Marie Brizard Parfait Amour 750ML

Marie Brizard Parfait Amour 750ML is a French violet-citrus liqueur bottled at 25% ABV (50 proof) in a 750ml format. A Silver medal winner at the 2020 International Wine & Spirit Competition, this expression layers Spanish sweet orange, violet petal, and vanilla into one of the most visually striking liqueurs on any back bar.

Quick Facts: ABV: 25%  |  Origin: France  |  Style: Parfait Amour Liqueur  |  Producer: Marie Brizard

Production & Heritage

Marie Brizard was founded in 1755 in Bordeaux, France, making it one of the oldest liqueur houses in the world. The Parfait Amour expression is produced through carefully controlled maceration and distillation of sweet oranges sourced from Spain, combined with an infusion of violet petals, orange blossom, and vanilla pods. These ingredients are blended with precision and brightened with food coloring to achieve the liqueur's signature mauve-purple hue — a color that has made Parfait Amour a fixture in classic European cocktail culture for centuries.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with thick-skinned navel orange zest, followed by delicate rose petal and a base of toasted almonds. The floral and citrus notes intertwine rather than compete, creating a perfumed but grounded bouquet.

Taste: A moderately syrupy sweetness greets the palate, leading with bright orange zest that transitions into soft rose and sugared almond at the mid-palate. As the flavors develop, the citrus element gradually takes the dominant position, while vanilla weaves through the background adding depth and warmth.

Finish: The finish is smooth and medium in length, with lingering orange peel sweetness and a faint floral echo. A subtle almond dryness rounds out the close, preventing the sweetness from becoming cloying.

How to Drink Parfait Amour

Served chilled in a small cordial glass, Parfait Amour rewards slow sipping and makes a dramatic after-dinner pour. Its real strength, however, lies in cocktail applications where its color and complex flavor profile bring both visual impact and layered taste.

• Aviation (variation): Substituting Parfait Amour for Crème de Violette adds vanilla depth and a more vivid purple tone to this classic gin cocktail.
• Blue Moon: The violet-citrus character pairs naturally with gin and fresh lemon juice in this Prohibition-era recipe.
• Pousse-Café: The moderate sweetness and density make Parfait Amour ideal for layered shooters, and the color creates an unmistakable visual stripe.

Best For

• Home bartenders expanding a cocktail liqueur collection beyond the basics
• Hosting a themed cocktail evening featuring classic European drinks
• Gifting someone who appreciates unusual and historic liqueurs
• Adding color and complexity to Aviation and other violet-forward cocktails

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Parfait Amour taste like? Parfait Amour has a moderately sweet profile dominated by orange zest, rose petal, and sugared almond, with vanilla running through the background. The citrus character gradually takes the lead, keeping it from reading as a purely floral liqueur.

How does Parfait Amour compare to Crème de Violette? Crème de Violette is a single-note violet liqueur, while Marie Brizard Parfait Amour delivers a more complex layering of citrus, violet, vanilla, and almond. Parfait Amour also tends to be sweeter and has a distinctly purple rather than pale lavender appearance.

Is Parfait Amour good for cocktails? Parfait Amour is primarily a cocktail liqueur, valued for both its striking color and its multilayered citrus-floral flavor that blends well with gin, vodka, and citrus juices. It works especially well in Aviation variations, Blue Moons, and layered Pousse-Café presentations.

Where is Parfait Amour made? Marie Brizard Parfait Amour is produced in France by the Marie Brizard house, originally established in Bordeaux in 1755. The recipe relies on Spanish sweet oranges along with violet petals, orange blossom, and vanilla pods sourced for maceration and distillation.

What foods pair well with Parfait Amour? Dark chocolate truffles complement the vanilla and orange notes; fresh berries like raspberries and blackberries echo its fruity-floral character; almond biscotti mirrors the toasted nut undertones; light citrus tarts amplify its orange zest brightness; and mild soft cheeses like mascarpone provide a neutral canvas for the liqueur's sweetness.

What sizes does Parfait Amour come in? The standard widely available format is the 750ml bottle.

Is Parfait Amour worth the price? Marie Brizard Parfait Amour positions as an affordable specialty liqueur, sitting at the entry-to-mid tier of the liqueur category. Given the multiple Silver medals it has earned at international competitions and its usefulness across several classic cocktails, it represents solid value for the price point.

Why Parfait Amour?

Marie Brizard's version of Parfait Amour draws on over 265 years of French liqueur-making heritage, and the recipe's combination of Spanish sweet orange distillate, violet petals, orange blossom, and vanilla pods produces a complexity that single-ingredient violet liqueurs simply cannot match. Silver medals at both the International Wine & Spirit Competition and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition confirm that the liquid inside the bottle lives up to the dramatic appearance. For bartenders and home enthusiasts looking to expand beyond standard modifiers, this expression fills a genuine gap — delivering floral, citrus, and vanilla dimensions in a single pour with unmistakable visual impact.