Claire Briottet, the French Queen of Cassis

by Daniel Cooney

The Briottet Liqueur Company has been making top-of-the-line fruit liqueurs in Dijon, France since 1848. It is a family-run business that has continued through several generations and is currently being managed by Claire Briottet, along with her brother, Vincent. Claire is the first Woman Director in the company’s history, and she has even been referred to as: “The Queen of Cassis.” We recently had a chance to catch up with Claire for a short Q&A session and here’s what we learned:

Can you give our readers a quick summary of what you produce at Briottet?

Briottet is a family-owned company, well known for its Crème de Cassis de Dijon. We have been “Liquoristes” for 6 generations.

How many different liqueur flavors do you currently produce, and which is the most popular?

Each generation of the Briottet family has added to and developed the range, so we now have 65 different liqueurs in our portfolio. The most popular is still cassis (blackcurrant) and then it’s mûre and pêche (blackberry and peach).

Sales volumes are different between France and abroad. France is more classic with cassis, pêche, and mûre which are usually served by adding them to white wine. Abroad our liqueurs seem to be used in a wider range of cocktails created by mixologists, and as a result, Triple Sec, Blue Curaçao, and Violet are very popular.

Do certain flavors suddenly trend and if so, which is the most trending flavor at the moment?

Yes, we do see trends from time to time. For example, we didn’t expect such high-volume demand for passion fruit liqueur. Suddenly, volumes doubled in 2017, and then tripled thanks to the “Porn Star Martini” cocktail, which is now considered a classic, so for now, volumes remain high.

Does the “Jules Theuriet” brand of liqueurs honor one of your ancestors?

Exactly, my great, great, great grandfather, Jules Theuriet, started the company and then his daughter, Juliette, who is my great, great grandmother, married Edmond Briottet. So, at the beginning, our brand was Jules Theuriet, then eventually it became Theuriet-Briottet and now it is, for the most part, only Briottet.

Is the Jules Theuriet brand exclusive to the USA?

Heavenly Spirits is the only company importing and promoting the Jules Theuriet label right now.

Do you have any personal favorite cocktails you could share?

We produce many liqueurs, but my favorite is still crème de cassis (maybe because we were allowed to sip it when we were children). As far as cocktails, I really like this one that my husband and I created together when we were confined due to the covid situation. Bars were closed and we were prevented from seeing our friends, so every Saturday evening became our “Cocktail Making Session.”

We called this one, “Black Pamp” It’s a great cocktail, and easy to make:

Black Pamp

2 parts crème de cassis, 1 part gin, 1 squeeze of fresh lemon juice, 3 parts grapefruit juice. Shake with crushed ice and strain into a coupe glass. That’s it.

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The Porn Star Martini (AKA Passion Star Martini) was first created in London by Douglas Ankrah, and it even has its own Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porn_star_martini

1 1/2 ounces vanilla flavored vodka

1/2-ounce Jules Theuriet /Briottet passion fruit liqueur

1 ounce passion fruit puree

1/2-ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed

1/2-ounce ARTEZ Arvani Vanilla Armagnac

2 ounces sparkling wine, or Champagne chilled and served in a shot glass on the side

Garnish: 1/2 slice passion fruit

This content was originally published in France-Amerique magazine in March, 2022.