Chambord cocktails have enjoyed a lot of popularity in modern bar menus, and the list of drinks that you can make with Chambord is ever-growing because of the liqueurs versatility and unique flavor as a cocktail ingredient.
What is Chambord?
Chambord is marketed as a 'Black Raspberry Liqueur' and is currently produced by the Brown-Forman corporation. The liqueur is based on a French raspberry liqueur that has it's roots in the Loire Valley of France sometime in the late 1600s. This liqueur was reportedly presented to the French monarch Louis XIV at the Château de Chambord. It's opulent history is reflected in the marketing and bottling of the liqueur, with a Chambord bottle instantly recognizable on any bar shelf by its glamorous 'globus cruciger-inspired' orb shape (although recent redesigning and tampering of the traditional bottle design has been met with popular criticism).
What goes with Chambord?
The liqueur itself is created from a blend of red and black raspberries, Madagascar vanilla, Moroccan citrus peel, honey and cognac. Like many liqueurs, Chambord is sweet tasting, and its alcohol content is around the 20% alcohol by volume mark (16.5% to be precise). Due to these properties, it works well with unsweetened ingredients (like a dry white wine or champagne), or perhaps coupled with lemon or lime juice (to balance it's sweetness) or with a stronger base spirit like vodka to boost the alcohol content of a drink.
Chambord fits nicely into the 'family' of traditional berry-infused liqueurs such as Crème de cassis and Crème de mûre and can often be used in their place to give a more interesting taste to 'old school' drinks like the Kir, Kir Royale, or Bramble.
It can also be added to well-known cocktails like a mojito, margarita, or daquiri to create a 'black-raspberry' version of the drink (perhaps coupled with either fresh raspberries or a raspberry puree).
Show me the recipes!
Although a list of recipes including Chambord would be non-exhaustive, below are some simple Chambord cocktails you can enjoy either at home or on your next night out:
French Martini
A very simple and fruity cocktail!
Chill a martini glass.
In a shaker add ice, two shots of vodka, 2 and a 1/2 shots of pineapple juice and 1/2 shot of Chambord. (It doesn't seem like much but it has a very powerful flavour)
Place the top on the shaker and shake vigorously for about twenty seconds.
Strain off into the glass - topping with the foamy head.
Garnish with a twist of lemon rind.
La Boheme
A sexy, hip cocktail!
Chill a martini glass.
Put ice into a shaker and add 1 shot of vodka, 1/2 shot of elderflower cordial, 1/2 shot of chambord and 1 and a 1/2 shots of cranberry juice.
Cover and shake.
Pour into glass.
(for an extra touch of class you can add gold flakes to the rim of the glass!)
Tokyo Sky
For a really cool cocktail that you can impress all your friends with:
Pour 12.5ml of Chambord into a champagne flute
Then carefully layer 25ml Guava juice on top of that using a spoon to trickle the juice onto the Chambord.
Use the same technique to fill the rest of the flute with champagne.
Finally drop a raspberry into the glass as a garnish.
Looks great when served, but needs a gentle stir before drinking to blend all the flavors and colors together.
