Giffard Menthe-Pastille Mint Liqueur

Product Description

Giffard Menthe-Pastille: The Original French Mint Liqueur, Since 1885

Giffard Menthe-Pastille is the flagship liqueur of the Giffard house and one of the best-known mint liqueurs in the world. It was created in the hot, humid summer of 1885 by Emile Giffard, a pharmacist in Angers, in France's Loire Valley, who was looking for a way to cool and refresh his customers and help their digestion, one of the properties mint is famous for. The remedy was so popular that it transformed his pharmacy into a distillery and launched what is now one of the world's great liqueur houses. The recipe has stayed in the family for five generations.

The result is a pure, clear, refined white mint liqueur. Unlike a green crème de menthe, Menthe-Pastille is crystal clear, with concentrated peppermint flavor and no added color. It's the mint liqueur many bartenders reach for first, and it's often overlooked at home despite being one of the most versatile bottles you can own.

How Giffard Menthe-Pastille Is Made

Menthe-Pastille is made from a steam distillation of the essential oils of fresh Mitcham peppermint, the variety that has defined the recipe since 1885. The mint is now grown in fields in Anjou, near the production site in the Loire Valley. It is then lightly sweetened with natural beet sugar. It's bottled at 24% ABV (48 proof), which keeps it bright, bracing, and easy to use in cocktails.

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Crystal clear and transparent.

Nose: Invigorating, cool peppermint, with hints of wintergreen, vanilla, and dark chocolate.

Palate: Crisp, clean mint with a hint of sweetness and a rich, creamy mouthfeel. The mint fills the palate with a long sensation of freshness.

Finish: Brisk, dry, and tingling, with a cool, lasting freshness.

Food Pairings

Menthe-Pastille is a natural match for chocolate. Try it alongside dark chocolate, brownies, mint chocolate chip ice cream, or a flourless chocolate cake. It also pairs well with fresh berries, vanilla desserts, and coffee, where the mint adds a cool lift. Served as an after-dinner pour, it works as a palate refresher after a rich meal.

Serving Suggestions

Giffard recommends it as an aperitif on the rocks with a splash of sparkling water and a generous garnish of fresh mint leaves. It's also an essential ingredient in classic cocktails:

• Stinger: Menthe-Pastille with cognac, the classic after-dinner pairing.
• Grasshopper and White Grasshopper: Mint liqueur with cream and crème de cacao for a creamy dessert drink.
• Coffee drinks: A splash adds a cool, minty kick to hot or iced coffee and cocoa.
• Mint cocktails and mojitos: A small pour adds brighter, more concentrated mint than muddling alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Giffard Menthe-Pastille? A clear white mint liqueur made from Mitcham peppermint, created in Angers, France, in 1885.

Is it the same as crème de menthe? It's the same style of liqueur, but Menthe-Pastille is clear rather than green, with a purer, more concentrated peppermint flavor and no added color.

What is the ABV? 24% ABV (48 proof).

What does it taste like? Crisp, clean peppermint with a hint of sweetness, a creamy mouthfeel, and a brisk, dry, cooling finish.

How should I drink it? On the rocks with sparkling water and fresh mint, or in cocktails like the Stinger and Grasshopper.

Who makes it? Giffard, a French liqueur house founded in 1885 by Emile Giffard in Angers, in the Loire Valley.

Explore More

Want more from this French liqueur house? Shop the full Giffard collection for fruit liqueurs, crèmes, and cocktail syrups, or browse our Liqueur collection for more herbal, mint, and dessert-style bottles.

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