Armagnac

There was a crowd in Mézin, a town in Albret, not far from Nérac, for La Flamme de l’Armagnac. An event desired by the Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l’Armagnac which corresponds to the firing up of the stills. The focus was mainly on mixology.

Every autumn, La Flamme de l’Armagnac travels through the three terroirs of Armagnac - Bas-Armagnac, Ténarèze, and Haut-Armagnac. While the Armagnac AOP extends over three departments, its epicenter remains in Eauze. To the southeast of Nérac, the village of Mézin hosts the final stage of La Flamme. The stand of the Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l’Armagnac, manned by a young man in charge of tasting, offers to initiate us into the secret of mixology with three cocktails based on the local eau-de-vie. After Cognac and Sauternes, here comes a new contender in mixology. Here, we were going to rely on Blanche d’Armagnac, an eau-de-vie distilled from dry white Gascony wine that has not been aged in wood. This completely clear eau-de-vie, with a strength of 45°, will serve as a fruity and floral base, ideal for crafting some lively cocktails.

A prior visit to the Mézin Cellar fortunately reminded us that Armagnac is a fine distillation product dating back to the 12th century, making it undoubtedly the oldest eau-de-vie in France, even in Europe. The raw product must be distilled before March 31st. Here, we're talking about single distillation (as opposed to Cognac's double distillation) of a dry white wine heated in an Armagnac still, with no other additions, and aged in an oak barrel.

La Blanche Passion :

• 4 cl of Blanche
• 3 cl of passion fruit juice
• 2 cl of mango juice
• 2 cl of lime juice
• 1.5 cl of vanilla syrup.

Mix all the ingredients in a shaker, fill the shaker with ice, then shake for 15 seconds, strain, and pour into a glass with a few ice cubes.

www.armagnac.fr