Lillet, the quintessential aperitif of Bordeaux, has recently discovered a vintage KINA LILLET bottle from 1967, one of the last bottles in existence. As of April 18, 2015, this artifact has entered the permanent collection of The Museum of the American Cocktail’s New Orleans location, which lives inside the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans, LA.
Lillet is an iconic brand in the spirits community, established in 1872 in Podensac, France, a small city outside of Bordeaux. Every stage of production takes place at the Lillet distillery and has remained consistent throughout the years, evolving only slightly to reflect oenological advancements and technical improvements. The secret ingredients remain unchanged; and the proprietary recipe is closely guarded by the cellar master, ensuring Lillet’s iconic status as the quintessential aperitif of Bordeaux.
This KINA LILLET bottle from 1967 unveils many of the cultural differences throughout the French brand’s history, most notably the addition of Kina in the name. When Lillet was first established in the late 19th century, quinine, an ingredient that is still used in Lillet’s formula today, was an important and popular ingredient of the time since it was used to fight fevers and ease Malaria symptoms. In the early part of the 1970s, Maison Lillet removed Kina from the brand name calling it simply Lillet. Kina, which derives from Quinquina, had become a generic term used by many aperitifs to reinforce its quinine content and was no longer relevant for the times. As for the spelling of Lillet with one L or two, Lillet was a family name and the Lillet brothers wanted their name to be pronounced correctly: LL which was pronounced “ye” not L. This vintage is also particularly notable as 1967 was considered a good harvest year for the Sauternes region, one of the locations Lillet sources their grapes.
KINA LILLET was made even more famous worldwide when James Bond requested a martini made with KINA LILLET in Casino Royale in the 1950s. This rare bottle from 1967 will remind cocktail enthusiasts and visitors of the Museum of the American Cocktail the important place Lillet had in pop culture.
“We were astonished when this vintage KINA LILLET bottle from 1967 was found. As one of the last known bottles in existence, it is serendipitous that the Museum of American Cocktail was opening within the Southern Food & Beverage Museum,” said Lillet Brand Manager, Laurence Costa. “We’re glad that we are able to contribute such an important piece to this outstanding organization which celebrates cocktail culture and history.”
Visitors of Museum of the American Cocktail (MOTAC) will be able to see the 1967 KINA LILLET bottle as part of their Lost Spirits exhibition. MOTAC will use the vintage bottle to help tell the story of the martini—its development and evolution, from the Martinez to the Vesper and beyond. It will occupy a central place in the narrative and will be featured with other key artifacts. The bottle will also be a part of the museum’s traveling collection to be displayed at MOTAC’s Los Angeles collection as they celebrate the history of the aperitif in a seminar on May 11, 2015. The Museum of the American Cocktail is open in the Southern Food and Beverage Museum at 1504 Oretha C. Haley Boulevard, New Orleans, LA, and is open to the public Thursday through Monday from 11am to 5:30pm. Admission is $10 for Adults; $5 for Students (with ID) and seniors over 60. Children under 12 accompanied by an adult are admitted Free.
For more information, visit www.lillet.com.
