Lillet Rouge
The darkest and least well-known Lillet. Red Bordeaux with sweet and bitter orange and quinine, full of ripe red fruit, vanilla and spices. Straight over ice, it is an aperitif; in a cocktail, a smoother substitute for red vermouth.
Red wine, orange and a touch of quinine
Lillet Rouge is made from red Bordeaux wine, with merlot as its base, and, like the other colors, receives infusions of sweet and bitter oranges and quinine. The red wine makes it fuller and more robust than Blanc and Rosé: more structure and greater depth.
The aroma features fresh orange, followed by ripe red fruit, vanilla and fine spices. This makes it more like a smooth red vermouth than a light summer aperitif. That makes it the Lillet for autumn and for anyone who enjoys a Negroni or Americano but wants it slightly less bitter.
In brief
Full, fruity and lightly spicy
Orange and red fruit
Fresh orange comes first, followed by ripe red fruit with a warm vanilla note.
Round and smooth
Fuller than the other Lillets, with soft red fruit, vanilla and fine spices. The wine gives it structure.
Spicy and slightly bitter
A medium-length finish with spices and a gentle bitterness from orange peel and quinine.
Flavor profile of Lillet Rouge straight over ice. In a cocktail, the spices and orange come through most prominently.
How to drink Lillet Rouge
Rouge is also best served chilled: straight from the refrigerator and with ice. Think more of an aperitif by the fireplace than on the terrace.
Straight with orange
Pour 60 ml Lillet Rouge over a large ice cube in a tumbler, with a thick orange peel squeezed over the glass. The simplest and perhaps most delicious recipe.
Tumblers →Rouge & soda
50 ml Lillet Rouge with 100 ml soda water in a highball glass filled with ice and a slice of orange. Light, spicy and an alternative to a red spritz.
Highball glasses →In a smooth Negroni
Stir 30 ml gin, 30 ml Campari and 30 ml Lillet Rouge with ice, then strain into a tumbler with one ice cube. Rouge instead of red vermouth makes it fruitier and rounder.
Negroni recipe →Lillet Rouge instead of red vermouth
Wherever a recipe calls for sweet red vermouth, you can try Lillet Rouge. The result is fruitier and less spicy-bitter.
Negroni
Gin, Campari and red vermouth in equal parts. With Lillet Rouge, softer and fruitier.
Americano
Campari, red vermouth and soda. With Rouge, a light, bittersweet aperitif.
Manhattan
Whisky, red vermouth and bitters. Lillet Rouge makes it rounder, with more red fruit.
Sangria
Red wine, fruit and a splash of spirits. A measure of Lillet Rouge adds extra orange.The right glass for Lillet Rouge
A heavy tumbler for neat drinks and the Negroni, a long drink glass for Rouge with soda and a coupe for the Manhattan.
More Lillet flavors
Lillet
Where it all began. On the brand page, you'll find everything about Lillet: origin, varieties and classic cocktails.
Go to Lillet →
Lillet Rosé
Berries, orange blossom and grapefruit. The basis of the Lillet Spritz with tonic and strawberry.
View Lillet Rosé →Everything about aperitifs: the types, the best-known brands and the cocktails.
Questions about Lillet Rouge
Can't find your question here? Read more on the Lillet page or check out our cocktail recipes.
Everything about Lillet →