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Where it all Began
AdvertisementThe Combier story began nearly 180 years ago at
48 Rue Beaurepaire in the picturesque village of Saumur, just 200 miles southwest of Paris in the heart of France’s historic Loire Valley.
AdvertisementLocal confectioners by trade, Jean-Baptiste Combier and his wife operated straight out of their very own kitchen. Together, they shared a dream of inventing something new; something that had never existed before; something with just the right spice, just the right smell, and just the right taste.
AdvertisementA flavor that was truly an original.
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Perfecting the Recipe
After countless years of practice, failure and discovery, Jean-Baptiste’s quest ended in 1834 with the perfect concoction.
Sun-dried orange peels from the West Indies, local spices from the south of France, alcohol from France’s northwest, and secret ingredients from the Loire Valley – a formula that became the world’s first triple sec:
Combier Liqueur d’Orange.
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Triple Sec Distillation
After nearly 180 years, Combier Liqueur d'Orange is still prepared the same way surrounded by the age and warmth of century old copper stills and the intoxicating scent of fruits and berries from the surrounding Loire Valley. It is here where the magic begins.
The process of creating Combier Liqueur d’Orange begins with the rehydration of both sun-dried bitter Haitian and sweet Valencia oranges, the rind of which is then carefully separated from the pith, by hand – a tedious, time consuming process, but one that Jean-Baptiste had insisted upon to remove excess bitterness during distillation. The rinds are then blended and combined with a base spirit of agricultural origin that is ultimately introduced to a first distillation.
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Triple Sec Distillation
This base spirit is then rectified to perfection (96% ABV), a congener-free purity equivalent to the finest vodkas. The natural oils from the fruit are extracted through the maceration over time, following which the second distillation is conducted in 100+ year-old copper pot stills. Only the heart of the second distillation is kept, and that fraction is rectified through a third distillation, to further enhance and refine the perfume.
This results in a true triple sec, which calls for three separate distillations. To that, a careful douceur of natural sugar crystals is added to soften the complex orange aromas, and the finished liqueur is then reduced to 40% ABV and bottled.
Each bottle of Combier is produced, packaged, and shipped from the same location since the 19th century.
