It’s pretty hard to find the best lillet blanc substitute from a huge substitution list offered by various wine dealers and bar drinkers. So, if you are a lillet blanc lover and often suffer its shortage, don’t worry. Here is a short and to-the-point collection of suitable alternatives you can use instead of lillet blanc for drinking, cooking or preparing cocktails.
Lillet blanc is a wine-based spirit flavored by quinine, lily of the valley petals, Bordeaux grapes, spices, herbs, and citrus. It’s an aromatized French aperitif and is one of the other lillet varieties like lillet rose, kina lillet, and lillet rouge.
What you can do if you are out of lillet blanc to serve it with starters or appetizers on a thanksgiving treat? Can you substitute any other aperitif or wine you have in your liquor section already? Want to know, keep reading.
Lillet Blanc Substitute
Nothing is more frustrating than finding an emptied lillet bottle just before serving a meal especially when you and your family love sipping lillet. We all find ourselves in such a situation more often. At that time, we are at the mercy of substitutes you can use instead of the target mainstay.
In another case, many people want something more refreshing, little bit different from lillet wines, and look for a comparable alternative. In both conditions, one can go for the following lillet blanc substitutes which are readily available and reviving for the palate.
1. Kina L’Avion D’or
L’Avion D’or is also a French aperitif similarly uses quinine as a primary ingredient along with white wine and other spices. The result is an amazing quinquina drink which offers a complex yet delicate sip of wine with a mildly bitter aftertaste.
If switched for lillet Blanc, its classy exquisite flavor is enough to revive everyone refreshingly. Don’t let it down, be sure no one can even find a difference between these two flavorful quinquinas.
L’Avion D’or is also a great cocktail ingredient ready to be used instead of lillet Blanc and other lillet drinks.
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2. Cocchi Americano
Come out of French aperitifs, what about Cocchi Americano? Similarly flavored by quinine yet coupled with a Moscato wine and a variety of spices, Cocchi Americana is also a great substitute for lillet Blanc.
It’s an Italian aperitif and when compared in terms of flavor both, Cocchi Americana is strongly aromatic, flavorsome, and a bit more bitter to the palate. Getting Cocchi Americana is relatively easy and cheap.
You can find it in the liquor section of local stores and even bars or restaurants. So, whenever you find yourself short on lillet Blanc, give a try to Cocchi Americana. It can also replace lillet Blanc in traditional cocktails and wine-based drinks.
3. Amaro Angeleno
Don’t like the bitter aftertaste of aperitifs, go for amaro Angeleno. It can be your best aperitif, digestif, cocktail ingredient, and a great alternative for lillet Blanc. Explore here whether amaro nonino satisfy your needs the best or not.
The distinct flavor of amaro Angeleno and other amari drinks is because of the different ingredient profile than lillet Blanc.
Amaro Angeleno isn’t contain white wine but offers a combination of brandy and Pinot Grigio infused with a lot of citrusy and aromatic herbs. The result is an attractive aromatic drink enriched with a smooth, sweet, and herbal flavor coupled with a floral aroma.
4. St. Germaine
St. Germaine is also another less bitter and more flavorful option similar to amaro Angeleno. It comprises fresh elderflowers as an essential ingredient for floral aroma and gets its feature sweetness from many tropical fruits.
The extracted liquor is then infused with wine and spices to make it an incredibly satisfying aperitif or cocktail ingredient. It’s a good lillet Blanc substitute for people who are disliking the bitter side of quinquinas including the lillet varieties.
5. Dry Sherry
Dry Sherry is a great lillet Blanc alternative when comes to cooking. It’s a fortified wine produced as a result of fermentation with very little sugar content. Therefore, a liquor produced as a result offers a strong crisp to the palate with a tangy aftertaste instead of the bitter flavor of lillet Blanc.
It’s also a good aperitif, cocktail mainstay, and a great recipe secret. So, diversify your list of lillet Blanc substitutes by adding dry Sherry to use in your foods or drink straight.
Read also: Amontillado Sherry Substitute
6. Sweet White Vermouth
Sweet white vermouth is most common, easy to get liquor, and closely related to lillet Blanc in terms of flavor. Thanks to its floral sweet taste notes, it has become a delightful aperitif and cocktail essential.
There’s a wide range of vermouths available differing in the flavor they impart to the palate. Some are on the sweet side while some are on tangy bitter side to stimulate the taste buds extremely. So, find out the vermouth you like the most for straight drinking or making a refreshing cocktail to substitute lillet Blanc.
7. Salers Aperitifs
Finally, salers aperitif comes in handy when you are craving something equally bitter like lillet Blanc and also sweet like vermouth. Salers aperitif offers a great balanced combo of sweet-bitter taste notes intermediate to the lillet.
It’s also widely available, cheaper to get, and can be used in a number of delicious ways. Perfect for serving as an aperitif, making a wine-based cocktail, and drinking plain on the rocks.
Lillet Blanc Substitute For Cocktails
Old Etonian, French connection, vesper, and rising star are classic cocktails recipes call for lillet Blanc as the mainstay ingredient. But when you have no lillet Blanc, is there any replacement you can add to the cocktails? And the answer is yes, there are lot more options for preparing fantastic cocktails even without lillet Blanc. Practically, Martini Rosso and Kina Dubonnet are worthy candidates.
8. Martini Rosso
Martini Rosso is dry red vermouth great for lending a bitter-sweet floral flavor to cocktail recipes. It includes a vast collection of botanicals, spices, flavorings, and caramel goodness resulting in a liquor deliciously balanced and smooth to the palate.
It’s also an eye-popping aperitif served with appetizers and starters before a thanksgiving meal. When used in cocktails, Martini Rosso perfectly emulates the flavor of lillet Blanc which ultimately makes it an irresistible substitute when comes to replace lillet in cocktails.
9. Kina Dubonnet
Kina dubonnet is another best option when comes to switching bitter sweet flavor of lillet Blanc in cocktails and wine-based beverages. Dubonnet is a versatile wine, quinquina to be exact, similar to lillet Blanc.
Fortified with wine and infused aromatics such as herbs, spices, quinine, and cane sugar, kina dubonnet is a complex savory aperitif perfect for stimulating the palate noticeably. It’s also great for plain drinking and works the best when added to other wines and drinks as a lillet Blanc substitute.
FAQ’s
What Does Lillet Blanc Taste Like?
Lillet Blanc is a French wine spirit usually served as an aperitif and a reviving cocktail staple. It gets its light crisp and subtle sweet flavor from white wine, floral aroma from a range of botanicals, and bitter taste notes from cinchona bark and quinine. In combination, it lends a classy exquisite flavor to cocktails and is similarly delectable when used for plain drinking.
Is Lillet Blanc A Vermouth?
Although lillet Blanc resembles vermouth, they are entirely different. Lillet Blanc isn’t vermouth because it is made of different ingredients including cinchona bark and quinine while vermouth majorly contains wormwood.
There’s also a vast difference in a flavor profile as lillet is more on bitter sweet side whereas vermouth is a sweet fruity liquor. Despite these differences, vermouth can entirely substitute lillet blanc and vice versa.
Does Lillet Blanc Go Bad?
Once opened, lillet Blanc tends to go bad readily. Therefore, it is recommended to refrigerate the lillet bottle once opened, and used within a month. Otherwise, it will lose its delicate balance of subtle sweet, floral, and citrusy flavor. You can also use a vacuum sealing cork if your lillet bottle has no metal cap. When unopened, it can last for up to a year in the refrigerator.
Thereby, lillet Blanc needs to be refrigerated whether it’s opened or not to keep it fresh and stable for longer.
How To Serve Lillet Blanc?
Lillet Blanc is a versatile wine when comes to serving and enjoying. You can either drink it straight by adding it neat on the rocks or mix it with any other fortified wine or vermouth.
If lillet Blanc is your favorite aperitif, enjoy so. To make a palatable aperitif, add lillet to the glass along with club soda and ice cubes.
When craving a flavorful cocktail, add lillet Blanc to other wines and vermouth to boost the overall flavor.
