Lillet won a gold medal at the Universal Exposition of 1900 in Paris, proclaiming itself as "very agreeable to the taste, drunk by the most delicate people, at any age, to their great benefit". During the Roaring Twenties and the '30s, it took off; in that era, British bon vivant Harry Craddock, the man behind London's famous Savoy Cocktail Book, included no less than 22 Lillet-based cocktail recipes.
So what's its secret? Lillet consists of Bordeaux wines – 85% semillon, muscadelle and merlot – combined with 15% liqueurs that are obtained by macerating sweet and bitter Spanish and North African oranges and their peels in alcohol for several months. It's traditionally matured in oak vats for eight to 12 months, during which time it receives the same careful attention as Bordeaux grand cru wines, undergoing fining, racking and filtering. While similar to vermouth, Lillet espouses greater versatility, with distinct flavours of honey, orange, lime and mint.
Lillet won many fans in its heyday, among which was the trend-setting Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, who insisted that high-end venues should carry the drink, including the Ritz and George V hotels in Paris, as well as stately ocean liners crossing the Atlantic. (She allegedly travelled with her own bottle.) And so it became a fashionable tipple among the high-society set and was even quaffed by Jackie Kennedy Onassis.
As an aperitif, Lillet – owned by Pernod Ricard since 2008 – can be drunk with ice and a slice of orange or lime, or as a long drink with the addition of tonic water, or with sangria. Most fashionably right now, it can be added to the negroni. Live a little; live a Lillet. Santé!
