Wine · Podensac, Bordeaux
Lillet
The classic Bordeaux wine aperitif, blended with fruit liqueurs since the 1800s.
- Founded
- 1865
- Founded by
- Paul and Raymond Lillet
- Based in
- Podensac, Bordeaux
Making it since
1865
Their story
Lillet began with two brothers, Paul and Raymond Lillet, wine and spirits merchants in Bordeaux who set up their house in the 1860s. The company has long been based in Podensac, a village on the Garonne in the Graves area south of Bordeaux.
Their first aperitif, Kina Lillet, appeared in the 1880s and leaned on quinine for its bitterness. After the Borie family of Bordeaux bought the company in 1985, the recipe was reworked in 1986 to be lighter and fruitier, and the word Kina was dropped. Lillet Rouge joined the range in 1962, and the brand is now owned by Pernod Ricard.
How it's made
Lillet Blanc starts with Bordeaux wine from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, blended with fruit liqueurs made by macerating sweet oranges. Lillet Rouge is built on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The result is a lightly sweet, aromatic aperitif that sits between wine and a fortified wine.
Why we carry them
We love Lillet over ice with an orange slice, or in a Vesper or Corpse Reviver No. 2. It is an easy bottle to keep open in the fridge for aperitif hour.
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