Pierre Ferrand Dry Orange Curacao
The liqueur we know as Curacao is traditionally made with Curaçao oranges, which are (of course) found on the Caribbean Island of the same name. These oranges are actually descendants of the more familiar Valencia Orange which were brought to the island of Curacao by Spanish traders centuries ago. The Valencia orange did not do very well in the new climate as the oranges which were planted became very bitter as the years went by. In fact, the planted trees were eventually abandoned and left to grow wild. Some time later, somebody noticed that the peel of these ‘wild oranges’ contained oils which were pleasingly aromatic. The wild Valencia orange had become something new and different, and in the 1800s people began to experiment with them by distilling them with alcohol (and blending them with spices) creating the liqueur which we know today as Curacao.
Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao, is a traditional Orange Curacao which is based on an original 19th century recipe. According to Mr. Gabriel, his Dry Orange Curacao is what the liqueur was meant to be when the spirit was created. Since I am a bit of a cocktail geek myself, I thought that I would put Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao through the paces of my review methodology as well as build a few cocktails to see how this traditional Dry Orange Curacao stacks up.
Here is an excerpt from my review:
“… The flavour of this Dry Orange Curacao carries so many nuances. A firm sweet orange flavour is of course predominant, but light flavours of oak and wood spice are carried forward as well. Additionally, I taste wisps of rye and wood spice, hints of ripe green grape, a light reflection of vanilla, and subtle almost intangible imprints of cardamom, ginger, cinnamon and cloves …”
You may read the full review here:
Of course I mixed a few cocktails with this unique orange liqueur and provided three recipes as part of the review!
Patrón Citrónge is a relatively new orange liqueur from Patron Spirits produced in Jalisco, Mexico at the same distillery which makes Patron Tequila (although in a separate building, as per CRT regulations). The orange based liqueur is produced from an agave based neutral spirit, and of course natural orange flavours. There may be other ingredients in the mix; but if there is, Patron is not telling me. The spirit is bottled at a full 40 % alcohol by volume, and I was provided with a sample bottle by Select Wines & Spirits who are the distributors of Citrónge here in Alberta.
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