{"id":50,"date":"2022-01-07T00:23:26","date_gmt":"2022-01-06T23:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/frigoletliqueur.com\/?page_id=50"},"modified":"2022-02-09T23:40:31","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T22:40:31","slug":"le-liqueur","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/frigoletliqueur.com\/en\/le-liqueur\/","title":{"rendered":"L’Elixir"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00ab And drop by drop, with the meticulous care of a lapidary counting pearls, the parish priest of Graveson poured a hint of green, golden, hot, sparkling, exquisite liqueur ... Is it Father Gaucher's elixir, the joy and health of our Provence. Isn't it worth all the chartreuses in the world?<\/em> \u00bb<\/p>Alphonse Daudet<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It is with these words, in his famous lettres 'Lettres de mon Moulin', that Alphonse Daudet describes the Frigolet liqueur in 1866. And define it he does, as his words perfectly embody Provence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frigolet's name is inspired from his Proven\u00e7al name, ferigoulo<\/em>, which means thyme. It is therefore natural to assume that this typically aromatic herb from the South, is present in the composition of the liqueur. Some 30 other plants and spices, rigorously selected and skilfully dosed, complete the recipe. But the details have been kept secret for almost two centuries. Long enough to evoke a mystery around the intriguing elixir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plants<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ch\u00e2teaurenard is nestled between two mountain ranges. To the east, the Montagnette, a limestone massif with typically Proven\u00e7al vegetation, on which we can find the Saint-Michel-de-Frigolet abbey. This small hill, a natural border between the Rh\u00f4ne and the Durance, is covered with southern flora made up of thyme, sage and rosemary. To the south, the Alpilles massif, home to more than 550 plant varieties: abundant thyme and rosemary, aspic lavender, fennel and scorpion genets, all sheltered by kermes oaks and Aleppo pines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plants frowing in the middle of this Proven\u00e7al hill are particularly aromatic: the shortage of water and the remanent drought specific to the region encourage the flora to produce large quantities of essential oils. The aromatic quality of Provence plants is therefore incomparable. It is no wonder that the monks from Frigolet exploited these two natural reservoirs of plants to develop their elixirs. <\/strong>d\u2019\u00e9tonnant alors \u00e0 ce que les moines aient exploit\u00e9 ces deux r\u00e9servoirs naturels de plantes pour \u00e9laborer leurs \u00e9lixirs.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toutefois, pour garantir une qualit\u00e9 irr\u00e9prochable et homog\u00e8ne \u00e0 la liqueur, les distillateurs successifs de l’Elixir ont d\u00e9cid\u00e9 de s\u2019approvisionner aupr\u00e8s de sp\u00e9cialistes : tout d\u2019abord le march\u00e9 aux herbes de Ch\u00e2teaurenard, puis le Laboratoire d\u2019Herboristerie G\u00e9n\u00e9rale de Marseille (LHG). L\u2019\u00e9tablissement propose depuis l’origine des mati\u00e8res premi\u00e8res d\u2019exception, \u00e9valuant au cas par cas les besoins de chaque client. Tout naturellement, la distillerie Frigolet s\u2019est tourn\u00e9e vers le LHG pour se procurer les plantes n\u00e9cessaires \u00e0 la fabrication de sa liqueur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The spices<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the Frigolet liquor also includes spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Whilst this remains an assumption, we do know that the region of Ch\u00e2teaurenard had, at the time of the creation of the beverage, access to these ressources as the city was situated on a spice road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As cited by an edict of 1540 promulgated by Fran\u00e7ois the 1st,er<\/sup>, spices were mainly transported by river and sea. The port of Lacydon in Marseille was therefore one of the first gateways to oriental spices. The ingredients transited to Lyon via the Rh\u00f4ne valley. History could therefore confirm the presence of the oriental spices in the enigmatic beverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The honey<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The natural flora of Provence and centuries old arboreal activity have contributed to the development of beekeeping in the region. The monks, like all inhabitants of the county, consumed honey. Nectar with a thousand virtues, it was the essential ingredient of many nuns' potions. So it was quite naturally included in the Frigolet recipe in the form of a delicious syrup. But this recipe too, is a secret. We don't exactly know what type of honey is used. Rumours suggest that it's a well balanced combination of thyme, rosemary, lavender and garrigue honey flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The bottle<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

 \"The bottle isn't important as long as you're drunk\" - said Alfred de Musset. It is clear that the Frigolet, does not exactly see it this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Created by Joseph Isoard, the founder of the distillery, the elegant bottle embodies the identity of Frigolet:<\/p>\n\n\n\n