L'Orangerie

Handmade from start to finish - the liqueur starts its journey in January, when the oranges are picked from the trees by hand in Monaco and passed to the L’Orangerie distillery. The oranges are carefully washed, the zest is then extracted by hand, and infused in alcohol for a number of weeks before a small quantity of specially selected natural ingredients are added, to give you the original L’Orangerie liqueur.

At 2.02km sq, Monaco is one of the smallest, but arguably most jewel-like principalities in the world. Ruled by a member of the House of Grimaldi family, who first reigned in 1297, when Francesco Grimaldi (and whose statue stands in front of the palace today) came to reign over the territory.The citrus fruits that grow in Monaco and the surrounding areas of Roquebrune and Menton, that were then part of Monaco’s domain, trace back to this time. Prior to the glamour of the casino and Formula 1, taxing citrus fruits was a major source of income for the ruling family. Locals also saw the value of these precious fruits, trading them with fleets of passing ships looking to stave off scurvy on long voyages to the Americas. They were bartered for items including barrels of rum and other spirits that were floated ashore from the flotillas.

The oranges that come from this region, and that are used in making this liqueur are therefore amongst the rarest available, which truly makes this a unique product. “We have 600 orange trees growing on the streets of the Principality. Hopefully we can plant more in the coming years, in line with the green initiatives supported by the Government. The product is rare, and the demand from both locals and residents is high, so we would like to be able to satisfy as many as possible each harvest – after all, it's a true taste of the Principality”, says founder Mr Philip Culazzo.

Write a review