Rinquinquin. Chasing the blues away with a peach aperitif..
Rinquinquin, Peach aperitif
On a small shelf, in a small store, (which I have frequented before for its various olive and olive related products) a label with more i's and n's than I'm used to jumped out at me. Among the bottles of Pastis and Absynthe, there stood proudly a small 100ml (10cl) bottle of Rinquinquin. It's as spritely a name as I have ever heard. If you pronounce it as the French do, "Rahn-kahn-kahn", you may want to put a little Eartha Kitt into it and roll that r with just a little more emphasis than usual.
I have learned by now that French shopkeepers don't like to have their products handled. You might receive a loud S'il vous plait! if you choose to ignore this rule. The words may come at you firmly and indiscreetly, leaving you feeling like a child who has just been scolded for stealing one too many cookies from the cookie jar. It hasn't happened to me yet, but I have been witness to it. And sometimes, it's not pretty.
With this in mind, I carefully tilted the bottle of Rinquinquin so that I could read its fine print.
I knew immediately that this bottle was coming home with me.
Oh, and of course its matching glasses.
I mean, of course, right?
Rinquinquin is an aperitif made with white wine, alcohol, and infusions of peach tree leaves, peaches and sugar. That was as much as I needed to read to make my decision to buy it. When I got home, the internet enlightened me further.
The word Rinquinquin is said to come from the Provencal word 'requinquilhar', which means "to cheer up". This insinuates that when you are feeling blue, the cure is close at hand.
Now, I will definitely drink to that.
Rinquinquin is recommended to be taken chilled, straight up, or with a splash of cold water, and with or without ice cubes depending on your preference. But, because I was too impatient to allow fridge time, and I'm not organized enough to have ice cubes in my freezer box, I poured it out, still warm, into my new glass and enjoyed it thoroughly. It's pure peach flavour did not overwhelm, it was in fact, extremely refreshing. All I can think of is how great it's going to taste in the middle of winter when fresh peaches are just a distant memory.
According to the website for the makers of the Henri Bardouin Rinquinquin, the peaches are harvested only when they are ripe. Several varieties of peaches are used including Cardinal, Coronet and Junegold peaches. The leaves are picked during the month of September, and the maceration period lasts 6 months to a year. Henri Bardouin also makes Pastis, and it is apparently more popular in France than the Pernod or Ricard brands.
With my new drink in hand, and its matching glass, I feel very put together. As you can see, I have completely embraced the French trend of having matching glasses for every brand of drink from Orangina to Perrier, from Pastis to Rinquinquin. Since Rinquinquin will now be a regular on my grocery list, the glasses are a completely justified purchase. Really, they are.
Rinquinquin purchased at:
A L'Olivier
23, rue de Rivoli
Paris, 75003
€4.20 for 100ml. But a little goes a long way.
It is especially recommended with foie gras, and as an additional flavouring with fruit salads.
posted by Michèle at 3:25 PM
19 Comments:
To cheer up? This definitely sounds like one aperitif to have around at home. Have another one on me! ;-)
Paz
How lovely this sounds, and how I wish I could try! I'll remember the name and be sure to track some down when the time permits.
I must find a bottle of this!
hi Paz, thank you, I think I will! It is a definite belly warmer, and puts a happy red glow on my cheeks too :)
Hi Tara, Im definitely very pleased with it. And it has only 15% alcohol content so you dont get that nose burn that you get sometimes from liqueurs..
Hi Dawna, I hope you do find some, it has quickly become a staple in my liquor cabinet. Which is more like a shelf really, and not a cabinet at all :)
Sounds divine. I was going to go the liquor store today for a bottle of wine, now I'll look for this as well. (I almost hope they don't have it so I can get the chance to say RRRRrrahn-kahn-kahn to the salesperson.)
Too Cute Michele!!!
You will look so much more sophisticated drinking the sexy french peach liqeurfrom it's named glass. (wise purchase ;) )
I made my own vin de pêche from the leaves of peach trees, substituting rosé for the white wine, a few years ago and it came out beautifully. It's such a refreshing aperitif. If only I had those cool glasses to serve it in!
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Hi Amylou, I hope you are able to find it, so you can stock up for those Swedish winters. And I too hope you have to ask for it, just so I can imagine you at the counter, rolling all those r's.... Im sure you'd make Catwoman proud :)
Hi Clare, the glasses certainly add to the experience.. As for looking sexy, well my clothes might not match, but my drink will!
Hi Brett, Thanks for stopping by. Your creation sounds great, I'm rather impressed that you made your own. Now I want to run out and find myself a peach tree! :)
Hi D.D, thanks, I'll check it out!
Looks like a trip to the city is in order!
Great post, very cool find!
hi michele, what a deliciously thirst quenching find! and you're absolutely right about french shopkeepers getting stroppy when you handle their produce...
hi Michele! I've just entered in your blog for the first time thanks to Paz. I just wanted to wish you a lovelly stay in Paris. (I was there last weekend)and it's great to discover new places with you!! I saw you liked A l'olivier, so you must try Oliviers & Co, www.oliviers-co.com you will love it!
You are certainly proving yourself to be the intrepid discoverer of Paris' hidden gems! I'm a sucker for anything sweet and boozy, but with peaches this one is really right up my alley. It sounds delicious! Thanks once again for your tireless efforts to introduce us to some lesser-known French delicacies - and I must add that those glasses are tres sophistiqué! :)
Hi Melissa, Im glad it appeals to you too! Im sure you can find it in other shops where Pastis is sold. The shop where I bought it only had the 100ml bottles. I will definitely be on the lookout for a much larger size :)
Hi J, yes I am very happy with it. And stroppy is a good word for the shopkeepers! Although its hard to surpress that instinct of mine to pick up everything I see, to turn it around, and upside down.. but im learning :)
Hi Tattum, thanks for stopping by, and thanks for the well wishes :) I have been to Oliviers & Co, there is one not too far from where I live.. Im surrounded by heavenly things, its hard to restrain myself!
Hi Melissa, well Im glad to have introduced you to something new. I wasnt entirely sure if perhaps I was the only one who hadn't heard of it when I first put up the post. I think Im getting to know your tastes quite well, and I have to say that you would definitely like this. Think of all the things i'll have in my suitcase for you on my next trip to Edinburgh :)
What a great find you made, the liquer sounds fantastic. I am now imagining the lovely desserts you can make with that peachy flavour. I love those matching glasses too.
Oh. My goodness, that sounds rather heavenly. And I'm rather impressed that Brett made his OWN.
With foie gras, you say? As it happens, I have a whole foie, ready to prepare this weekend!
Hi Boo, I was very happy with my little find, and little it was with only 100ml in the bottle. But Im sure there is a much larger size waiting somewhere out there for me :) And im glad you like the glasses too!
Hi Fatemeh, thanks for coming by. I was also impressed with Brett making his own, very ambitious endeavour to say the least ! If you can find Rinquinquin I'd be interested to hear how it goes with your foie gras!
Ah Ha! Now I know. The only problem now is, having read this I must schedule a few hours to completely catch up on your archives. For many years I subscribed to the American Saveur magazine. Not just because of it's subject matter, but because the writing and the stories were engaging and made me feel good when I read them. Exactly the same with your blog.
ahhhh! I tried a rinquinquin when I was in Paris a few weeks back and absolutely fell in love. After returning to Geneva I've been desperately searching for one whenever an aperitif is offered only to get baffled looks. Even my French friends think I am going nuts. Thank you for validating my sanity ;) I will SO be sending this link to everyone I know and searching for a bottle. Thanks again .Cheers.
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