the citrus, the fruit are left on the bushes after they’ve reached their peak ripeness and harvested late within the season, previous their peak maturity. “We established that we shouldn’t be utilizing the Yuzu harvested within the fall, however fairly await a late harvest in February. By then, the fruit has misplaced a few of its juice to the advantage of scrumptious and concentrated flavors and aromas of candy Yuzu which can be nice to distill,” says Alexandre. This late harvest approach concentrates the aromas of this distinctive citrus, permitting the group at Maison Ferrand to seize unimaginable pastry notes, which marry extraordinarily nicely with the Ferrand Cognac base.
The Mediterranean local weather, with its ultimate stability between gentle winter and ample sunshine in the summertime, accompanied by irrigation solely, provides the citrus their distinctive taste. A fertile land for a number of thousand years, the orchards at L’Agrumiste have an distinctive terroir and have been rising citrus fruits because the time of Homer’s mythology. The L’Agrumiste group have chosen a standard agricultural technique to protect the well being of the land – weeding by hand, leaving sure areas untouched to encourage the proliferation of species – and have began the method for 100% natural certification.
To make Ferrand Dry Curaçao Yuzu Late Harvest, a maceration of the entire Yuzu is infused in a grape spirit for one week. This infusion is then slowly distilled in Ferrand’s stills. Within the nineteenth century, Grasp Blenders used the strategy of vegetal infusion to deliver ahead the aromatics of oranges. Resurrecting this long-forgotten custom, Ferrand infuses their botanical substances in a grape spirit. The Yuzu distillate is then married with a contact of Yuzu infusion, a touch of bourbon vanilla, brandy, and Ferrand Cognac. Et voilà!
The liqueur, a brilliant yellow in colour, is certainly “dry” as Ferrand’s traditional curacao is: From the nostril alone you may inform its sweetness has been tamed, prompting a barely bitter-sour aroma that’s extra citrus peel than juice (or syrup). Meyer lemon combined with mandarin orange is how I’d describe the nostril finest. The palate has some sweetness however once more it’s fairly tame, a candy and bitter affair that pops with lemon peel and a touch of tropicality — extra mango than pineapple. The end is each sharp and wealthy, providing a prolonged denouement with a contact of vanilla within the combine.
I discovered the best way it paired with blanco tequila in a margarita to be excellent, and it really works wonders with brandy, too.
80 proof.
A / $36 (700ml) / cognacferrand.com
Ferrand Dry Curacao Yuzu
$36
