The iris has long been prized for its colorful beauty, delicate aroma and noble connotations. Since the Renaissance it has symbolized the long-flourishing Italian city of Florence, where the world’s most famous iris garden can be found. Today irises still decorate the surrounding Italian region of Tuscany. Eugene, Oregon-based Elixir, Inc., founded by Florence-born Andrea Loreto, celebrates the flower’s long, storied history, and gives a nod to its Italian tradition, with Iris Liqueur.
Given its aromatic rhizome, it’s no surprise that the iris makes an equally aromatic liqueur. Free from additives of any kind, it displays a golden straw color in the bottle. The 70-proof liqueur’s aroma can be construed as a bouquet of delicate purple flowers (irises, violets and even a touch of lavender), while the perfume-sweet drink ties in contrasting hints of freshly cut grass and a squeeze of lemony citrus on the finish. Loreto recommends sipping Iris in a variety of cocktails that incorporate sweet, citrusy and herbaceous ingredients to strike beautiful notes with the floral elixir.
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