Verveine Fizz
Ingredients
- 3 cl PAGÈS Verveine du Velay Green Liqueur 55%
- 2 cl Lime juice
- 1 cl VEDRENNE Cane Sugar Syrup
- Sparkling water
Method
- Shake all the ingredients except the sparkling water.
- Double-strain over ice into a tumbler.
- Top with sparkling water and garnish with a sprig of verbena.
Production
The famous liqueur Verveine du Velay is made at the PAGÈS Distillery using an ancestral recipe that combines local verbena with a delicious blend of plants, spices, and herbs.
The lemon verbena used is grown by the distillery on its own grounds. Planted in June, it is harvested before the first frost, then dried and hand-stripped. The recipe takes several months to make (about 18) and involves 3 key steps:
- MACERATION: This is a key step for extracting the aromas into the alcohol.
- DISTILLATION: Historically, apothecaries used this process to extract all the plant’s virtues and benefits. Today, the PAGÈS Distillery carries on this know-how to produce Verveine du Velay in red copper stills.
- AGING: Aging in oak barrels is the final step in the process and lasts at least 12 months.
History
Verveine du Velay was created more than 160 years ago by Joseph Rumillet-Charretier, a passionate herbalist, a brilliant apothecary, and perhaps a bit of a chemist too.
In 1886, Victor Pagès, Rumillet’s cousin, took over the distillery and gave it his name.
Several politicians later ran the distillery, along with Raymond-Julien Pagès, a visionary in rural tourism who founded the first “Logis de France,” an association that today brings together a host of passionate hoteliers and restaurateurs.
Verveine du Velay has long been part of the region’s heritage, both culinary and architectural, as evidenced by the elegant, now listed building in the Saint-Jean district in the heart of Le Puy-en-Velay.
Verbena, a symbol of Auvergne cuisine
In ancient times, verbena was considered one of the sacred herbs. The Romans called it Venus’s herb, believing it could rekindle the fires of love.
A symbol of Auvergne cuisine, it continues to inspire chefs, who regularly make the most of its rich flavors.
The PAGÈS Distillery has always mastered the cultivation and harvesting of verbena plants.
The variety used to make Verveine du Velay is lemon verbena, with its delightfully lemony fragrance. It is grown by the PAGÈS Distillery on its own grounds.
Planted in June by the master distiller, it is harvested before the first frost, then dried away from light and hand-stripped.
Organic verbena from the Pagès Gardens
Inspired by his garden, where he grows lemon verbena organically, our master distiller created this LES JARDINS PAGÈS Verbena Liqueur.
This recipe is made using a simple maceration of verbena leaves, which are dried immediately after harvesting to preserve all their aromatic qualities and their smoothness on the palate.
The result of an eco-responsible approach:
- Verbena and French organic alcohol
- A label printed with vegetable oil-based inks on paper that is 100% recycled
