PR Carte Noir Brandy Essence 20 ml

PR Carte Noir Brandy Essence 20 ml

Carte Noir is the brandy for the late hours. When the lamps are dimmed, the music is low and nobody is in a hurry to be anywhere, this is the sort of drink you want in your glass: dark, dense and full of layers that unfold little by little. It is the most lavish brandy essence in the family, created using only natural ingredients of the highest quality.

The difference shows in the depth. Where an ordinary brandy stops at raisins and vanilla, Carte Noir keeps going down – towards dried dark fruits, cocoa, nuts and a smoky-sweet note of pipe tobacco. This is a brandy to sit with, rather than one to lose in a mixer.

Colour & Appearance

The colour is dark mahogany with deep red flashes at the rim, clearly darker than an ordinary brandy. The drink moves heavily and almost oilily in the balloon glass, leaving broad, slow tears behind on the sides.

Nose

The nose is dark and complex. Prunes and figs greet you first, closely followed by candied orange peel and dark chocolate. With a little air, walnut, pipe tobacco and old leather emerge, together with toasted oak, a nutty, mellow depth and a suggestion of clove.

Palate

The palate is concentrated and many-layered. It opens with sweet, almost syrupy fruit – prunes, fig jam and dates – quickly joined by bitter cocoa and candied orange. In the middle, walnut and roasted hazelnuts take their place, and towards the end come tobacco, coffee and warm oak with a dry, elegant firmness that balances the sweetness. The mouthfeel is full and velvety, with a warmth that spreads slowly through the chest.

Finish

The finish is Carte Noir’s hallmark: very long and fading in stages. First dark chocolate and orange peel, then walnut and tobacco, and last of all a dry note of toasted oak that stays for several minutes.

How to Use

The essence is mixed with vodka or neutral spirit. 20 ml makes 750 ml of finished spirit drink, which can be enjoyed right away. Instructions are on the label.

Serving Suggestions

• Neat in a roomy balloon glass warmed in the hand – give it time in the glass.
• With a square of dark, high-cocoa chocolate or a chocolate truffle.
• With the cheeseboard – blue cheese with fig jam and walnuts in particular.
• In a stirred drink with sugar syrup and aromatic bitters, served over one large ice cube.
• As company for a strong espresso and a good book.

About the Essence

Carte Noir is part of the PR (Prestige) series and is the extra-luxurious brandy of the range, composed solely of natural ingredients of the highest quality. Choose it when you want to offer something out of the ordinary – or give a bottle you have mixed yourself to someone who appreciates dark, deep flavours.

Anyone who takes to the style will also find the essence in 280 ml, 1000 ml and 25 litres, for the party, the bar and the professional producer respectively.