Ricou Spirits

Jennifer Querbes, President of Ricou Spirits, founded Brandy Sainte Louise to fulfil the desire of bartenders who have been searching for a classic, fruit-forward French brandy similar in style to those used in the vast majority of historic cocktail recipes from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The unique blend of copper pot distilled eaux-de-vie is aged in French oak in the Cognac region of Charente, where the terroir and expertise are legendary and have set the highest standards for brandy production throughout history. The elevated ABV of 43% expresses the perfect balance of fruit and complexity, showcasing the flavor and aroma of the Brandy, while providing balance and structure in cocktails and highlighting the best attributes of additional ingredients. Brandy Sainte Louise represents historic French brandy unmatched in the 21st century in terms of quality and price. Discerning cocktail professionals and enthusiasts alike can now reopen their vintage cocktail books and craft the finest brandy-based cocktails from the past.

Prior to launching Brandy Sainte Louise in 2018, Querbes held manifold positions in the spirits industry -- including working on the floor of a distillery, national sales manager for numerous brands, distillery start-up consulting, and just about everything in between. While researching historic 19th and 10th century cocktail recipes as the Global Brand Ambassador for Tempus Fugit Spirits, she was inspired by the overwhelming proportion of early mixed drink recipes that include brandy as the primary base spirit. Employing the tradition and process of the French brandy negociant, Querbes began working with a French Cellar Master to achieve her vision. She proposed the challenge of blending the best regional eaux-de-vie of varying ages to produce a rich and balanced quintessential French brandy. Jennifer took her samples cross country, allowing bartenders to review and experiment with the brandy in a vast range of classic cocktail recipes. The final blend and ABV was achieved with the expertise of illustrious bartenders worldwide. 

In the 19th and 20th centuries, as the Golden Age of Cocktails was gathering steam and bartenders all over the world were authoring the classic compendium we still use today, ugni blanc variety French brandies were world-renowned. Tragically, due to the phylloxora infestation in Europe, prohibition in the US, and World Wars I and II, French brandy was not available domestically, so it was replaced with available spirits such as gin, bourbon, and rye whiskey. In recent times, bartenders have neglected these timeless, brandy-based cocktails due to the limited availability of quality spirits priced for mixing drinks and the relatively high cost of imported French products.

This product is produced in collaboration with a renowned cellar master from Cognac and is comprised primarily of ugni blanc grapes from just outside the Cognac AOC. The traditional, centuries-old French négociant production method of sourcing, aging and blending the highest quality eaux de vie possible utilizes the best of both worlds: production expertise of the cognac region, but without the limitations of the Cognac AOC. The result is an overbuilt French brandy that offers an unmatched quality to price (value) ratio.

Brandy Sainte Louise is a unique blend of Charentais copper pot distilled eaux-de-vie, aged in French oak between 3 to 10 years in the Cognac region of Charente. The terroir and expertise in this region are legendary and have set the highest standards for brandy production throughout history. In regard to age comparison, Brandy Sainte Louise lies between V.S. and X.O., but is offered at a price previously reserved for much more immature brandies that are less balanced in flavor profile. The increased ABV of 43% benefits its function in cocktails, showcasing the flavor and aroma of the Brandy while providing balance and structure for accompanying ingredients.  

REGION

Armagnac was one of the first areas in France to begin distilling spirits, but the overall volume of production is far smaller than cognac production and therefore is less known outside Europe. In addition, it is for the most part made and sold by small producers, whereas cognac production is dominated by big-name brands.