I was lucky enough to meet the very per­son­able Curt Gold­man who is a part­ner of Cadre Noir, an importer of arti­sanal French liqueurs, crèmes and spir­its. I emailed Curt and he promptly came out to the Mary­land Club to pro­mote his prod­ucts. I’m glad he did. I was very pleased with the La Dis­til­lerie Com­bier prod­uct line, which is the old­est work­ing dis­tillery in France’s Loire Val­ley. The Com­bier web­site tells the story that began nearly 175 years ago at 48 Rue Beau­re­paire in the pic­turesque vil­lage of Saumur, 200 miles south­west of Paris in the heart of France’s his­toric Loire Val­ley. Jean-Baptiste Com­bier and his wife shared the dream of invent­ing some­thing new, a fla­vor that was truly an original.

I was happy to taste 3 of Combier’s main products:

• Com­bier Liqueur d’Orange: A Triple Sec
• Com­bier Rouge: A Cherry Liqueur
• Com­bier Royal: An Herbal Orange Cognac Liqueur

I also got an exclu­sive tast­ing of brand new Com­bier products:

• Crème de Pam­ple­mousse: A Grape­fruit Liqueur
• Crème de Peche de Vigne: A Peach Liqueur
• Crème de Mure: A Black­berry Liqueur
• Crème de Cas­sis: A Black Cur­rant Liqueur
• Crème de Fruits Rouges: A Mixed Berry Liqueur

These five prod­ucts haven’t hit the shelves yet, but we’ll be able to pick up bot­tles soon enough. Curt’s also going to be import­ing 3 other liqueurs that were excep­tional. I’m not at lib­erty to speak of these though. But mark my words, these liqueurs will excite cock­tail enthu­si­ast and bring a big impact to the mar­ket. I was very impressed. Com­bier is a brand to watch. Keep an eye out for each prod­uct because these liqueurs are excep­tional and have a great price point. Although for this arti­cle, I’ll be focus­ing on Combier’s 3 flag­ship liqueurs.

Com­bier Liqueur d’Orange

In 2009 La Dis­til­lerie Com­bier, the orig­i­nal cre­ator of the world’s first triple sec (1834), announced that its flag­ship orange liqueur, Com­bier Liqueur d’Orange, would be avail­able for the first time in the U.S. This is the prod­uct that put La Dis­til­lerie Com­bier on the map. This award-winning triple orange liqueur is made exclu­sively from 100% fresh, hand-selected orange peels from the West Indies, sugar beets from the fields of Nor­mandy and the family’s secret ingre­di­ents from the Loire Val­ley. With a his­tory dat­ing 41 years prior to Coin­treau and an unmis­tak­able fresh orange fla­vor that won’t break the bank, I say we have a win­ner. In order to obtain per­fect har­mony and clar­ity in every sip, Com­bier uses a triple-distillation process, hence the word “triple– sec”. The ingre­di­ents are three times dis­tilled in the same century-old cop­per stills that were first used by the Com­bier fam­ily. The warmth and age of the stills add depth, while the triple-distillation process ensures that only the purest and most aro­matic fla­vors make it into each bot­tle; hence, its crys­tal clear color. Located 200 miles south­west of Paris in the heart of France’s his­toric Loire Val­ley, Combier’s artisanal-crafted triple orange liqueur is pro­duced, pack­aged, and shipped from the same loca­tion since the 19th cen­tury, keep­ing the brand true to tra­di­tion, authen­tic­ity and qual­ity. Around $35 a bot­tle (750 ml). Com­pa­ra­ble to Cointreau.

Com­bier Rouge

Light and fruity with hints of pep­per and licorice, Com­bier Rouge is com­prised of a blend of guignes and Morello cher­ries for their aroma and spici­ness and black cher­ries for their deep color. The result is a gen­tle and sweet cherry-flavored liqueur with a rich ruby appear­ance. Made entirely with 100% nat­ural ingre­di­ents, Rouge con­tains no arti­fi­cial sugar and is sweet­ened from the fruits them­selves. The orig­i­nal com­po­si­tion for Rouge was first con­ceived in 1632 by the Rev­erend Mother Gautron of the Bene­dic­tine Abbey of Samur, and became so pop­u­lar that it delighted the court of King Louis XIV.  True to tra­di­tion, it is still pro­duced much like it was nearly 400 years ago. Around $25 a bot­tle (750 ml). Com­pa­ra­ble to Cherry Heering.

Royal Com­bier

Royal Com­bier is a unique blend of triple sec, cognac and the famous French hygienic Elixir de Com­bier (which includes ingre­di­ents such as aloe, nut­meg, myrrh, car­damom, cin­na­mon and saf­fron). The final result is an exotic and com­plex blend that received a gold medal at the highly acclaimed Metz’s Inter­na­tional Eaux-de-Vie com­pe­ti­tion. Think Grand Marnier mar­ried with Yel­low Char­treuse. Com­bier Royal’s rich com­po­si­tion is pre­pared in Combier’s his­toric inner cham­bers sur­rounded by the age and warmth of cen­tury old cop­per stills used by the orig­i­nal Com­bier fam­ily and cre­ated by Gus­tave Eif­fel. The recipe is derived by the triple-distillation process that orig­i­nated in 1834, whereby the ingre­di­ents are three times dis­tilled in the 19th cen­tury cop­per vats. The cop­per and age of the stills add depth, while the triple-distillation process ensures that Com­bier pro­duces only the most pure and aro­matic liqueur. Around $35 a bot­tle (750 ml).