The one with a giant bottle of booze…
Once the drink of aristocrats and the richest in society, Lanique rose liqueur is now very much more down to earth. Thankfully so, because it’s finding it’s way into bars across Manchester, including Grand Pacific, who hosted a night with the spirit of rose last week.
Lanique is a distinctive rose liqueur made using an ingredient more expensive than gold, Attar Rose. Using a 200 year old recipe, created by a Prussian princess (now South East Poland), the rose oil is infused into neat grain spirit, and finally a blend of sugars, to create a sweet floral liqueur that was enjoyed by royals and the aristocracy, simply for the fact that the rose petals were so incredibly expensive. Popular through the 19th century and into the early 20th, before war, and the rise of communism impacted it’s production.
It was rediscovered in the nineties, and then in 2013, it was bought by it’s current owners, and is now made in the UK. And yes, that bottle does have the real thing in it.
We began sampling it neat, with just a little ice. Think Turkish delight with a round mouthfeel that’s a little syrupy. A wedge of lime cuts through the sweetness, whilst sampling it with tonic, or a little soda and lime makes it much more refreshing.
Though a liqueur, Lanique is bottled at 39%, somewhat higher than most, and meaning that a little in a glass of Prosecco packs more of a punch than you’d expect – both in flavour, and in the level of alcohol.
That said, it works rather in well in a short drink too, like a Negroni. The intensity of the rose means that it holds up to the other spirits in the drink, even Campari.
And whilst I pondered how to get the giant bottle of Lanique into my handbag, we were treated to a cocktail created by the staff at Grand Pacific, who used that flexibility of spirit to create the Dizzy Rose Gold, using Chandon Rosé, Lanique Rose Liqueur, jasmine and raspberry sherbet.
This beautifully pink cocktail was rather easy to drink, and I can see it appearing all over Instagram because of it’s shimmery nature.
And I suspect it won’t end there. When it comes to drinks, I can see endless possibilities, and even more when it comes to food. A little splash in a tagine, perhaps soaked sponge in a trifle, or a twist on my Eton Mess recipe, soaking the peaches, or even the raspberries in Lanique before building the dish.
I can’t wait to see where it ends up next!
