Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange, made in Martinique has a long tradition that dates to 1887. Made from a blend of white rum and aged rum infused with bitter orange peels and Créole spices, Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange is a winning combination that will enchant your palate as an aperitif, used in cocktails, or in your favorite culinary recipes.

When Homère Clément, (born in 1852 in Trinité, Martinique), acquired the Habitation and founded Rhum Clément in 1887, little did he realize that he was creating a lasting legacy. After his death in 1923, his son Charles, and Charles's sons, Georges-Louis and Jean-José, continued what Homère had created at Habitation Clément. Today, the 18th century Habitation Clément is one of the oldest estates on the island.

Clement Maison in Martinique

Ben Jones, a descendant of Homère Clément, continues the Clément family tradition by introducing the international market to the Rhum Clément family of products, Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange, Clément Première Canne Rhum Agricole, White Rhum, Rhum Clément Rhum Vieux Agricole V.S.O.P. Rum, Rhum Clément X.O., and Rhum Clément Cuvée Homère.

Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange: 40% alcohol is the traditional holiday spirit of Martinique. The alcohol by volume (ABV) for liqueurs varies from as low as 15% to as high as 40%, which is the normal level that you would find in spirits such as rum, vodka, whiskey, tequila, or gin. Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange, at 40% alcohol by volume, is a full-bodied spirit, a delicious blend of white rum and aged rum infused with bitter orange peels and Créole spices.  

 
Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange

Speaking with Ben, he told me that what makes the Clément products so special is that Martinique is blessed with volcanic soil and a hot and humid climate. There is a lot of rain and good drainage. The winds from the Atlantic Ocean create a natural type of "air conditioning" to cool down the sugar cane. Another defining factor is that Martinique makes what they call "rhum agricole," which is rum made from freshly crushed sugar cane juice, as opposed to other parts of the world that make rum from molasses. The nose of rhum agricole is unlike any other type of rum, it has freshness, lots of herbal notes, and a pronounced sweetness that also comes across on the palate. The combination of soil, air, rain, and ventilation, in addition to the unique attributes of the sugar cane, all contribute to the exceptional  taste of Rhum Clément. Coupled with the talents of the Master Distiller Emanuel Becheau, and  Cellar Master Robert Peronet, an icon in Martinique, who has been the Cellar Master for the past 14 years at Clément, they ensure that the tradition of exceptional quality is in each bottle.

Cellar Master Robert Peronet 

Tasting Notes: The color is golden orange, with orange and baking spices, with notes of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, and honey on the nose. These notes continue on the palate with a hint of pepper and a rich silkiness, with a warm, lingering finish. In a word, it is scrumptious. 

Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange is especially nice served chilled as an aperitif, paired with chocolate and desserts, served over vanilla ice cream, added to champagne for a Clément Créole Royale, used in a Margarita or in a Side Car, used in other cocktail recipes, as well as in culinary recipes. 

To show the versatility of the product, I created cocktail recipes as well as savory and dessert recipes using Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange. Bon Appetit! 

The Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange Menu
All Recipes Created by Luxury Experience Mixologists
Debra C. Argen and Edward F. Nesta 

Cocktails
Luxury Experience's Celestial Créole Royale
Luxury Experience's The Islander
Luxury Experience's Martinique Madras Hat
Luxury Experience's Orange Mocha Kiss

Culinary
Luxury Experience's Pumpkin Chestnut Soup with
Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange
Luxury Experience's Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange Ice Cream
with Crêpes Martinique

The Cocktail Recipes

In Martinique, a popular way to drink Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange is the Clément Créole Royale, adding the liqueur to champagne. Luxury Experience's Celestial Créole Royale takes the classic champagne cocktail and adds a little spin to it with the addition of orange juice and homemade Celestial Seasonings Mandarin Orange Spice Herbal Tea Simple Syrup. Garnish with a generous orange peel.

Luxury Experience's Celestial Créole Royale
Yield:               1 Cocktail
Glass Used:     Champagne Glass 

Ingredients:

Method for the Celestial Seasonings Mandarin Orange Spice Herbal Tea Simple Syrup: Make ahead and store in airtight covered jar in the refrigerator until ready to use; will hold for several weeks in the refrigerator. In a large saucepan, add 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar, and 3 tea bags. Bring mixture to a boil and then let simmer to dissolve sugar for 2 minutes. Let cool at room temperature for 1 hour, strain, and then store in a glass jar in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Method for the Cocktail: Chill the champagne glass, in a large mixing glass with ice, add the Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange, the simple syrup, and orange juice, stir to combine. Strain into champagne glass, add the champagne. Garnish with a generous orange peel.

Martinique is not only famous for its rhum agricole, it is also well known for its bananas. I wanted to create a cocktail that would capture the many tastes of this stunning French island.

Luxury Experience's The Islander combines Clément Rhum Vieux Agricole V.S.O.P. Rum, Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange, Goya Banana Nectar, Coco Real (Cream of Coconut), and Fee Brothers West Indian Orange Bitters. It is a balanced beauty that is not too sweet, is shaken with ice and strained into a Martini glass. The garnish is a slice of apple banana, a small banana that is also known as a latundan, manzana, or silk banana, that is brushed with Clément Sirop de Canne and dusted with toasted, pulverized coconut chips. Dust a little extra of the toasted coconut on the surface of the cocktail to add a hint of flavor as well as a color contrast.

Note: If you cannot get cane syrup in your area, substitute simple syrup or agave nectar. Coconut chips are large, dried shaved coconut.

Luxury Experience's The Islander
Yield:               1 Cocktail
Glass Used:     Martini Glass

Ingredients:

Method: Fill the Martini glass with ice and water. Set aside to chill. Drain and shake glass.

In a large metal shaker, add the Clément Rhum Vieux Agricole V.S.O.P. Rum, Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange, Goya Banana Nectar, Real Coco, Fee Brothers West Indian Orange Bitters, and 4 ice cubes. Shake until can is frosty. Strain into chilled Martini glass.

Martinique Madras Hat

Luxury Experience's Martinique Madras Hat 

Madras is the colorful fabric that Martinique women use to make their traditional Créole hats and incorporates reds, yellows, oranges, and greens in the plaid.

Luxury Experience's Martinique Madras Hat is my tribute to the fabric and to the women who wear the hats. It is a delicious punch that can be served individually or made in a large batch for parties. The cocktail blends Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange, Clément Rhum Vieux Agricole, Fee Brothers West Indies Style Falernum, Fee Brothers Orgeat Cordial Syrup, freshly squeezed orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, Fee Brothers Grapefruit Bitters, and Fee Brothers American Beauty Grenadine to create the "bleed" of the colors of the madras.

Note: Falernum (pronounced fah-learn-um), is a sweet syrup used in Caribbean and tropical drinks. It contains flavors of almond, ginger and/or cloves, and lime, and sometimes vanilla or allspice. Orgeat (pronounced or-shot), is a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar and rose water or orange flower water. Fee Brothers is made in Rochester, New York, USA. (Read about the Creole hats of Martinique in the Fashion section and read about Fee Brothers Bitters and Cordial Syrups in the Liquor Cabinet section .

Luxury Experience's Martinique Madras Hat 
Yield:               1 Cocktail
Glass Used:     Highball Glass

Ingredients:

Method: Add all ingredients in a large shaker with 4 ice cubes. Shake quickly to incorporate the citrus elements. Stir into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Place the skewer of fruit in the glass to use as a stirrer. Pour the teaspoon of Fee Brothers American Beauty Grenadine over the cocktail to create the "bleed."

Luxury Experience's Orange Mocha Kiss

Hot cocktails are so appealing when the weather turns cooler, or to serve after dinner at any time of the year. Luxury Experience's Orange Mocha Kiss is a delicious blend of Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange, steaming hot coffee and hot chocolate, topped with a generous amount of freshly whipped cream sweetened with Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur, and garnished with orange zest, chocolate shavings, and a sprig of mint.

Luxury Experience's Orange Mocha Kiss
Yield:               1 Cocktail
Glass Used:     Irish Coffee Glass

Ingredients:

Method: Pour the Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange, hot coffee, and hot chocolate in a mixing glass, stir. Pour into Irish coffee glass, top with a dollop of whipped cream, orange zest, chocolate shavings, and a mint sprig.

The Culinary Recipes

Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange lends itself to a variety of sweet as well as savory recipes, which was the inspiration for Pumpkin Chestnut Soup with Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange. Served in a large pumpkin, or individual pumpkins, this luscious soup has star potential as a traditional holiday recipe.

Luxury Experience's Pumpkin Chestnut Soup with Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange

Method: Drizzle garlic with extra-virgin olive oil and roast in a garlic roaster or aluminum foil in the oven at 400° F for approximately 25 minutes.

When cool enough to handle, remove the cloves from their papery skin and puree in a blender with 24 ounces chicken or vegetable broth.

In a small food processor, add the chestnuts and white wine and puree until a smooth paste forms. Add the chestnut paste and the pumpkin puree to the blender and puree until smooth. 

Pour the pumpkin chestnut mixture in a large saucepan, add the Colombo, Half & Half, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat the soup until just before reaching the boiling point. Stir in the Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange, garnish with a small dollop of sour cream and fresh chopped herbs.

As a serving suggestion, serve the soup in a medium size pumpkin or individual miniature pumpkins. 

Luxury Experience's Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange Ice Cream with Crêpes Martinique

Everyone has their favorite way to enjoy Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange. Fifth-generation Clément descendant, Ben Jones, likes to enjoy this tasty spirit over ice cream, which was the inspiration for my recipe, Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange Ice Cream served with Crêpes Martinique, my version of the classic recipe, Crêpes Suzette. I love the yin/yang effect of the ice cream contrasting with the warm crêpes and flambéed orange slices.

Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange Ice Cream

This is an easy to make ice cream and does not require the use of an ice cream machine. Make at least one day ahead to allow the ice cream to thoroughly freeze, due to the alcohol in the ice cream.

Method: Add all ingredients to a blender and process until smooth. Pour into a covered container and freeze overnight or freeze in an ice cream machine. Once frozen, scoop the ice cream into 3 orange halves, and reserve in the freezer until ready to serve. Lightly dust the ice cream with cinnamon before serving.

Crêpes Martinique Batter
Makes 9 Crêpes

Method: Mix all ingredients in a food processor. Let rest in the refrigerator for an hour or overnight.

Make crêpes in a crêpe pan or a sauté pan by ladling a small amount of batter in a sauté pan and swirl to coat the pan to create a very thin pancake.

Oranges

Method: In a large skillet, melt butter over low heat, add orange slices and caramelize on both sides (orange slices will start to turn brown). Add brown sugar and orange juice, and stir to dissolve sugar. Add Clément Créole Shrubb Liqueur d'Orange and carefully ignite with a long match to flambé. Stand back from stove and do not use downdraft. Flame will self extinguish as the alcohol burns off.

Presentation: Fold each crêpe in half, and then in half again. Place three crêpes on each plate, carefully arrange 3 orange slices on the crêpes, spoon over the orange sauce, and scatter toasted slivered almonds over the crêpes. Place an orange half filled with ice cream on the plate beside the crêpe, and lightly dust the ice cream with cinnamon.

Read about other Clément Rhum Agricole products, Clément Première Canne Rhum Agricole, White Rhum and Rhum Clement Rhum Vieux Agricole V.S.O.P. Rum in the Liquor Cabinet section.

Please visit the website for more information at www.RhumClement.com or contact Ben Jones directly.

Clément USA
Contact:           Ben Jones
Telephone:      +1-207-232-6633
Email:              This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it         
Website:         www.RhumClement.com

© November 2011. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights reserved.