Day two of la Toussaint holiday was perfect for a spontaneous tour of a local company that makes liqueurs- one of the three still around since the sugary distilled beverages started being made in the region around the end of the 19th century. Popular French thought might lead to the assumption that it was the pharmacists who first created liqueurs for medicinal purposes but it actually began with the monks (you learn a lot at these tours!) The pharmacist Giffard started his business in 1885 in Angers with a guignolet liqueur made of a bitter and a sweet wild cherry.
Below are the "big bag(s) de sucre" because sometimes its cool to use English for these things...
Liqueurs, crèmes, and sirops (listed in order of alcohol percentage- with sirop containing none) are being bottled below. In France it's a typical drink for kids to have a glass of water with sirop added. This is the bright green mint drink that I'll see people all over town drinking at the cafés.
At the end we tried a few different kinds of Giffard. First it was the Guignolet d'Angers. Every year they make a new flavor and last year was elderflower, fleur de sureau so we sampled that next. And then I tried the Menthe Pastille- my favorite that can be an apéritif or a digestif depending on how/when it's served. It was named after a popular candy for soar throats. And lastly the crème de cassis because it is the most popular in Angers. In the States Giffard is only available at professional establishments but in France it can be purchased even at les grandes surfaces, supermarkets.
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