Salers Tonic
Ingredients
- 4 cl Salers Gentian Liqueur 16%
- 10 cl tonic
- 1 orange zest
Preparation
- Build directly over ice in the glass.
- Stir with a spoon.
- Garnish with an orange zest.
Production
The gentian roots are washed and crushed before being macerated in alcohol for several weeks.
After the infusion is drawn off—that is, the maceration liquid—the roots are placed in copper stills in a water bath for distillation.
The resulting distillate is blended with the initial maceration and a subtle bouquet of spices and botanicals before being placed in Limousin oak vats, where it ages for more than 3 years.
Finally comes the last stage: balancing the product. The distiller adds water, neutral alcohol, and a little sugar to achieve an alcohol content of 16%, 20%, or 25%. Salers gentian is not a fermented drink and remains faithful to the original recipe, which uses extra-fine alcohol.
History
In 1885, distiller Alfred Labounoux came up with the idea of using yellow gentian from Auvergne, harvested on the slopes of Puy Mary near the village of Salers, to create a unique aperitif liqueur.
From the moment it was created, Salers enjoyed great success throughout Auvergne and Limousin.
Between the two world wars, championed by people from Corrèze and Auvergne living in Paris, it set out in the same spirit to conquer the capital, where it established warehouses in La Garenne-Colombe and later in Puteaux.
After the war, the Salers distillery maintained its strong momentum.
In 2006, the Salers distillery joined the VEDRENNE family group. Today, Salers is produced in Turenne, near Brive-la-Gaillarde.
The brand’s founders understood the value of advertising early on, and its advertising heritage is exceptionally rich and original. In 1938, Salers was one of the Tour de France’s main partners.
Salers is made exclusively from the roots of gentian plants from Auvergne.
Gentian takes around twenty years to reach maturity and flowers only every other year. Grown using sustainable farming practices, the gentian roots are harvested by hand with the utmost respect for the surrounding ecosystem.
The roots are cleaned and crushed within 24 hours of harvesting, preserving all the qualities of the gentian root.
