- Lillet
Lillet (pronounced lee-lay) is an
apéritif wine from theBordeaux wine region ofFrance , produced in the town ofPodensac .It was created in 1887 by brothers Paul and Raymond Lillet. Originally a very bitter white-wine-based apéritif (Kina Lillet), the
quinine content was reduced in July 1986. It now comes in both red (Lillet Rouge) and white (Lillet Blanc) varieties, and is typically served over ice, either on its own or with soda water. Drinks made with Lillet, such as the Old Etonian, are traditionally garnished with a twist of orange.Varieties
*Kina Lillet (1887-1986): A liqueur made with white wine mixed with fruit liqueurs and flavored with
quinine . The "Kina" in its name is derived from quinine's main ingredient: the bark of the "kina-kina" (or "cinchona") tree).
*Lillet Dry (1920): A dryer formula created for the British market.
*Lillet Rouge (1962): A red-wine-based liqueur first suggested by the American wine merchant and importer Michael Dreyfus, one of the first to import Lillet into the US.
*Lillet Blanc (1986): A sweeter variant of the white-wine-based version that reduced the quinine flavoring.Pop culture
In
Ian Fleming 's 1953 novel "Casino Royale",James Bond invents and orders a Kina Lillet martini, which he named the "Vesper" after his love interest in the story. His instructions to the bartender are: "Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet." This dialogue survives into the 2006 film adaptation of the novel, despite the fact that Kina Lillet ceased production in 1986 [ [http://www.tjbd.co.uk/content/drink/kina-lillet.htm Kina Lillet ] ] .In the 1950s, the
Duchess of Windsor introduced Lillet to Parisian high society by demanding it at the hotels she stayed in. She was known to travel with a bottle of Lillet in her luggage.During her 2006 Off-Broadway show,
Everything Bad and Beautiful ,Sandra Bernhard takes a sip from her glass on stage and says: "Mmmm. Lillet. It's like an upscaleManischewitz ."In "Hannibal", Hannibal Lecter drinks "Lillet and a slice of orange over ice"; later serving the same to Clarice Starling.
Lillet Blan is the main character of the PS2 game
Grim Grimoire External links
* [http://lillet.fr Lillet Online]
* [http://www.tjbd.co.uk/drinks/kina-lillet.htm The James Bond Dossier - Kina Lillet]
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