Parfait Amour (Parfait Amor) is a premium liqueur based on violet petals and wild rose mixed with vanilla. The drink has not lost popularity for several centuries – lovers appreciate it for its lilac color, rich aroma and pleasant taste with floral hues. In bars, the peak demand for cocktails with Parfait Amour falls on Valentine’s Day – violet in France symbolizes romantic love.
Historical information
Liqueur “Parfait Amur” appeared in the XIX century. The birthplace of the drink is considered to be Toulouse, which is called the “city of violets”. Candied flowers were a popular delicacy back in the time of Louis XIV, and even today violets are added to confectionery, pastries, and jam. It is believed that alcohol tinctures on flower petals appeared precisely at the time of the “sun king”, but who came up with the exact recipe for Parfait Amour is not known for certain.
Two manufacturers call themselves the inventors of violet liquor at once – the Dutch company Lucas Bols and the French company Marie Brizard. The drink recipes are somewhat different, so it is possible that their development was carried out in parallel. The Dutch began selling flower liquor in the early XNUMXth century in Amsterdam, where it was often bought to celebrate engagements or weddings.
Marie Brizard is famous for its liqueurs, which have been producing for over 250 years. Enterprising lady Marie Brizard founded her wine house in Bordeaux and already in 1763 exported anise tincture to Africa and the Antilles. Liqueurs appeared in the assortment of the company at the same time, many of them are strictly dated according to the year of development of the recipe, but Parfait Amour is an exception in this series. It is possible that violet liqueur was not among the flagship products, so the history of the drink was lost in the archives.
Parfait d’Amour is French for “perfect love”. The romantic name, delicate aroma and floral taste attracted ladies who became big fans of the drink in the first century after its introduction. In the XNUMXth century, interest in violet liquor faded and was revived only with the development of cocktail culture. Fans of homemade tinctures prepare it on their own – from rum, raspberry juice and violet and rosehip petals.
Composition and famous brands
Liqueur Parfait Amour is produced by many alcohol producers, there is no single composition. The classic recipe includes: violet, rose, citrus fruits, almonds and vanilla, which are infused with neutral grain alcohol and mixed in a blend.
Liqueurs gained worldwide fame:
- Parfait Amour Bols with 24% alcohol and traditional composition. The manufacturer adds curacao orange peels and vanilla to the drink. Sour citrus notes muffle the floral sweetness and give the liquor a dry aftertaste;
- Parfait Amour Marie Brizard, 25% – a mixture of infusions of violet petals, roses and orange blossoms. In addition, extracts of sweet Spanish oranges and Madagascar vanilla are added to the liquor. The deep purple color of the drink is given with the help of food coloring;
- De Kuyper Parfait Amour, 30% is produced by a Dutch cocktail ingredient company. The manufacturer refused to use rose petals, so the violet component is stronger here.
The flavor composition of drinks repeats the aroma – floral, citrus and vanilla tones stand out. Fans call Bols the sweetest of all – its bouquet is compared with marshmallows and sugar cookies. The colors differ in saturation, the most persistent in cocktails is the product from Marie Brizard.
How to drink Parfait Amour liqueur
Manufacturers recommend using the drink in cocktails or drinking it neat with ice. Although there are not so many cocktails with violet liqueur, bartenders believe that it is a must to have it on hand, and each brand in combinations reveals itself in its own way. “Parfait Amor” is in harmony with grapefruit juice, sparkling wine, gin and even tequila.
To prepare an English Rose cocktail, you will need 50 ml of gin, 20 ml of dry vermouth, 15 ml of Parfait Amour, 10 ml of lemon juice and 5 ml of Grenadine syrup. The ingredients are placed in a shaker, then filled 2/3 of the space with ice cubes, shaken for 8-10 seconds and poured into a pre-chilled glass without ice. Served with cocktail cherries.
Cocktail “Love Heart (Loving Heart)” is prepared directly in a flute glass – 45 ml of vodka, 15 ml of violet and the same amount of strawberry liqueur are mixed and topped up with champagne. Served without ice.