Objective Notes

Extremely Smooth (on the RnD scale of Harsh-Smooth-Very Smooth-Extremely Smooth)

Créole Shrubb’s color shows a pale golden orange, hinting its essence.  Aromas of fragrant candy-like orange dominate, well balanced with subtle tart orange peel.  Far less pronounced are the oaken vanilla, nutmeg and clove spices.  The initial taste is similarly big on orange flavor, but slightly less sweet than the aromas, and extremely smooth.  Clinging thick to the glass tells you before sipping that this rhum liqueur is full bodied from the added cane juice.  Then it envelops your tongue before finishing long, sweet, echoing sultry, everlasting flavors of orange and orange zest, rhum, subtle vanilla and clove.

Anecdotal Notes

Dave – Truly a rum-based, orange-infused liqueur as much as a rhum, Créole Shrubb combines white and aged rhums, naturally flavored with with macerated bitter orange peel and Caribbean spices and sweetened with pure cane juice, then rested for a couple of months after blending.

Taster’s Opinion

Dave – No doubt Créole Shrubb is a delicious sipping liqueur that lends itself especially well to cocktails, but how you get the most out of it?  I asked two of the best rum mixologists across the USA to reveal how Créole Shrubb is used in their dramatically cool rum bars.

Martin Cate, Owner, Smuggler’s Cove, San Francisco:  “Créole Shrubb makes an excellent alternative to quite a few orange liqueurs, like Cointreau.  It's 80 proof and has less sugar than cheap triple secs and curacaos.  Most Shrubbs like the Clément also have a hint of spice in them, which gives them a subtle additional depth.  Use in virtually any drink that calls for orange liqueur, like a Mai Tai or Margarita.  As with all things like this, it may not be ideal in the same ratio that a Grand Marnier, for example, was called for.  In other words, you will want to taste it in the drink and adjust as needed to your palate and to the recipe.”

Adam Kanter, Owner, Rum Bar, Philadelphia:  “I designed a drink around the Créole Shrubb a couple years back, and it continues to be among my favorite recipes. It is our Creole Daiquiri, created

because Ben Jones, descendant of founder Homére Clément and head of Clement USA … essentially challenged me to devise this drink. It needed the basics; fresh squeezed lime juice, a sweetener (I went with the easy choice, simple syrup), and Creole Shrubb. I find the Créole Shrubb to be a nice marriage of the juice and the zest of an orange. Therefore I accented it with a dash of orange juice and a dash of orange bitters. To give the drink some kick, I added some cajun seasoning atop. This gave the cocktail a cool balance of sweet, sour, spicy, and salty, with an orange ambience.”

Roger – Clément Créole Shrubb is a superb orange liqueur made with  a blend of Clément white and aged rhums along with bitter orange peel and other traditional spices crafted following an old Créole recipe handed down generation after generation. Clément Créole Shrubb is perfect in any cocktail calling for an orange based liqueur and as it’s produced by Clément you know you are getting the highest quality product. Becoming more widely available in US markets it’s a great addition to any bar.

Taster's Rating (10 is best):  Dave – 8.5 Flasks, Roger - 8.5 Flasks.

Most recently tasted by:  Dave and Roger, January 2011 at RnD’s South  and North Tasting Rooms, USA.

*750ml unless otherwise specified