Domaine de Canton is a
ginger-flavored liqueur made in France since 2007. Its earlier formulation (called Canton) was made in China from 1992–1997.
Original recipe
Under the name The Original Canton Delicate Ginger Liqueur the liqueur was produced until 1997 in Doumen, a district of the city of
Zhuhai
Zhuhai (, ; Yale: ''Jyūhói''), also known as Chuhai is a prefecture-level city located on the west bank of Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, on the southeastern edge of Pear ...
in the
Pearl River Delta of China's southern
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
province, near
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...
. It was sold in limited quantity in the United States before high-end Asian
fusion cuisine
Fusion cuisine is cuisine that combines elements of different culinary traditions that originate from different countries, regions, or cultures. They can occur naturally and become aspects of culturally relevant cuisines, or they can be part of ...
became popular. In its original formulation, the liqueur's ingredients were advertised to include six varieties of ginger,
ginseng
Ginseng () is the root of plants in the genus '' Panax'', such as Korean ginseng ('' P. ginseng''), South China ginseng ('' P. notoginseng''), and American ginseng ('' P. quinquefolius''), typically characterized by the presence of ginsenosides ...
, "gentle herbs," "finest
spirits
Spirit or spirits may refer to:
Liquor and other volatile liquids
* Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks
* Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol
* Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...
,"
brandy, and
honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...
. Its strength was 20 percent alcohol (40 proof), and it was sold in decorative faceted glass bottles of various sizes.
The product's stay on the market lasted from 1992 to 1995. It was officially discontinued after 1997.
New recipe
In 2007, John Cooper (son of the US importer of the original product, N. J. Cooper) revived the name and idea by producing a new ginger liqueur called Canton Ginger & Cognac Liqueur. Canton Ginger Liqueur follows a new recipe and is produced in
Jarnac
Jarnac (; ; Saintongese: ''Jharnat'') is a commune in the Charente department, southwestern France.bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
-shaped bottle. It contains syrup made from
crystallized
Crystallization is the process by which solid forms, where the atoms or molecules are highly organized into a structure known as a crystal. Some ways by which crystals form are precipitating from a solution, freezing, or more rarely depos ...
Chinese baby ginger, Grand Champagne
cognac
Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime.
Cognac production falls under French appella ...
,
neutral spirit
Rectified spirit, also known as neutral spirits, rectified alcohol or ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, is highly concentrated ethanol that has been purified by means of repeated distillation in a process called rectification. In some countri ...
,
orange blossom honey from
Provence
Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...
, and
vanilla
Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia'').
Pollination is required to make the p ...
.
Domaine de Canton was released in New York City in August 2007. By 2008, the name of the liqueur had changed once again, to Domaine de Canton French Ginger Liqueur.
The liqueur won Double Gold Medal (Best of Show) in the herbal/botanical liqueur category at the 2008
San Francisco World Spirits Competition
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition was founded in 2001 by Anthony Dias Blue as an off-shoot of the San Francisco International Wine Competition. It assesses hundreds of entrants annually (1,407 in 2013 from 63 countries) with tastings inv ...
. It won Best of Show in the 2007–2008
World Beverage Competition.
See also
*
Ginger beer
Traditional ginger beer is a sweetened and carbonated, usually non-alcoholic beverage. Historically it was produced by the natural fermentation of prepared ginger spice, yeast and sugar.
Current ginger beers are often manufactured rather than ...
*
Ginger wine
Ginger wine is a fortified wine often made from a fermented blend of ginger, raisins, sugar and yeast, that is often fortified by being blended with brandy. It is one of the main ingredients of the Whisky Mac cocktail.
Ginger wine originate ...
References
*"Cordial trade successes 'tween U.S. and China (Charles Jacquin et Compagnie Inc.'s Original Canton ginger liqueur)." ''Packaging Digest'', March 1994.
Awards
Domaine de Canton's packaging won a 2008
Pentawards
Founded in 2007, the Pentawards is an annual packaging design competition and online hub for packaging designers. Participants include designers, freelancers, design agencies, communication & advertising agencies, brands, packaging manufacture ...
for packaging design in the luxury spirits category, for its bamboo shaped bottle along with the appointed closure on the top.
References
External links
Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur , Official Site
21 August 2007
Review from Liquor Snob
{{Ginger Plant
French liqueurs
Herbal liqueurs
Chinese alcoholic drinks
Chinese distilled drinks
Guangdong
Manhasset, New York
Ginger