Note: Crème Yvette is a American proprietary form of Crème de Violette ( a French liqueur) made from freshly picked wild that are combined with grape eau-de-vie and pressed in hydraulic bag distills that extracts the maximum flavor without the usual pressing of the berries that can cause over extraction and bitterness. More sweet, slightly heavier and in a way more concentrated with a wider variety of flavors in flavor than Crème de Violette, it dominated the American market for violet liqueurs until it’s disappearance in 1969.

At this point there were no other violet liqueurs during this long dark period for classic cocktails save for the occasional bottle smuggled in from France by enthusiasts who tried to keep the spark going during these dark ages of the cocktail. Then recently Rob Cooper who created the wildly successful St Germain liqueur decided to call Crème Yvette back from the nether world of long dead and mourned cocktail ingredients.

Also is wonderful on the rocks or mixed with mineral water.

First Impression: Violets, vanilla and honeynotes intermix with berry and spices Hints of citrus, lychees, and blackcurrants

Appearance: Beautiful bright dark red cherry/berry color.Thick-bodied but pristine in appearance. On swirling, leaves a oily even coat on the glass with long legs developing.

Taste: Thick, rich, taste and mouthfeel, reminiscent of violet candy in taste, and a lingering finish of violets,vanilla and oriental fruits.

Drinks: This is a old liqueur so there are a lot of drinks out there for it – you may just have to dig a bit. It also is quite complex and almost chameleon like so you can create your own, teasing out one of the many aspects of the liqueur. Think of Cassis or Chambord but lighter, fruitier and more complex. A liqueur to consider when seeking sweetness, and fruit or floral elementswithout resorting to one of the many insipid liqueurs in some unnatural fluorescent color that abound in the market today . Also check out my recipe section for the Violet Ray Martini or Violet Ray Royale . Also good in cooking-sauces, glazes, or on ice cream. Try it in your mineral water for the for a adult alternative to soda (in Sweden this would be called Safft using lingonberry syrup).

Bottle: Short , bell shaped clear glass somewhat like the style of a antique rum or brandy bottle from the 1800’s with a simple but elegant labels and graphics- beautiful belle époque. Gives your back bar that Paris bistro look. Beautiful packaging overall makes for a great gift to give or receive. Attractive and rétro at the same time – just the way I like them. Couple of drinks recipes on the back including a Pousse Cafè (beautful but a liquid version of a house of cards to build) . Embossed glass, pommel marks,fancy blue and gold neck seal and a natural cork with a wooden top finish the elegant package.

Other: Shelf life of 1-2 years but personally I would refrigerate it and/or use a gas preserver (such as the PEK preserver system).

Final Thoughts: One of the more interesting liqueurs I have come across in a while. Nicely done and excellent overall. Given it’s history and being a must have ingredient for some recipes we reccomend it even if we find it a bit pricey.

Website: http://www.cremeyvette.com

As usual with this group the website has beautiful graphics and a nice layout. Perhaps a bit light in the information department for true (and somewhat obsessive) enthusiasts certainly enough for the casual person trying to find out the five w’s of the liqueur.