by Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

Lots of great libations from Europe never make it across the pond to our shelves here in Greater Cincinnati. Some of these are never exported to America. (And I wish I had a nickel for every time someone asked me for “that tiny liqueur made by the Italian monks on top of the mountain in the middle of nowhere.”) Other drinks are, sadly, extinct. One such disappeared classic is Crème de Violette. That’s right: violet liqueur, made from the little purple flowers. Incredibly, no sooner had I started searching for this terrific sip than I found it, available now for sale in America.

A few phone calls later, and we had it here on our shelf. Our Crème de Violette comes from Austria, selected by Rothman and Winter and made for them by an artisanal distillery called Purkhart. The attractive, art deco label is just the beginning…

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