Fruit liqueurs are, of course, an indispensable part of the bar world. Even in the recipe collections of the 19th century, references to such liqueurs appear again and again, and today’s market also has a lot to offer in this matter. It is therefore all the more interesting to take a closer look at newcomers and see what they have to offer in terms of taste or concept. (provided test product)*

And that brings me directly to today’s bottle, a raspberry liqueur from the Mathilde brand, more precisely Mathilde Framboise Liqueur de France. Behind it is a well-known big player, namely the Cognac manufacturer Ferrand, which also contributes to the rum sphere with its Plantation series. Although the brand is still young, Ferrand also likes to use the common marketing trick of the “old recipe” according to which it manufactures its products. To what extent this is a substantial statement, however, I don’t want to discuss any further. I’m mainly interested in what the Mathilde brand has to offer – and in particular, of course, the Mathilde Framboise Liqueur, which is the subject of today’s article. In addition to this, however, the varieties Cassis (black currant), Pêche (peach) and Orange XO (orange liqueur with aged brandy) also appear. Ferrand informs about the production process with a very descriptive graphic, which I therefore also like to put here.

So, with a special look at the Mathilde Framboise Liqueur, we learn that the base is a raspberry infusion, which of course – unlike a raspberry brandy – is not distilled afterwards (otherwise there would be no color left either), but filtered, sweetened and finally diluted to a drinking strength of 18% vol. What the graphic does not show us: The liqueur is made with three different raspberry varieties, two from Burgundy (Rose de Plombières as well as Violette de Boux) and one from Scotland (Lloyd George), the latter known for its intense color.

Tasting Notes:

Aroma: Clear and expressive raspberry notes are evident, certainly with fresh and delicately acidic components that make the aroma picture appealingly authentic. A certain sweetness can be detected, but this remains rather restrained on the nose. Diffuse, very subtle associations of other red fruits arise, but are just associations (there are no other fruits included).

Taste: Taste-wise, this liqueur convinces with a very appropriate and nicely balanced sweetness, which is by no means exuberant, but very skillfully transports the raspberry flavors. In general, the raspberries show themselves very elegant and pleasing, you can taste the origin of the pure fruit immediately, so who should be negatively biased by artificial raspberry flavors, can access this liqueur without hesitation and will not be disappointed. Fine core notes are also expressed, which is always particularly important to me in raspberry liqueurs and distillates.

Finish: finely sweet and fruity.

I actually thought back and forth a bit longer about what I wanted to do with this liqueur. And stuck with my beloved Professor Langnickel. However, raspberry harmonizes much less well with a PX sherry than cherry does, so I took a bit of a fork here and created what is ultimately a very different digestif cocktail on the more sweet side. For this, a very juniper-heavy gin (Hepple), raspberry spirit, the mint eau-de-vie from Freimeisterkolletiv, Dutch Cacao and a hint of salt combine with the Mathilde Framboise. A transparent pale pink candy designed more for a small goblet glass. Oh yes, the drink is called “Von Linné”, named after a Swedish naturalist who coined the Latin name for the raspberry.

Recipe “Von Linné”:

2 cl raspberry brandy
2 cl Hepple Gin (or purely other juniper-heavy gin).
1.5 cl Mathilde Framboise Liqueur
1.5 cl Dutch Cacao
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
eine winzige Prise Salz

Preparation: Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass on ice until cold and strain into a pre-chilled glass.

Glass: Goblet or small martini glass

Garnish: none

Buying sources: At specialized retailers or online

*The fact that this product has been sent to me free of charge for editorial purposes does not – in any way – imply any influence on the content of this article or my rating. On the contrary, it is always an indispensable condition for me to be able to review without any external influence.