Ingredients
A mistelle base of Roussillon grape must fortified with spirit, blended with red wine and infused with cinchona bark, coffee and cocoa, then aged in giant oak foudres.
- ✦Cinchona (quinine) bark
- ✦Roussillon red wine
- ✦Mistelle grape must
- ✦Coffee
- ✦Cocoa
- ✦Bitter orange peel
History of the Brand
Brothers Simon and Pallade Violet, travelling cloth merchants, began blending Byrrh in Thuir in 1866 and sold it first through pharmacies as a quinine tonic.
The name was reputedly picked from letters on a bolt of fabric — deliberately meaningless, and therefore trademarkable.
By the 1930s Byrrh was France's best-selling aperitif, promoted with some of the most collectable poster art of the era.
The Thuir cellars still hold the largest oak vat in the world at over one million litres; Byrrh returned to the United States in 2012 and quickly became a bartender staple.
Tasting Characteristics
Dried cherry, cocoa nib, coffee, orange peel.
Sweet red-fruit wine up front, then quinine bitterness with mocha and baking spice.
Medium, dry, faintly tannic.
Flavor meter
How to serve it
- 01Chilled on its own over ice with an orange slice.
- 02As a sweet vermouth substitute in a Manhattan or Boulevardier.
- 03Byrrh and tonic with a lemon twist.
- 04Split base with rye for a softer, cocoa-tinged Toronto.
Where to Get It
Back in wide US distribution since 2012; easy to find in France.
Specialty liquor stores
Shelved with vermouths and quinquinas; refrigerate after opening.
Online retailers
Sold as Byrrh Grand Quinquina; occasional Rare Assemblage bottlings.
French supermarkets
A standard aperitif shelf item.
Where to buy Byrrh Grand Quinquina
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Byrrh Grand Quinquina FAQ
What is Byrrh?
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A French wine-based aperitif from Thuir, blending red wine and mistelle with cinchona bark, coffee and cocoa, at 17% ABV.
Does Byrrh need refrigeration?
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Yes — it is wine-based, so keep it in the fridge after opening and drink within a month or two.
What can I substitute for Byrrh?
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Sweet vermouth or another quinquina such as Bonal, though Byrrh is richer and more cocoa-driven.