Parfait d'amour

Parfait d'amour
TypeLiqueur
Manufacturer(various)
Country of origin France
Introduced19th century
ColourPurple

Parfait d'amour (pronounced [paʁfe d‿amuːʁ]), or parfait amour,[1] is a liqueur. It is often used in cocktails primarily for its purple colour,[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] Marie Brizard, a Bordeaux-based distiller, has a product[which?] with a similar flavor profile.[citation needed] Another form, produced by DeKuyper, uses a spirit as its base, and is flavoured with lemon, coriander and violets.[2]

Guardian writer John Wright describes it as "a potent compound... It tasted like the perfume counter at Boots."[1] 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.[1]

Availability

Parfait d'amour is primarily produced and sold in France and the Netherlands,[citation needed] although it is available in the United Kingdom, Spain, United States, Canada, Australia, Greece, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway.[citation needed]

References in literature

In the memoirs of Eugène François Vidocq, the character Belle-Rose disparages parfait d'amour: "... 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."[3][4]

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.'"[5]

In John Brunner's The Squares of the City a minor character drinks Parfait Amour, which is described as a sweet purple liqueur that looked like methylated spirits.

'Inside Story' the late autobiography of Martin Amis, tells how Parfait Amour was an alcoholic drink a past girlfriend, an otherwise non-drinker, might be persuaded to take.

Cocktail with parfait d'amour

Takumi's Aviation is a modern classic cocktail made with gin, maraschino liqueur, parfait d'amour, and lemon juice.

Taylor-Burton Affair is made with Sipsmith gin infused with butterfly pea tea, lemon juice, gomme syrup, Parfait Amour liqueur.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c John Wright (15 June 2011). "How to make parfait amour". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  2. ^ B. N. Bowden (1978). "Violaceae". In V. H. Heywood (ed.). Flowering Plants of the World. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-217674-9.
  3. ^ Eugène François Vidocq (1834). Memoirs of Vidocq. Baltimore: Carey, Hart & Co. p. 132.
  4. ^ The name "Anfous" here is a misspelling of "Anfoux," referring to a widow from Martinique, later of the Rue Montmartre in Paris, renowned for her liqueurs.
  5. ^ Fanny Fern. Ruth Hall: A Domestic Tale of the Present Time. p. 157. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  6. ^ Lygon Arms hotel (August 2023). "Lygon Arms Cocktails" (PDF). p. 11. Retrieved 25 September 2023.


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