Lillet

Lillet (French pronunciation: [li'le]) classed as an aromatised wine within EU law, is a French aperitif wine from Podensac, a small village south of Bordeaux. It is a blend of 85% Bordeaux region wines (Semillon for the Blanc and for the Rosé, Merlot for the Rouge) and 15% macerated liqueurs, mostly citrus liqueurs (peels of sweet oranges from Spain and Morocco and peels of bitter green oranges from Haiti). The mix is then stirred in oak vats until blended. During the ageing process, Lillet is handled as a Bordeaux wine (undergoing fining, racking, filtering etc.).

In the original Kina Lillet formulation (so named with respect to its status as a quinquina), quinine liqueur made of cinchona bark from Peru was included among its ingredients. Its manufacturers removed the quinine-containing cinchona bark from their recipe in 1985, drastically altering what was the core bitter element in an effort to keep pace with changing preferences. Cocchi Americano, an Italian aperitif wine, is the closest present-day analog to the original Kina Lillet flavor profile.