Tempus Fugit Kina L'Aero D'Or (Quinquina) Liqueur 750ml

Tempus Fugit Spirits, founded by historians dedicated to resurrecting rare liqueurs from the pages of the past, built Kina L'Aero d'Or around a nearly forgotten category of French aperitif wine known as quinquina or kina. These wines reached their golden age in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, originally developed to make bitter quinine more palatable for soldiers stationed in malaria prone colonial regions before evolving into a beloved aperitif style in their own right. The name translates to The Golden Aeroplane, a tribute to Louis Blériot's landmark 1909 flight across the English Channel.

Production takes an Alps Provence approach, starting with a white wine base made from the Piedmont grown Cortese grape, produced at the Matter distillery in Switzerland. That wine is infused with cinchona bark, the source of the characteristic quinine bitterness, along with orange peel, wormwood, and a selection of other botanicals, following Tempus Fugit's broader practice of cross referencing historical recipes to recreate authentic period styles.

The finished aperitif shows a deep golden hue with aromas of quince and fine orange marmalade. On the palate it delivers a complex, mildly bitter character balanced by well judged sweetness that lingers into a long finish. It is a favorite in classic cocktails such as the 20th Century, the Vesper, and the Corpse Reviver No. 2, and works equally well chilled on its own or lengthened with soda or tonic water.