Cocktails with Crème de Framboise
Crème de framboise is a sweet, rich raspberry liqueur of berries macerated in spirit. "Crème" here refers to the high sugar, not to cream.
ABV18%
Substitutes for Crème de Framboise
Raspberry with a lot of sugar at about 18%, so a rebuild needs a syrup and a spirit in roughly equal parts. Concentration is the variable: an ordinary fruit liqueur is thinner and the drink comes out paler and less sweet.
On the label
- “crème de”
- Nothing to do with cream. EU rules set a minimum of 250 grams of sugar per liter for anything sold as crème de, and it is that sugar, not dairy, that gives the syrupy weight.
Often confused with
Regular raspberry liqueur
A plain raspberry liqueur carries less sugar — "crème" in the name means the sugar load, not dairy. The drink comes out drier and thinner: add roughly a barspoon of syrup per measure.
Storage
Raspberry fades faster than almost anything else on the liqueur shelf. The color goes first, then the fresh top note, leaving sweetness and a vaguer berry behind. Refrigerate after opening and plan on months rather than years.
