Lillet Blanc

Lillet is a blend of wines (85%) from one of the most prestigious wine-growing regions in the world - together with 15% fruit liqueurs. Like many french vermouths Lillet is flavored with quinine (the bark of the cinchona from Peru. To this are added sweet, bitter and green oranges and orange peel. These are distilled into a fruit liqueur, then blended with the wine and matured in oak for 6-12 months.

Lillet has recently come back into fashion as one of the components of James Bond's favorite cocktail in Ian Fleming's Casino Royale 007—called it the Vesper (after the female lead character in the book and film): a mix of gin, vodka, and Lillet!! There are both red and white versions of Lillet—the white based on sauvignon and semillon grapes and the red from cabernet sauvignon and merlot. The white is more popular with aromas of mint, flower, and citrus fruit.