Violette Royalle Cocktail

Do you have a warm weather event coming up? If so, this cocktail just might be the perfect beverage for the occasion. Where sparkling wine and champagne are traditionally reserved for celebrations with a splash of violette liqueur this drink will immediately remind you of the floral bouquet of spring and summer. Well ok, maybe not just any bouquet, a violet bouquet.

Recipe:

1 oz. creme de violette.

4 oz. sparkling wine.

1 lemon twist for garnish.

Directions:

1. Chill the bottle of sparkling wine well.
2. In a flute glass, first add the creme de violette.
3. Top off flute with sparkling wine.
4. Garnish glass with a twist of lemon.

A Word on Flavour:

The Violette Royalle is a great celebratory cocktail for spring and summer. The sweet violette liqueur offers a hint of floral freshness and is best balanced out with a drier sparkling wine. While you could mix it with a sweeter wine, the combination of sweet on sweet could very easily turn a guest off of the drink. As with anything, balance is key.

Champagne vs. Sparkling wine:

If you are anything like me you have had a question that keeps popping up any time sparkling wine is served. What is the difference between champagne and sparkling wine. The most basic answer is that while sparkling wine can be crafted anywhere in the world and has a few more liberties as far as ingredients go champagne must be produced in Champagne, France.

Just as many things in this world, champagne is regionally protected. There are cheeses that must be made in certain locations, wool that needs the same care and as per the topic of today, some wines are on that list as well.

Mostly, but not entirely in Europe there are designated boards that can give this special certification to goods. In France it is the appelation d’origine controlle, AOC for short. When traveling through Italy you’re in Denominazione di origine controllatta (DOC) territory. In addition to the geographic restriction champagne has specific grape varieties it can be made from as well.

Brands of creme de violette:

While there are several brands on the world market, here in my little corner better known as Ontario, Canada there is only one variety that is seemingly available for consumers. Giffards Creme de Violette is the only violet liqueur I could find on the shelves of the LCBO. This sweet liqueur offers the floral note you can expect from a liqueur made predominantly from violets.

While it is unfortunate that there are limitations to our control board sometimes you just need to work with those things that are available. If there was enough demand for it the product line could be expanded. A small variety of a specialty such as this probably is not going to cause panic in the streets, unfortunate, but survivable.

How Creme de violette is made:

While the exact ingredients of any brand is never going to be fully available to the public, making your own creme de violette is possible, at least on a basic level. I may get hunted for this but liqueurs are not all that complicated on the surface. A neutral base spirit such as vodka, some violet petals and some simple syrup could make a basic violet liqueur.

I have never attempted this myself, but I could. Combining these ingredients, shaking them up and letting them steep for a period of time is as difficult as it gets. Based upon what homework I have done if you are going to attempt this go light on the sugar syrup and voilet pedals is advisable. It is much easier to add to a product than take something away.

Uses for Creme de Violette:

Creme de Violette has made its way onto the stage of current day cocktails by way of the resurgence in bartending and mixology. Classic cocktails such as the aviation use this spirit and offer a sense of time and place during the spring and summer months. In addition to the aviation I have showcased a couple of cocktails here on canadiancook.ca including the blue moon and a signature spiced violette. If neither of those appeal to you there are still two options available; let your creativity spill into your own glass or a quick Google search will offer a number of options.

Coming from someone who has been taken in by high proof spirits for the last several months, this cocktail is light. It is exactly what you want when trying to please a social crowd. Be it a day full of making connections at a networking event, or a casual day in the backyard with a few close friends this cocktail screams spring. While more typical of the wine industry, every food and beverage can offer to a sense of time and place. Get lost in a spring garden with the Violette Royalle.

 

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