June 8, 2020

Lillet Blanc, What It Is and What to Do with It

Learn about this classic flavored French white wine and what you should be doing with it!

Lillet Blanc is a French Aperitif Made from a blend of wines, fruit macerations, and botanicals that gets rested in oak barrels to mature and help all the flavors marry together.

It has been made in France since 1782 and has become a fixture in many cocktail bars for its deliciously floral flavor.

And here's why you might want some...

Bottle of Lillet Blanc

What does Lillet Blanc taste like?

It tastes like a crisp white wine with a mild honey sweetness complimented by orange, delicate spring flowers, and golden raisins.

There is a slight hint of bitterness that stays on your tongue with green apple and the tiniest bit of cinnamon and baking spices.

The smell is bright and mellow with sweet honey and botanicals, making it delicious to drink in many different ways.

Woman sipping Lillet Blanc

Ways to drink Lillet Blanc

It is great served chilled as a low alcohol aperitif before a meal either straight in a wine glass or over a cube or two. 

Lillet is also delicious in soda or tonic water with some citrus zest, or even try squeezing a slice of lemon or orange right into the glass. Next time you need a light chilled white wine grab Lillet Blanc instead and you'll have leftovers for mixing into cocktails.

storage and shelf life

As with any vermouth or fortified wine store Lillet Blanc in the fridge!

It will last several months when stored cold before it starts to slowly lose it's subtle flavors and just taste like sweet white wine.

Pouring a jigger of lillet blanc

Lillet Blanc cocktails

Lillet can be great in cocktails giving them a subtle floral characteristic in a similar way to St Germain.

It's most iconic role is in the classic Corspse Reviver No.2 where it is mixed with lemon, gin orange and absinthe for a crisp and citrusy "hair of the dog" hangover cure.

Pouring the Corpse Reviver into a cocktail glass

Corpse Reviver No.2

Citrus, gin, lillet and absinthe create a deliciously light and refreshing drink.

Be careful when blending Lillet with stronger flavors.

It's subtle complexity can easily be drowned out by other strong flavors in cocktails making it pair best with things you would think of as lighter in flavor.

Holding the Lillet bottle

Other types of Lillet

The original formula was Kina Lillet (which is no longer available) and was much more bitter than Lillet Blanc due to the addition of cinchona bark.

However, this was removed in the 1980's to suit changing tastes that prefered sweeter drinks.

There are other products that are reportedly close to what the original Kina Lillet formula tasted like, but non are made by Lillet.

There is now Lillet Blanc, Rose, and Rouge (both delicious) but the Blanc version continues to be the most popular and can usually be picked up for just north of 20 USD, or grab somne HERE on Drizly.

Share Some Lillet

Lillet Blanc Pin

More Delicious Things!

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