Chambord is one of those liqueurs that somehow feels both deeply luxurious and slightly ridiculous at the same time, which honestly is part of the charm. Instantly recognisable thanks to the famous orb-shaped bottle that looks vaguely like royal treasure or an expensive perfume somebody accidentally made drinkable, Chambord has become a cocktail staple built around black raspberries, vanilla and French excess in the best possible sense.

Produced in the Loire Valley, the liqueur takes inspiration from 17th-century French raspberry liqueur recipes supposedly enjoyed by royalty. Whether or not Louis XIV genuinely spent his afternoons drinking raspberry liqueur while wandering around castles is probably less important than the fact the stuff tastes genuinely excellent.

The flavour profile leans rich and velvety. Black raspberry dominates, backed up by blackberry, vanilla, citrus peel and soft warming spice. Sweet certainly, but usually with enough fruit intensity and acidity to stop it becoming completely dessert-like.

Chambord’s real talent though is cocktails. It slips beautifully into everything from French Martinis to Royale serves with sparkling wine, instantly making drinks feel fancier than they probably deserve to be. There’s a reason bartenders keep it around.

There’s also something very French about the whole thing. Elegant, indulgent and just theatrical enough without tipping fully into absurdity. Although the bottle definitely comes close.

At heart though, Chambord succeeds because it understands a very simple concept: raspberry and booze are an extremely effective combination.