Style and flavour

A rich, sweet red quinquina in which cocoa and orange peel lead, backed by red fruit, vanilla and warm spice. The cinchona and gentian add a firm, slightly drying bitterness that stops it feeling heavy.

Key ingredients

  • wine
  • mistelle (grape must fortified with alcohol)
  • quinquina (cinchona) bark
  • bitter orange peel
  • cocoa
  • vanilla
  • gentian
  • colombo root

History

St Raphaël dates its origin to 1830. The brand's own account says a doctor named Juppet worked long nights on an aperitif of wine and quinquina, began to lose his sight, and prayed to the Archangel Raphael, who in the Book of Tobit cures Tobit's blindness. When the recipe was finished he named it after the saint. This is a brand legend and is best presented as such.

The brand grew into one of France's best-known aperitifs. It had its own pavilion near the Trocadéro at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1900, and from 1932 its advertising featured two stylised waiters, one red and one white, standing for the red and amber versions. From 1936 the poster artist Charles Loupot reworked the brand's graphics, and his geometric waiters became a fixture of French bistro signage. From 1954 St Raphaël sponsored a professional cycling team that rode the Tour de France for about a decade.

The brand now belongs to La Martiniquaise, which sells a Classic Red and Classic Amber and, since 2018, a premium 'Le Quina' range in red and amber inspired by 1950s recipes. The version most often found in the UK is Le Quina Rouge at 18% ABV. The Classic range is made at 14%, 14.9% or 16% depending on the market.

Culture

The two St Raphaël waiters, as redrawn by the poster artist Charles Loupot, became a familiar image on French bistro walls and vehicles in the mid twentieth century. The brand's red, black and white colours were also carried by a Tour de France team from 1954.

How to serve

Serve well chilled, neat or over ice with a twist of lemon or orange. It also works lengthened with tonic water or in place of sweet vermouth in a Negroni-style drink. For more ideas, see our tonic wine recipes.