Lillet by the Bay

On Friday I went to a Lillet event that was the end cap of a week of big drinking events. (I'm kind of glad it's over because I didn't get much paid work done in between.) Lillet is a fortified wine that comes in a white (Lillet Blanc, though I sometimes see it written as Lillet Blonde) and red (Lillet Rouge) version. According to the brand owner, they produce several kinds of orange liqueurs from different oranges, then blend these together with the wine and barrel age it for a year to produce the final product. The white version seems to be more popular and indeed was the focus on the tasting, as Jeff Hollinger from Absinthe shook up an array of cocktails using the product. I had first discovered Lillet when at Range they added a splash of it to a gin and tonic. The product is often consumed shaken cold or served on ice with an orange slice as an aperitif, and I think I like it best that way. Much like other fortified wines (vermouth in particular), the aperitif becomes just another ingredient in a mixed drink, whereas it can stand out as a sweet, light refreshing wine on its own. They're promoting it as an ingredient in summer cocktails and the favorite cocktail passed around was a rosemary ice cooler made with it. Like its addition to a gin and tonic, Lillet can add a touch of non-citrus sweetness to drinks to put an interesting spin on a cooler cocktail. In experimenting with recipes, that's how I'll start thinking of it.