Lillet
The French aperitif made with Bordeaux wine and citrus liqueur, famous for the Lillet Spritz and James Bond's Vesper. Everything about its taste, the three colors and the glass to serve it in.
Bordeaux wine and citrus liqueur from Podensac
Lillet is a French wine-based aperitif made in Podensac, a village south of Bordeaux. Brothers Paul and Raymond Lillet started making it there in 1872. The base is Bordeaux wine (about 85%), supplemented with liqueurs made from sweet and bitter oranges and a hint of quinine. The blend is aged in oak barrels.
The result is a fresh, slightly sweet 17% aperitif that you drink chilled, straight or with tonic. Lillet Blanc is the classic; Lillet Rosé (since 2011) is the base of the popular Lillet Spritz, and Lillet Rouge is the red, slightly spicier variation. Lillet is part of Pernod Ricard and is best known in the Netherlands for the spritz with tonic and strawberry.
In brief
What types of Lillet are there?
Three colors, one recipe idea: Bordeaux wine with citrus liqueur. The difference lies in the wine and sweetness.
Lillet Blanc
The original, made with white Bordeaux wine (Sémillon). Honey, orange and a fresh, slightly bitter finish.
Lillet Rosé
Made with red and white Bordeaux wines, with red fruit and grapefruit. The base of the Lillet Spritz.
Lillet Rouge
Made with red Bordeaux wine (Merlot). Fuller-bodied, with ripe red fruit, vanilla and spices.
Choose Rosé for a spritz, and Blanc for cocktails and drinking neat.
Refreshing, honey-sweet and lightly bitter with orange
Orange & honey
Candied orange, honey, white flowers and a hint of mint and lime.
Soft and fruity
Lightly sweet, juicy and refreshing all at once, with the wine clearly present and a pleasant, rounded structure.
Lightly bitter
A gentle bitterness from orange peel and quinine balances the sweetness. Long and refreshing.
Flavor profile of Lillet Blanc. Rosé is fruitier, with red fruit; Rouge is fuller and spicier.
Three ways to drink Lillet
Always drink Lillet chilled: straight from the fridge, with plenty of ice and ideally a piece of fruit. It's also at its best served neat at around 6 degrees.
Lillet Spritz
50 ml Lillet Rosé, 100 ml tonic and a few strawberries in a large wine glass full of ice. Refreshing, fruity and at 17%, much lighter than an Aperol Spritz.
Glass: large wine glass →Lillet tonic
50 ml Lillet Blanc with 100 ml tonic in a wine glass with ice and a slice of cucumber or orange. The French answer to gin and tonic, but much lighter.
Glass: wine glass →Vesper Martini
60 ml gin, 20 ml vodka and 10 ml Lillet Blanc, shaken (just the way Bond likes it) and strained into a chilled martini glass with a lemon zest. The cocktail from Casino Royale.
Go to recipe →The best cocktails with Lillet
Vesper Martini
Gin, vodka and Lillet Blanc. 'Shaken, not stirred', with a lemon zest. The most famous cocktail with Lillet.
Corpse Reviver No. 2
Gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc and lemon with a splash of absinthe. Refreshing, complex and dangerously delicious.
Aperol Spritz
The spritz. Replace the Aperol with Lillet Rosé and the prosecco with tonic, and you have a Lillet Spritz.
Aperitif cocktails
All the light, refreshing cocktails for before dinner, from spritzes to Americanos.The right glass for Lillet
A large wine glass or coupe for a spritz and Lillet tonic, a martini glass for a Vesper, and a coupe for the classics. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything else you wanted to know about Lillet
Can't find your question here? Browse our cocktail recipes or get in touch.
See the cocktail recipes →What is the alcohol content of Lillet?
What exactly is Lillet?
What's the difference between Lillet Blanc, Rosé, and Rouge?
How do you make a Lillet Spritz?
Does Lillet need to be refrigerated?
Is Lillet the same as vermouth?
Buy Lillet
Want the bottle delivered right away? Order Lillet online from Gall & Gall.
Prices as of November 3, 2026, as provided by Gall & Gall. You can check the current price and stock at Gall & Gall. Glazen.nl receives a small commission if you buy something through these links; it won't cost you anything extra. No 18, no alcohol.
