Parfait d'Amour
Type | Liqueur |
---|---|
Manufacturer | (various) |
Country of origin | France |
Introduced | 19th century |
Colour | Purple |
Parfait d'Amour (pronounced: [paʁfe d‿amuːʁ]) or Parfait Amour is a liqueur. It is often used in cocktails primarily for its purple colour, and is generally created from a Curaçao liqueur base.
There are several versions of Parfait d'Amour. The House of Lucas Bols in the Netherlands claims to have originated the liqueur. Theirs appears to be a curaçao base, flavoured with rose petals, vanilla and almonds. Marie Brizard, a Bordeaux-based distiller, has a product with a similar flavor profile. Another form, produced by DeKuyper, uses a spirit as its base, and is flavoured with lemon, coriander and violets.[1]
Guardian writer John Wright describes it as "a potent compound... It tasted like the perfume counter at Boots." He suggests a homemade version containing rose petals in a base of white rum or eau de vie, with the addition of syrups made from raspberry juice and rosehips.[2]
Availability
Parfait d'Amour is primarily produced and sold in France and the Netherlands, although it is known to be available in the Spain, United States, Canada, Australia, Greece, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway.
Parfait d'Amour cannot be found in Atlantic Canada, Ontario. Some other Canadian provinces do have it listed in their product line, but it is not easy to locate within Canada. Parfait d'Amour can also be found on the island of St. Martin. It is available in Quebec through private importing with the agency Bella Vita Grand Crus.
Other References
Parfait d'Amour is not highly praised by the character M.Belle-Rose in Memoirs of Vidocq,written by himself.Rr.[by H.T.Riley]. [with orates,cm.16] by Eugène François Vidocq:
'they poured out some parfait amour;'This is drinkable,' said he, 'but still it is not even small beer in comparison with the liqueurs of the celebrated madame Anfous.'
In her 1855 novel Ruth Hall, Fanny Fern describes it as a drink popular among society women: "the disgusting spectacle of scores of ladies devouring, ad infinitum, brandy-drops, Roman punch, Charlotte Russe, pies, cakes, and ices; and sipping "parfait amour."[3]
References
- ↑ Bowden, B. N., Violaceae, in Heywood, V. H., Flowering Plants of the World. OUP (1978) ISBN 0-19-217674-9
- ↑ John Wright (15 June 2011). "How to make parfait amour". Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ↑ Fanny Fern. "Ruth Hall: A Domestic Tale of the Present Time". p. 157. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
External links
- "The DeKuyper website"
- "Parfait Amour" in the Bols website.
- "The Joseph Cartron website"