Jean-Baptiste Joannet

Jean-Baptiste Joannet has been making crème de cassis and fruit liqueurs in Burgundy for generations, which immediately sounds like the sort of thing French people would quietly become incredibly good at over several centuries. Based in Arcenant near Nuits-Saint-Georges, the family focuses heavily on traditional Burgundian fruit liqueurs using locally grown fruit and very old-school production methods.

The crème de cassis is the headline act. Rich blackcurrant, deep fruit intensity and enough natural acidity to stop things becoming sticky or cloying. Proper kir royale territory. You can actually taste the fruit rather than just sugar and alcohol fighting each other.

Beyond cassis, they also make raspberry, cherry and peach liqueurs, all carrying that same concentrated fruit character and slightly rustic Burgundy charm. Nothing feels industrial or overly polished. These are bottles that belong beside cheese boards, desserts and slightly overenthusiastic dinner hosts.

There’s also something very reassuring about producers like this still existing. No celebrity-backed spirits launches, no “disrupting the category”, just a family quietly making excellent fruit liqueurs in Burgundy because they’ve always done exactly that.

French regional drinks culture at its absolute best really.