Giffard

Emile Giffard was a pharmacy owner in the town of Anjou, France, when during a heatwave in the summer of 1885 the owner of the neighbouring Grand Hotel approached, looking for some kind of solution to relieve his guests from the oppressive heat. Emile had been experiementing with mint with regards to digestion and refreshing the body, and had discovered a species of mint with exceptional flavour.

When distilled with steam the clear essential oils of the mint were released, enabling Emile to create a clear, refreshing liqueur. 'Menthe-Pastilles' was a popular brand of mint sweets at the time, so he named the liqueur the same. The drink proved so popular that he converted the pharmacy into a distillery that very year.

Maison Giffard remains family owned, and is in the fourth generation of leadership - as well continuing to produce Menthe-Pastille the Giffard family now macerate and distil a vast array of fruits, herbs and spices to create high quality liqueurs and sirops.

As opposed to a white Creme de Cacao, which using the distillate of cacao beans, a brown Creme de Cacao macerates the beans themselves in a base spirit - in this case brandy - to infuse rich flavours within. Creme liqueurs do not contain cream, despite the word, so this liqueur has rich dark chocolate and coffee notes throughout. Rather than being syrupy - as some creme liqueurs can be due to the high sugar content - this feels silky in the mouth. It softens what could have been a bitter edge, releasing instead the merest hint of cracked black pepper right at the end.

It's absolutely perfect for almost any type of 'Alexander' cocktail - particularly brandy or rum versions. The depth of dark chocolate and coffee flavours perfectly complement a dark spirit - you could even try a splash in an Old Fashioned!