Prévu Liqueur

You’ve enjoyed sparkling water and sparkling wine. Are you ready for a sparkling liqueur?

Imported from France, Prévu consists of a neutral spirit base of vodka and Cognac blended with blackcurrant, blackberry, raspberry and violet for flavor and aromatics.

We tasted the 34-proof organic liqueur in a variety of cocktails: one featured Champagne, apricot juice, and pomegranate/blueberry juice; another had raspberry gin, sparkling lemonade, and mint. My favorite contained honey whiskey, agave, a splash of soda and mint garnish. Prévu was also incorporated into some of the dishes, as with the Prévu balsamic reduction topping the heirloom burrata and the roasted Prévu tomato vinaigrette adorning the grilled eggplant caponata. Otherwise, we dined on typical Craig’s menu items like ahi tuna with potato chips, avocado and spicy mayo drizzle and sliced 35-day dry-aged New York steak over mashed potatoes with an oyster mushroom blue cheese compote. The meal ended with fresh vanilla bean pudding topped with huckleberry Prévu compote paired with Prévu, Bailey’s, Kahlua and coffee topped with whipped cream and raspberry garnish.

As a cocktail ingredient, Prévu adds plenty of flavor and sparkle, but it can easily get lost among more complicated concoctions. Many of the drinks had lost their fizz by the time they reached our table; going flat is one of the problems posed by sparkling beverages. Prévu tastes great fresh out of the bottle and will last over a week with the proper closure, but its shelf life is much shorter than the typical liqueur.

Try this sparkling liqueur chilled over ice with a simple raspberry or mint garnish.

Origin: France
Price: $31.99 for 750 ml.
ABV: 17%
By: Prévu