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Creme de Violette

zora

By zora
in Spirits & Cocktails

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Kerry Beal

Kerry Beal

Posted
Posted

I've got a bottle of the cream violette I had friends bring back from France. They had to go to a number of places to find it.

Here is a couple of websites I contacted when I was trying to obtain some.

http://www.regals.fr/

http://www.sallyclarke.com

the Chocolate Doctor
www.thechocolatedoctor.ca

www.eztemper.com

 

Confectionary Course • Confectionary Course Q&A
eGullet foodblog 2006 • eGullet Foodblog 2012

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  • 2 weeks later...
gethin

gethin

Posted
Posted (edited)

Benoit Serres creme de violette is not hard to find in South West France at least, in Toulouse everywhere from cakeshops to newsagents seem to sell it (along with crystallised violets and violet lozenges).

Most of the French distillers who produce fruit based liqueurs make a creme de violette or liqueur de violette. I think the Miclo version is possibly the best- very violetty, though far paler in colour than the Benoit Serres. Briottet, Giffard, Lejay-Lagoute and Les vergers de Ma Pere are other producers who make a violet liqueur.

The BS one may well be a closer match for Creme d'Yvette as it has a noticeable vanilla taste as well as the violet and it's certainly better colour wise for Blue Moons etc . (Miclo have the prettier bottle though !)

I don't think Parfait Amour would be a particularly good substitute , on the whole they tend to be slightly citrussy, slightly flowery but not particularly violet flavoured (although Lejay-Lagoute do seem to market their creme de violette as Parfait d'Amour, I think they include both names on the bottle).

Don't know of any of these are available in the US though.

Gethin

Edited by gethin (log)
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eje

eje

Posted
Posted

Do health food or herbal type places carry dried violet flowers or petals?

Guess I wouldn't be averse to trying to make a small batch.

Probably be cheaper than shipping from France or England.

---

Erik Ellestad

If the ocean was whiskey and I was a duck...

Bernal Heights, SF, CA

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Rob Simmon

Rob Simmon

Posted
Posted
Do health food or herbal type places carry dried violet flowers or petals?

Guess I wouldn't be averse to trying to make a small batch.

Probably be cheaper than shipping from France or England.

I'm pretty sure I've seen both dry and candied rose and violet petals at Dean & Deluca (in DC). Unfortunately they cost an arm and a leg.

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trillium

trillium

Posted
Posted (edited)

Ok, ok, I'm ashamed that those posts of mine are over two years old and I haven't finished the violet extraction expt. I know right where the bottle is down in the basement and I promise to dilute it, sweeten it, taste it and report back.

Erik, dried violets will be pricier then mail order, I'm guessing. You can find dried rose petals for cookery purposes in a well stocked South Asian grocery store. I think I paid around $5 for a huge bag of very fragrent ones.

regards,

trillium

Edited by trillium (log)
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Kerry Beal

Kerry Beal

Posted
Posted
Do health food or herbal type places carry dried violet flowers or petals?

Guess I wouldn't be averse to trying to make a small batch.

Probably be cheaper than shipping from France or England.

Here is a place that sells excellent dried violet flowers.

http://www.taylorgarden.com/Products/Bulk_...+Violet&CartID=

the Chocolate Doctor
www.thechocolatedoctor.ca

www.eztemper.com

 

Confectionary Course • Confectionary Course Q&A
eGullet foodblog 2006 • eGullet Foodblog 2012

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eje

eje

Posted
Posted
Here is a place that sells excellent dried violet flowers. 

http://www.taylorgarden.com/Products/Bulk_...+Violet&CartID=

Thanks Kerry!

They do have an amazing selection of herbs there.

Dried violet flowers are expensive, though.

Maybe I should just spring to have a bottle of creme de violette shipped from England.

---

Erik Ellestad

If the ocean was whiskey and I was a duck...

Bernal Heights, SF, CA

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Kerry Beal

Kerry Beal

Posted
Posted

Thanks Kerry!

They do have an amazing selection of herbs there.

Dried violet flowers are expensive, though.

Maybe I should just spring to have a bottle of creme de violette shipped from England.

The bottle from England would definately be cheaper.

I bought flowers from him with the plan of distilling violet oil from them to flavour cream centres, just have to get around to it. There is getting to be quite a list on my round to it file.

the Chocolate Doctor
www.thechocolatedoctor.ca

www.eztemper.com

 

Confectionary Course • Confectionary Course Q&A
eGullet foodblog 2006 • eGullet Foodblog 2012

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  • 3 months later...
Amev

Amev

Posted
Posted

There are two sellers on the French eBay selling Creme de Violette. One will only ship to France (but a email will probably do wonders) and the other does ship internationally

The international shipping guy asks 14,50 euro for a 70cl bottle. Not bad I think, the only place I could find it in Holland sells Creme de Violette for ~ 20 euro, for a 50cl bottle.

Anyway, for those desperately looking for Creme de Violette <a href="http://cgi.ebay.fr/Creme-de-violette-70-cl_W0QQitemZ190037796637QQihZ009QQcategoryZ129058QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem">heres a link to the eBay auction</a>

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gethin

gethin

Posted
Posted

The guy in Japan who has the Suntory Hermers bitters on e-bay, currently has Suntory violet liqueur too if anyone fancies trying a Japanese version.

Postage is a bit of a killer though.

gethin

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  • 1 month later...
johnder

johnder

Posted
Posted
I have sad news -- Sally Clarke's no longer sells Creme de Violette -- as they can no longer find it.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

My wife is going out there in a few weeks and was told she needed to pick me up some. Crap. Anyone have any other leads for places in London?

John Deragon

foodblog 1 / 2

--

I feel sorry for people that don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day -- Dean Martin

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Sneakeater

Sneakeater

Posted
Posted
I have sad news -- Sally Clarke's no longer sells Creme de Violette -- as they can no longer find it.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

My wife is going out there in a few weeks and was told she needed to pick me up some. Crap. Anyone have any other leads for places in London?

Somehow I don't think SHE'S gonna be as disappointed about this as you and some others are.

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gethin

gethin

Posted
Posted
I have sad news -- Sally Clarke's no longer sells Creme de Violette -- as they can no longer find it.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

My wife is going out there in a few weeks and was told she needed to pick me up some. Crap. Anyone have any other leads for places in London?

Gerrys (Old Compton St) had stocks of Monin Creme de Violette a couple of months back. I'll check next time I go in (which will be early next week) and update you on availibilty.

Gethin

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eje

eje

Posted
Posted (edited)

I was reading Hedonia and in a restaurant writeup, they mentioned trying a violet flavored, Grappa based, liqueur.

...Villa de Varda Viola. He assumed, as I did, that it would have a faintly floral aroma, something he likes in a grappa. Our server hemmed a moment, and said that maybe it would be wise to taste it first. she brought an infinitesimal amount in a shot glass, along with the bottle to show. To call this stuff grappa is really stretching it. It may start out as grappa, but it is then infused with violets and sweetened. It is intensely floral, like drinking perfume. Old lady perfume. It's not that it's actually unpleasant, but that it is so potent as to blow out any other sensory input.

Hmmm...

That certainly sounds like violet liqueur!

Anyone tried it?

edit - add blog source name.

Edited by eje (log)

---

Erik Ellestad

If the ocean was whiskey and I was a duck...

Bernal Heights, SF, CA

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johnder

johnder

Posted
Posted (edited)

looking at their website, I suspect given the bottles they show, this would be super expensive.

ETA: yup: VILLA DE VARDA VIOLA 750. $99.99

Ouchy

Edited by johnder (log)

John Deragon

foodblog 1 / 2

--

I feel sorry for people that don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day -- Dean Martin

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eje

eje

Posted
Posted
looking at their website, I suspect given the bottles they show, this would be super expensive.

ETA:  yup: VILLA DE VARDA VIOLA 750. $99.99

Ouchy

YeeeOuch!

Well, that takes care of that idea.

Looks like it is available, though.

Beltramo's Wines carries it and the Villa de Varda Rose liqueur.

---

Erik Ellestad

If the ocean was whiskey and I was a duck...

Bernal Heights, SF, CA

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johnder

johnder

Posted
Posted

I wonder if they would sell it in a one gallon plastic milk jug instead of that crystal bottle.

John Deragon

foodblog 1 / 2

--

I feel sorry for people that don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day -- Dean Martin

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CheNiPenso

CheNiPenso

Posted
Posted
I was reading a blog and they mentioned trying a violet flavored Grappa based liqueur.

Hey! That's me!

So, wow -- a hunnerd bucks for the stuff, eh? I'm surprised -- the by-the-glass price seems like a bargain by comparison. (I think it was $12, which is not out of range for grappa.)

Our server mentioned they were planning to use it in cocktails, and that certainly seems like a great application. Or, a single drop served from an eyedropper under the tongue as the last thing you put in your mouth at the end of the meal. But any more than that is seriously too hardcore perfumey.

Hedonia

Eating, drinking and living the good life in San Francisco

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