Mandarine Napoléon is a Belgian brand of

liqueur A liqueur ( , ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of Liquor, spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-age ...

, made from Andalusian mandarin oranges and

cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the Departments of France, departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cogn ...

, from a recipe dating from the 19th century. It is primarily used in

cocktails A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, shrubs, and bitters. Cocktails vary widely acro ...

, but can also be drunk neat.

History

Antoine-François Fourcroy, a chemist and member of the Council of State under

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, is credited with first having the idea of macerating mandarins and

tangerines The tangerine is a type of citrus fruit that is orange in colour, that is considered either a variety of the mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata''), or a closely related species, under the name ''Citrus tangerina'', or yet as a hybrid (''Citr ...

, and then blending the result with cognac. His diaries describe both himself and Napoleon drinking the concoction together. However the exact recipe was subsequently lost.

Commercialisation

In 1892, Belgian chemist Louis Schmidt rediscovered the recipe, and decided to create a liqueur based upon it. First marketed as ''Mandarine Napoléon: Grande Liqueur Impériale'', it was predominantly distributed in France before seeing worldwide distribution later in the 20th Century. The Schmidt distillery closed after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and ownership of the drink passed to Fourcroy SA, coincidentally named after the drink's original creator. Mandarine Napoléon is produced at the Distillerie de Biercée in Biercée, Belgium. The brand, formerly owned by ETS Fourcroy SA, was purchased by

DeKuyper DeKuyper Royal Distillers () is a privately held Dutch company in the business of manufacturing and marketing distilled spirits and liqueurs. The company was founded in 1695 by Petrus De Kuyper as a manufacturer of barrels and casks used in th ...

in September 2009.

External links

References

{{reflist Citrus drinks Liqueurs Belgian brands Products introduced in 1892