Fig Leaf Liqueur
Parafante Fig Leaf Liqueur is distilled in London, using fig leaves harvested and dried in Calabria in Italy, an area rich in tasty natural produce.
I regularly get emails from companies asking me to review their spirits, which is always lovely. I can’t always say yes, but some are irresistible. One of those was from a name new to me, Parafante, but the prospect of trying their first product, a Fig Leaf Liqueur from Calabria in Italy, had my mouth watering – and how often can you say that about an email?
Calabria
Calabria is the region that forms the toe of Italy’s boot, a rugged area that’s noted for its produce, and for the cuisine that comes out of it. It’s a fertile landscape that produces bergamots, lemons, olives, onions, and figs, amongst many other things. Calabria has also been making wine since the Ancient Greeks landed there and it was called Enotria, ‘land of wine’.
Parafante
The Parafante website explains where their name comes from:
‘Paolo “Parafante” Mancuso was a legendary brigand, born in the Calabrian province of Consenza in the late-eighteenth century, and one of thousands who took up arms during decades leading up to and immediately following Italian unification to defend the independence of the south.’
The company was formed by two friends, Graziano Madeo and Matthias Ingelmann. Madeo was born and grew up in Amendolara (‘village of the almonds’) but moved to London in 2007 and has worked in the bar and restaurant business ever since. He says it was always his ambition to start his own company to promote the produce and cuisine of Calabria to the outside world.
Ingelmann was born in Germany but has also lived in Italy and in the last few years has been working in some of the best bars and restaurants in both London and Paris. This Fig Leaf Liqueur is the first of several modern liqueurs the company plans to put on the market, all using ingredients from Calabria.
Tasting Fig Leaf Liqueur
The liqueur comes in short and chunky 500ml bottles, and is 20% ABV (40 proof). It’s a straw-like colour, and smelling and tasting it was a total surprise. I’d expected a sweetish liqueur because I was concentrating on the word fig and ignoring the word leaf.
No, this is made from the leaves of the fig tree. As such, while there are some slightly sweet elements, it’s much more earthy. There are definitely ‘figgy’ notes on both the nose and the palate, but also woody and nutty tastes and aromas. It even reminded me partly of the agave scents and flavours you get in tequila. On top of that, there’s a little tropical fruit, too. Overall, it’s a hard one to pin down. It is definitely more savoury than sweet, and is like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. It’s unique, and certainly something to try.
Using Fig Leaf Liqueur
You can drink Fig Leaf Liqueur neat as either an aperitif or digestif, chilled from the fridge or with an ice cube popped in. It’s also going to be one of those drinks you can pour over ice cream for an exceptional and very different dessert.
However, you can also use it in unusual ways in cocktails, and there are cocktail recipes on the company’s website. You can simply mix it with a good-quality tonic, make a Spritz with it, or use it in a Negroni or an Old Fashioned.
Buying Parafante Fig Leaf Liqueur
You can buy this tasty Fig Leaf Liqueur direct from the Parafante website shop. At the current UK price of £22, it’s a bargain. If you live in the UK you can also buy it on Amazon.
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