Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur

In ancient China ginger was found to have a unique value. For generations wise men passed down secret recipes using ginger. This delicate ginger liqueur is based on a recipe created centuries ago in old Canton for the rulers of the Qing dynasty. It is made from six varieties of ginger harmonized with a touch of gentle herbs and ginseng. Blended with finest spirits and rich brandy. Rounded with honey. It is made in the immaculate kitchens of a liqueur specialist in Guangdong Province. A delicate liqueur capturing all the goodness of the old China.

The Story

While ginger had long been a cherished ingredient in the Far East, it wasn’t until the middle of the 19th Century – in French Colonial Indochina – that ginger infused elixirs were first created. The very first ginger-infused white Cognac was made on a small, fenced ginger estate called Domaine de Canton located in the northern Indochinese province of Siam. A Frenchman who purchased the ginger root estate at the beginning of the French occupation of Indochina created the original recipe. It soon became popular with the French Indochine aristocracy, where it found its way to the colonists’ afternoon tea parties and grand fêtes.

The Taste

A modern interpretation of the original recipe from Indochina, Domaine de Canton hand crafts rare baby ginger with a blend of VSOP and Grand Champagne Cognac, ginseng, Tahitian vanilla beans, and a touch of honey from Provence – creating a fresh and all natural liqueur. Together, these carefully blended ingredients create an intense and complex taste that is delicious as it is sublime.

The Process

Cognac is one of the most complex spirits with which to associate any flavor, which is why there are very few flavor extensions, as there are in vodkas or rums. In fact, combining rare Cognac with another flavor – in Domaine de Canton’s case, fresh ginger – requires a unique expertise to obtain the utmost quality that the liqueur delivers.

Each bottle of Domaine de Canton begins with small batches of hand-picked baby ginger – which tend to be the most flavorful and tender – selected from fields quite close to the original ginger estate. Once the baby ginger has been culled, it is then sorted, washed, peeled and then cubed – again, entirely by hand. Peeling the ginger reveals more of the root’s unique character and subtle spiciness. Along with a secret blend of herbs and spices, the cubed ginger is then cooked in a cast iron pot to create a uniquely crafted ginger essence. Unlike most liqueurs, Domaine de Canton’s flavor is created naturally, without preservatives or colorants.

The ginger essence continues its journey to Jarnac, in the heart of France’s Cognac region, where it is infused with a blend of VSOP and Grand Champagne Cognac, both made primarily from Ugni Blanc grapes, twice distilled in copper pot stills and then aged – according to La Tradition Cognaçaise – in French oak barrels.

After the ginger essence has been married to the Cognac, finishing ingredients such as Tahitian vanilla, Provençal orange blossom honey, Tunisian ginseng and cane sugar are added, heightening its taste and deepening its subtle complexity. The liqueur is then carefully hand filtered two different ways to ensure peak smoothness, purity, clarity and balance.

The Bottle

A striking bottle has been created for Domaine de Canton, as unique as the liqueur itself. French elegance and Asian mysticism merge in the form of a classic pagoda shape and rendered in satiny glass. East meets West in packaging that is different from anything else on the market, and yet very approachable.

Browse all 32 Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur Drink Recipes