Cocktails with Crème de Violette liqueur
Crème de violette is a sweet liqueur flavoured and coloured with violet flowers, built on a brandy base, a neutral-spirit base, or a blend of the two.
ABV20–25%
Taste profile
Intensely floral on the nose, evoking the violet candies of the early-to-mid 20th century, over a sweet, medium body with little else competing for attention.
How it's used
A dash or barspoon works as a floral accent and a source of purple-blue colour; stirred or shaken into a build, it is dosed sparingly because both its sweetness and violet aroma are assertive.
Substitutes for Crème de Violette liqueur
As a small floral accent it can be swapped for another violet-flavoured liqueur; where the drink is built around the violet identity there is no true substitute, since the aroma cannot be reconstructed from non-violet ingredients and the closest colour matches carry extra flavours of their own.
Often confused with
Parfait d'Amour / Crème Yvette
Crème de violette is essentially one-dimensional violet, while Parfait d'Amour and Crème Yvette are more complex, layering violet with notes such as vanilla, citrus, and in the case of Crème Yvette berries; crème de violette is regarded as the forerunner of both.
