ACCUEIL  HISTORIQUE  APERITIFS  CREMES  FRUITS  LIQUEURS  TARIF  CONTACT  VOS RECETTES  POINTS DE VENTE

The distillery Lachèze was not settled by chance in Marmande.

It is here because there are numerous horticultural holdings and orchards.

Indeed, the valley of the Garonne is with the Ukraine and California the only area in the world which produces pippin fruits and fruits with stones. Moreover, the Marmandais is situtated in the climatic limit of numerous varities of fruits trees. We have therefore on the spot every sort of fruits that the cultivators of the area grow us.

The season begins with strawberries, then cherries, apricots, green plums, greengages (cherry plums), plums d’Ente which are used to make Agen prunes.

All those fruits are delivered, selected, cleaned and prepared in a particular way : some are used raw, others are blanched, dried, cooked, or crystallized.

Once prepared, those fruits are macerated in a liqueur composed of alcohol, sugar and water.

This maceration, can be done directly in jars, for crystallized fruits for exemple, but the majority is done in vats. In this last case, fruits are given a true uplift as it is sard also up a wine.

This operation have several stages where fruits are changed into liqueur are reheaded, are sweetened over several periods and different dates according to the nature of fruits. Progressively, we raise thus the level of sugar and the degree of alcohol.

The degree are given a particular scrutting his for two reasons : the one is the importance of taxes deducted by the State from alcohols, which is called duties and which represent considerable sums. The other is the quality of product because we have to prevent the fruits being attacked by alcohol and them curling. It is necessary on the contrary to leave them get in progressively alcohol which will season flavours instead of destroying them.

One having attained a good degree of preparation, fruits are put in jars. This operation is more complicated that it seems to be because fruits are settled : greengage plums are always put the stalk towards the inside of the bottle to improve the presentation and the cocktails are arranged by layers of fruits arranged in a spiral. It is said that cocktails are taken on stick because of that.

Then it is the labelling and the packing in cardboard cases.

The maceration juices are not lost. Liqueurs become little by little saturated with sugar and savour or fruits and it would be a pity to lose them. The majority is used to make liqueurs : strawberry liqueur, raspberry, guignole, seve d’armagnac. All give rise to new macerations with, with additional aromas and of course with tapping off and successive filterings. The same processes are used to prepare aperitives like……

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