Zoom on… Combier Distillery
FINALLY, I can zoom in on the Triple Sec and this beautiful Saumur house that is La Distillerie Combier…
COMBIER is the oldest distillery in the Loire Valley still in operation and is now classified " Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant ". In 1825, Jean-Baptiste COMBIER and his wife Joséphine Destre arrived from Burgundy and settled in rue Saint-Jean to open a confectionery. Saumur is not chosen at random. The city already has a long experience in liqueurs with a climate conducive to fruit growing.
Two years after founding the current company, JB Combier invents a liqueur made from sweet and bitter orange peels, distilling its "spirits" three times in a row; liqueur which he will name: " TRIPLE SEC ”(today“ L'Original Combier ").
Today the company has retained its character and continues to manufacture its liqueurs according to the same recipes and the same manufacturing processes as in the XNUMXth century, the only guarantees for a quality product. As proof, the magnificent room of copper stills where the aromas of orange reign at each distillation ... These rare stills from 1901 have taken up residence in this Eiffel architectural room which also dates from the early twentieth century ... it is another witness to the Eiffel structures in Saumur in a nod to our Winter Garden (hey, that gives me the idea to make it a next Zoom).
Today, the Combier Distillery produces liqueurs, syrups, gins, absinthes and fruit creams, still on the historic site in the heart of Saumur.
The distillery is open to visitors all year round by reservation. You can learn the secrets of making Combier liqueurs and the fabulous history of absinthe.
The Original Combier triple sec
The erinds of bitter and sweet oranges of the Original Combier triple sec still come from Haiti. Developing a Triple sec at Combier requires a significant amount of labor.
The steps are as follows:
1. Rehydration of orange peels
2. Zesting of the bark: manual operation where each bark is passed one by one in a notch behind which a blade will separate the zest (flavedo-the good part of the bark) from the white internal part (the albedo)
3. Maceration of these zest in neutral alcohol for a few days
4. Distillation of the bark
5. Mixture of distillates and sugar, water and alcohol to obtain a 40% vol. Liqueur. without addition of flavorings
Recipe ideas:
Added to many pastries or desserts (pithivier, soufflé, fruit salads…), it gives them a unique taste. Also try them cocktails, original or classic, success and surprise for your guests guaranteed!
- Combier Margarita : 2cl L'Original Combier, 4cl of Tequila, 1cl of squeezed lemon juice
- Orangette : the traditional gluttony with candied orange coated in chocolate revisited in a cocktail: 2cl L'Original Combier, 4cl white cocoa cream, 1cl cocoa spirit, 2cl squeezed orange juice, 2cl squeezed lemon juice
- Fragola Spritz : discover strawberries differently and be in the Spritz fashion: 6cl Crémant de Loire, 2cl Pure Folie liqueur (strawberry), 2cl L'Original Combier, 2cl sparkling water
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