One of the best easily, commercially, creme de cocoas available
Note: In business since 1755, Marie Brizard has a long tradition of excellence and a commitment to use NATURAL products in making its liqueurs- unlike many of the cheaper knock off liqueurs which use synthetic ingredients and chemicals.This is the white (blanc) version of Cacao made from premium cocoa beans from Venezuela and the Ivory coast along with vanilla.The White (Blanc) is clear,mostly for aesthetic mixology reasons .Many drink recipes specify one or the other for this reason.
First Impression: Wonderful full deep smell of chocolate leavened with a touch of vanilla ,herbs, and some floral notes. This one has a much heavier chocolate/cocoa alkali signature than the white.
Appearance: Dark caramel color,like a clear dark chocolate syrup. Amazing body.On swirling leaves a oily even coat on the glass with some amount of legs developing.
Taste: Viscous mouthfeel heavy bodied stuff..If you think of the white as a milk chocolate this would be the dark chocolate version with much more pronounced bass notes of the cocoa and depth. Hints of other spice around the edges but hard to put a name to.The sugar presence is nicely blended in to the body giving a silk like feel. A long pleasant finish, with more alcohol presence than the white-slightly more warmth in the finish.
Drinks: We tried it in some of the usual drinks: Alexander’s and so forth. It makes an amazing difference using a good Creme de Cacao.
Bottle: Signature Marie Brizard bottle-thin neck to flared shoulder to cylindrical body with slightly smaller base below belt line Signature MB in script on top of cap.
Other: Maker of a large portfolio of other liqueurs, among them: Anisette,Amaretto, Apry, Banana, Cassis, Creme de Cacao (White), Curacao, Curacao (Blue), Creme de Menthe, Creme de Menthe (Green), Grand Orange, Raspberry, Strawberry, Triple Sec, and many others that are not imported into the U.S. (much to our loss).
Final Thoughts: Much smoother, more rounded and thicker bodied than the cheap competitors not to mention the flavor. It’s like the difference between Mars and Scharfenberger Chocolates. More expensive than a lot of the cheap syrupy versions but worth the extra money especially if you do the math (see Cocktail Math in recipes section).
Website: http://www.mariebrizard.com orhttp://www.boissetamerica.com/products/BrandDetails.aspx?BrnId=7
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