Product dive: the Joseph Cartron liqueur range

The Unexpected Cartron Tour is a cocktail competition where surprise and delight come together. To win a trip to France, design a drink with a minimum of 15ml of a Joseph Cartron liqueur, and incorporate a deliciously Unexpected element.

Head to unexpectedcartrontour.com.au and read the rules, then enter your drink at the form. Entries are open now, and close on Monday 20 May — so you best get those entries in!

The French have been at the drinks making game for a long time, and it’s fair to say they’ve developed something of a reputation for good drinks. When it comes to their liqueur production, they pretty much set the global standard. The family owned firm of Joseph Cartron have been at it a long time, too, and today they apply that traditional French know-how to an increasing range of fruit flavours.

We’ll dive into a 10-strong sample of those liqueurs in just a moment, but first — what are we talking about when we’re talking about liqueurs? How are they made?

How liqueurs are defined and made

The European Union love to define things; it makes it all the more fun to regulate them. Accordingly, they’ve applied their regulatory nous to the creation and labelling of liqueurs.

For a liqueur to labelled as such:

1. It must have a minimum of 100g of sugar per litre;
2. To be labelled as a “crème de”, it must have a minimum sugar content of 250g per litre;
3. But to be labelled as crème de cassis, it must have a minimum of 400g of sugar per litre;
4. And it must be bottled at a strength of 15 percent ABV or higher (unless it is advocaat, which can be bottled at 14 percent ABV).

There are a few different ways in which liqueurs are made, but the primary way that they are made at Joseph Cartron is via maceration of the fruits in alcohol, and infusions.

Each of the Joseph Cartron liqueurs we’re looking at here are made at the company’s distillery in Nuits-Saint-Georges in Burgundy, France.

The company was founded in 1882 by — you guessed it — Joseph Cartron, and initially supplied other companies with lemonade and a few other liqueurs sourced from local fruit to other suppliers. They produce a wide range of liqueurs, with an emphasis on capturing the true aroma of the fruit.

Joseph Cartron Sureau 20% ABV
What they say: Sureau is otherwise known as Elderflower. The nose is delicate, subtle and expressive, the aromatic finesse of the white flowers comes forward. The first wave is soft and round in the mouth, the sweetness is discreet, and the finale is subtly floral with notes of tart fruits.

What we say: Presents with a pretty floral nose, on the palate there is good weight and some juicy acid, a long finish.

Joseph Cartron Pomme Verte 20% ABV
What they say: The nose is ample, striking, intense. On the palate, the first wave is fresh and balanced, no feeling of sugariness. Orchard fruit comes out. The finale is pure with feelings of citrus fruits.

What we say: A lifted candied apple aroma. Straight up green apple flavour on the palate, sweet and juicy, good palate weight and length, warming on the medium-long finish.

Joseph Cartron Curacao Triple Sec 25% ABV
What they say: Made from essential oils garnered from the sweet para orange variety from Brasil and Florida, and bitter oranges (the bigarade variety from the Ivory Coast and Sicily), only the skin of the fruit is kept — the pith is discarded. The nose is fresh, with elegance and finesse, and the perception of orange peel. In the mouth, it is round and oily, a good overall harmony between sugariness, orange peel, and power.

What we say: Aromas of orange peel, a suggestion of spice coming through on the palate, candied orange characters and great length. Should stand up in a cocktail but not dominate.

Joseph Cartron Lychee 25% ABV
What they say: The nose is open and intense. The purity of fruit remains with hints of softness. In the mouth it is mellow, with a fruity finale with good persistence. Hints of faded roses at the end.

What we say: Lifted lychee aromas from the glass, a full flavoured palate, bright fresh lychee character, and a long-plus finish — a really great example.

Joseph Cartron Cacao 24% ABV
What they say: Using the best cacao beans from the Ivory Coast, slightly roasted and crushed and processed in the Cartron pot still. Discreet toasty aromas, buttery notes and hints of bitter cocoa. On the palate there is a good balance that hides the tartness of the bean, the finish has a touch of mint.

What we say: A white creme de cacao, there’s natural cocoa notes on the nose, some good mouthfeel, a little alcohol heat and good length, a touch of spice.

Joseph Cartron Pastèque 18% ABV
What they say: Slow maceration of the fruit affords the liquor its beautiful pink fuschia colour. The noise is airy, aromatic, and fresh with hints of sherbet. Unctuous in the mouth, the fruitiness is discreet and airy, the last wave in the mouth brings a slight bitterness, like the feeling of tasting watermelon pips.

What we say: Floral, sweet bubblegum and watermelon aromas on the nose, light to medium palate weight, a lingering, melony finish.

Joseph Cartron Crème de Pêche de Vigne de Bourgogne 18% ABV
What they say: The fruit grows on the slopes of the Haute Cotes de Bourgogne. The nose is very elegant, aromas of fresh peaches. The mouth is round, oily with a rich texture. Very good persistence.

What we say: Big bright fresh peach aromas from the glass, and that carries through to the palate, which is medium to full bodied, with layers of peach flavour, and a delicious, long finish. Really well done.

Joseph Cartron Abricot Brandy 25% ABV
What they say: The nose is pure fruit with good maturity. Nice hints of the apricot stones and touches of bark brought by the cognac. Hints of crystallised fruits. Powerful yet discreet. The palate confirms the nose with a fruity finesse. Slightly sugary. The fruit marries perfectly with the cognac, resulting in a good balance. No final heaviness.

What we say: Intense and bright aromas of apricot and peach leap out of the glass, there’s a richness — aromas are true to life. On the palate, it’s rich and full with good structure — sweet but not cloyingly so, with some juicy acidity to carry things through. There’s big stone fruit characters here, along with a little oak spice framing things, and a long, moreish finish.

Joseph Cartron Crème de Mûre des Roncières 18% ABV
What they say: Fresh with strong aromatic power, good development of the blackberry fruit. In the mouth, the first wave is pure and syrupy, the texture is balanced. Dense fruit. The finish is spicy with sweet notes. Joseph Cartron insists on only using wild blackberries, which give real aromatic power and the soft acidulous flavour particular to wild blackberries.

What we say: Big aromas of blackberry jam from the glass, it’s rich, juicy, and sweet on the palate, great mouthfeel, full bodied, with layers of blackberry fruit flavour. A really long finish. Excellent.

Joseph Cartron Crème de Cassis de Bourgogne 19% ABV
What they say: Aromatic power of the fresh fruit, length and unctuousness are the double creme’s signature. Fruit concentration is exceptional, with a sensation of strewed fruit. Full round and generous in the mouth with a silky feeling. The fruit is pure, the finish is long. Made with Noir de Bourgogne blackcurrants grown on the slopes of Burgundy Grand Crus around Nuit-Saint-Georges.

What we say: Big double cassis energy. Big aromas; it’s a rich, full bodied-plus palate, sweet without being cloying, juicy, some spice here and layers of flavour. A warm, juicy finish. Super good. This is a double cassis: there is a richer, greater concentration of flavour.

The Unexpected Cartron Tour is a cocktail competition where surprise and delight come together. To win a trip to France, design a drink with a minimum of 15ml of a Joseph Cartron liqueur, and incorporate a deliciously Unexpected element.

Head to unexpectedcartrontour.com.au and read the rules, then enter your drink at the form. Entries are open now, and close on Monday 20 May — so you best get those entries in!