La Troussepinette Red 750ML

La Troussepinette Red 750ML is a French blackthorn-infused aperitif bottled at 17% ABV in a 750ml format. This distinctive liqueur earned the Chairman's Trophy at the 2012 Ultimate Spirits Challenge in New York, competing against 650 spirits from 30 countries — a remarkable achievement for a small-production regional specialty.

Quick Facts: ABV: 17%  |  Origin: Cognac Region, France  |  Blackthorn Aperitif  |  Producer: Lise Baccara (Gérard Paignon)

Production & Heritage

La Troussepinette Red is the creation of Gérard Paignon, a small wine grower and liquoriste from the Cognac area of France who founded the Lise Baccara label. Paignon follows an ancient regional recipe: young blackthorn shoots are harvested each spring, sliced, and macerated in low-alcohol cognac for one to two months, allowing the sap to release slowly into the spirit. The resulting maceration is then blended with wine and a measured addition of sugar before being adjusted to 17% ABV, filtered, and bottled — preserving a tradition that predates modern aperitif culture.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with a deep, fruity bouquet dominated by sloe berry, followed by subtle almond and a gentle herbal quality from the blackthorn shoots. There is a vinous undercurrent that reflects the wine base beneath the botanical maceration.

Taste: On the palate, intense cherry and red grape flavors arrive first, giving way to pitted plum and a distinctive almond character at mid-palate. The blackthorn sap contributes a tannic, almost bark-like complexity that balances the residual sweetness and keeps the profile from veering too sweet.

Finish: The finish is dry and tart, with lingering sloe and stone-fruit notes that recall a well-made sloe gin but with considerably more depth. A faint bitterness from the blackthorn rounds out the experience cleanly.

How to Drink La Troussepinette Red

Serve well chilled, either neat or over a single large ice cube, to let the sloe and cherry notes open gradually. At 17% ABV, it sits comfortably in aperitif territory and rewards slow sipping before a meal.

In a Kir-style aperitif, use it in place of crème de cassis topped with dry sparkling wine — its tartness and lower sweetness create a more balanced drink. In a Spritz, combine it with prosecco and a splash of soda water for a lighter warm-weather serve that highlights the fruit-forward profile. In a Negroni Rosso variation, substitute it for sweet vermouth alongside gin and Campari — the blackthorn's tannic dryness adds an unexpected layer of complexity.

Best For

• Hosting a French-inspired aperitif hour with charcuterie and cheese
• Gifting an adventurous spirits enthusiast who has explored beyond mainstream liqueurs
• Introducing guests to traditional French regional aperitifs they have never encountered
• Building a home bar focused on artisanal, small-production European liqueurs

Frequently Asked Questions

What does La Troussepinette Red taste like? It delivers intense cherry, sloe berry, and pitted plum flavors layered with subtle almond, supported by a dry, tart finish from blackthorn shoots macerated in cognac.

How does La Troussepinette Red compare to Cynar? Both sit near the same ABV range — La Troussepinette Red at 17% and Cynar at 16.5% — and both serve as aperitifs, but Cynar is artichoke-based and bittersweet, while La Troussepinette Red draws its character from blackthorn shoots and wine, resulting in a fruitier, more tannic profile.

Is La Troussepinette Red good for sipping neat? Yes, it is designed as a traditional aperitif and is best enjoyed chilled and neat or over ice, where its fruit-driven complexity and dry finish shine without dilution from mixers.

Where is La Troussepinette Red made? It is produced by Gérard Paignon under the Lise Baccara label in the Cognac region of France, where Paignon works as both a wine grower and liquoriste.

What foods pair well with La Troussepinette Red? Its tart, fruity profile complements aged sheep's milk cheeses like Ossau-Iraty, duck rillettes where the cherry notes echo rich poultry fat, cured saucisson sec for a classic French aperitif pairing, dark chocolate with its almond undertones, and fresh fig salads where the sloe berry character mirrors the fruit's sweetness.

What sizes does La Troussepinette Red come in? The standard bottling is 750ml, which is the most widely available format.

Is La Troussepinette Red worth the price? It positions as a specialty artisanal aperitif, priced above mass-market liqueurs but justified by its small-batch cognac maceration, traditional recipe, and Chairman's Trophy recognition at the 2012 Ultimate Spirits Challenge.

Why La Troussepinette Red?

What separates this aperitif from the crowded liqueur category is a production method rooted in a centuries-old French tradition that few producers still follow. The extended maceration of hand-harvested blackthorn shoots in cognac — not neutral spirit — gives the base a depth and vinous quality that mass-produced fruit liqueurs cannot replicate. Its Chairman's Trophy win at the 2012 Ultimate Spirits Challenge validated what regional drinkers in western France have long known: troussépinète is one of the country's most distinctive and underappreciated aperitif styles. For anyone seeking a genuine artisanal French aperitif with historical provenance and award-winning credentials, this bottling from Gérard Paignon stands in a category largely its own.