Birrh: a guide to alcohol

Briefly about the drink

Birr - the most popular drink in France, positioned as the world's best antidepressant. Too interesting a drink not to tell you about it.

Created in France by the brothers Pallad and Simon Violet in 1866, after which the corresponding trademark was created in 1873. The competition among aperitif producers forced the brothers to find original marketing solutions, which they successfully applied. For example, they included quinine tincture in the recipe, which was widely used in those years to make a variety of medicines, including malaria. This gave them the right to call Birr a "health drink," so it could be sold in pharmacies.

Birr gained popularity rapidly, soon becoming the best-selling drink in France, and was actively exported to other countries. Birr actually became a symbol of its time - it was often shown in movies, including Oscar-winning ones.

The drink can be seen in the following pictures:

1. "An American in Paris", 1951,
2. "Red Balloon, Oscar-winning short film, 1956,
3. "Dunkirk, 1958,
4. "Shoot the pianist", 1960,
5. "Jack of Diamonds", 1967,
6. "Saving Private Ryan", 1998.

History of Birr

Popularity is always on the decline. This is what happened to Birrh after the Second World War, when producers of sweet wines such as Banyuls, Petit Muscat and Rieselt were granted significant tax incentives. This allowed them to capture most of the market, while Birr went out of fashion.

Another problem on the way of the famous drink was the discord between its owners. Irreconcilable differences arose between the brothers, which resulted in the sale of the business to Pernod Ricard. Since then, the holding has continued to produce Birr at its plant in Touraine, France.

What Birr is made of

Birr contains extracts of herbs and spicy aromatic plants, such as coriander, citrus peel, ginger, cloves, bergamot, oregano, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, marjoram, sage, nutmeg, elecampane, cloves, wormwood, etc.

What is the taste and aroma of Birr?

Birr has a rich composition and is aged in oak barrels for three years.

The aroma of Birr has many shades of juicy ripe fruits and wilted dark berries, notes of dried meadow herbs, tones of exotic oriental spices and oak wood. The taste is characterized by sweetness, fruits and dark berries, spices and herbs. Birr has a spicy bitterness due to the presence of citrus peel and quinine.

How to drink Birr

Birrh should be served slightly chilled with ice. You can add a slice of lemon to the drink, which will improve the taste of the drink. Birr can be used as an ingredient in a variety of cocktails, even with its wine base.

One of the simplest Byrrh cocktails is the Birrh Tom. To create a cocktail, you need to mix Birr and Old Tom gin in equal parts, you can add a few drops of orange bitters.

And two more cocktails:

Birrh Cassis

Ingredients

1. Birr 40 ml,
2. Merlet Creme de Cassis blackcurrant liqueur 20 ml,
3. Thomas Henry Elderflower tonic 100 ml,
4. A slice of orange.

Pour Birrh and liqueur into a highball glass, add tonic and stir, then garnish with an orange slice.

Byrrh Cocktail

Ingredients

1. Canadian blended whiskey 50 ml,
2. Birr 50 ml,
3. Lille Blanc 50 ml,
4. A few drops of peach liqueur.

Mix the ingredients in a shaker with crushed ice and then pour into a glass.

Update: 19.07.2021

Category: Wine and Vermouth