Chambord () is a 16.5%

abv Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...

raspberry liqueur modelled after a liqueur produced in the

Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...

Valley of France during the late 17th century. The Chambord product brand has been owned and produced by the Brown-Forman Corporation since 2006. Chambord is made from

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

and

black raspberries Black raspberry is a common name for three species of the genus ''Rubus'': *''Rubus leucodermis'', native to western North America *''Rubus occidentalis ''Rubus occidentalis'' is a species of ''Rubus'' native to eastern North America. Its co ...

, Madagascar vanilla, Moroccan

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...

peel,

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 ...

and

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 ...

History

The Chambord brand was developed in 1982 by Norton "Sky" Cooper at his family's cordial company,

Charles Jacquin et Cie Charles Jacquin et Cie, Inc. (Jacquin's) is a producer, distiller, rectifier, manufacturer, and importer of alcoholic beverages and food products. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chatam International Incorporated, and is based in Philadelphia, ...

(later his son, Scott Cooper, would develop the elderflower liqueur, St-Germain). The drink was inspired by raspberry liqueur made in the Loire Valley in the late 1600s, said to have been introduced to

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...

during one of his visits to the

château de Chambord The Château de Chambord () in Chambord, Centre-Val de Loire, France, is one of the most recognisable châteaux in the world because of its very distinctive French Renaissance architecture which blends traditional French medieval forms with cla ...

. It was common during that time for liqueurs and

to be consumed with elegant meals. In 2006, the Chambord product brand was acquired by the Brown-Forman Corporation.

Production

Chambord is produced in the Loire Valley from

raspberries The raspberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the rose family, most of which are in the subgenus '' Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Raspberries are perennial with ...

and

blackberries The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family (biology), family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus' ...

, Madagascar

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 ...

, Moroccan

peel,

and

. Whole raspberries and blackberries are steeped in French spirits for a period of several weeks to produce a fruit infusion. After the infusion is extracted, a second set of spirits is added to the fruit and allowed to rest for a few weeks. After this second infusion is drawn off, the remaining fruit is pressed to obtain the natural sugars and juice. The fruit-infused spirits and juices from the final pressing are then combined, and finally, the berry infusion is combined with a proprietary blend of cognac, natural

vanilla extract Vanilla extract is a solution made by macerating and percolating vanilla pods in a solution of ethanol and water. It is considered an essential ingredient in many Western desserts, especially baked goods like cakes, cookies, brownies, and cupca ...

, black raspberries, citrus peel, honey, and herbs and spices. The liqueur is 16.5% alcohol by volume.

Bottle

Chambord comes in a spherical bottle. Until mid-2010, the bottle came with a metallic gold plastic lettered 'belt' around the middle, and a crown atop its lid. The bottle was modelled after a globus cruciger. In the U.S. market, the manufacturer began using a different bottle design in summer 2010, with modifications to the belt, lid and other elements. In addition to redesigning the bottle for the traditional Chambord liqueur, the manufacturer has also begun using the Chambord brand name on a flavoured vodka.

Cocktails

Common drinks made from Chambord include the raspberry

margarita A margarita is a cocktail consisting of Tequila, triple sec, and lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass. The drink is served shaken with ice (on the rocks), blended with ice (frozen margarita), or without ice (straight up). ...

, French

manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, Kir Impérial (Chambord and

champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

), Chambord

Daiquiri The daiquiri (; es, daiquirí ) is a cocktail whose main ingredients are rum, citrus juice (typically lime juice), and sugar or other sweetener. The daiquiri is one of the six basic drinks listed in David A. Embury's classic '' The Fine Ar ...

, Chambord royal

spritzer A spritzer is a tall, chilled drink, usually made with white wine and carbonated water or sparkling mineral water. Fermented simple syrup can be used instead of white wine to keep it sweet but flavor neutral. Origin ''Spritzer'' is derived f ...

, and the French martini. The French martini started the "cocktails as a martini" craze.

Awards

Since 2007, Chambord has earned silver and bronze medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Other

spirit ratings With a growing number of offerings, such as those produced by an increasing number of microdistilleries, various mechanisms have arisen to provide reviews and opinions of individual varieties of spirits. These events generally use expert panels ...

organizations have rated Chambord relatively highly as well. Based on Chambord's reviews from various professional raters, Proof66 has categorized Chambord as a "First Tier" liqueur.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chambord (Liqueur) Berry liqueurs Brown–Forman brands French liqueurs Honey liqueurs and spirits Products introduced in 1982 Raspberry