Germany’s The Bitter Truth makes some of our favorite cocktail bitters – we’re especially fond of their celery bitters and creole bitters – but they also make a range of fine liqueurs, including an apricot and a violet liqueur. Given that the latter two products just showed up on our doorstep, straight from Deutschland, we figured we’d crack them open and do some drinking.
Bitter Truth Apricot Liqueur
This liqueur combines the juice of sun-ripened apricots with an apricot eau de vie distilled from the same fruit. As expected, it smells convincingly of apricots, but there’s also a pleasant note of almonds in the background. It’s sweet, fruity and very drinkable, and while it can be consumed neat or over ice, it will probably find its mark in cocktails. Add a barspoon to your Mint Julep for good effect, or try the Pendennis Club cocktail, below.
Pendennis Club
1 1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz apricot liqueur
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
2-3 dashes creole bittersShake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Bitter Truth Violet Liqueur
The violet liqueur is deep violet in color and very fragrant. It’s floral with perfume-like top notes and tastes sweet and delicate. This one is definitely a cocktail companion to be used sparingly, and can be used in drinks like the Aviation.
Aviation
1 1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz maraschino liqueur
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/4 oz violet liqueur
Shake with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Rothman and Winter already makes a good apricot liqueur and a violet liqueur called Creme de Violette that are available stateside. But The Bitter Truth has won over hordes of bartenders and cocktail fanatics with their excellent bitters, liqueurs and SloeBerry Blue Gin, and the company’s fruit liqueurs seem to be on the same path.
Each clocks in at 44 proof (22% alcohol by volume) and is available in 750ml, 500ml and 50ml bottles.
As Frederic notes, the Bitter Truth Violette is very definitely a different hue, more strongly blue and less violet than the R&W product. The R&W seems to have a more alcoholic nose than the BT, what I would call “medicinal.” The BT is very lightly scented, more floral; I consider it the more elegant of the two Violette products.
The BT and the R&W apricot and violette products are made at the same distillery. I believe that the only difference one writer found with the two violettes is that they used different artificial blue coloring (the artificial red coloring was the same).