Byrrh Grand Quinquina Liqueur 750ml

Byrrh Grand Quinquina was created in 1866 by brothers Simon and Pallade Violet, itinerant textile merchants who had settled in the French Catalan town of Thuir to sell fabric before turning their attention to wine. Simon developed the recipe himself, and the brand grew rapidly through the late nineteenth century, eventually becoming one of France's leading aperitifs and inspiring decades of poster art. The company built an expansive production facility in Thuir, partly designed by Gustave Eiffel, and Byrrh is still made there today.

The aperitif is built on a base of Roussillon wines and mistelle, unfermented grape must fortified with neutral spirit, made from Grenache, Macabeu, and other regional varieties. Into this base the Violets macerated cinchona bark for its natural quinine, along with a mix of botanicals including bitter orange, coffee, cocoa, and gentian. The blend rests in the Caves Byrrh, home to some of the largest oak vats in the world, following a recipe that has remained essentially unchanged since it was formalized in the 1870s.

Byrrh Grand Quinquina pours a deep garnet color and offers concentrated dark fruit on the nose, echoed by stewed cherry, plum skin, and a touch of vanilla on the palate. Its natural grape sweetness carries hints of sage, dried herbs, and espresso, closing with the pleasant, lingering bitterness that quinine lends to the finish.