L'ORANGERIE Liqueur de Monaco 30% vol. 0.5l

A fruit nobody wanted becomes Europe's scarcest liqueur.

The unused resource

Almost 600 bitter orange trees line Monaco's streets – and until a few years ago their fruit had hardly any use. Bitter oranges are too sour for juice and too bitter to eat; at best they ended up in marmalade, and mostly they rotted unused on the pavement. It took Philip Culazzo to see the potential of this overlooked resource that comes round every year, and to turn it into L'Orangerie – the first premium spirit made in the principality itself.

Harvest and production

The harvest takes place between January and February. During the season the distillery receives around 500 kilograms of freshly picked bitter oranges a day – in particularly good years the harvest rises to 15 to 16 tonnes. Every fruit is washed by hand, its peel removed individually and macerated in alcohol for several weeks before a little sugar and selected ingredients are added. Production is capped at around 50,000 bottles a year – a hard limit tied directly to the number of trees in Monaco.

Tasting note

Bright golden orange. On the nose, intense aromas of fresh orange peel and candied citrus. Soft and juicy on the palate, with lively orange zest, a subtle bitterness and a clean, natural sweetness.