Paint the Rust – Engel Lemon Quince Eau de Vie
When I visited Manuel in June 2026, he introduced me to lemon quinces. A variety I did not know existed! As the eau de vie has a powerful aroma, I decided to combine it with some Scotch and honey liqueur.
M anuel managed to get his hands on a small quantity of special quinces. He distilled an eau de vie from the fruit by macerating it in neutral spirit first. Finally, he bottled the spirit at 42% ABV.
Citrus and honey
The quince eau de vie started with a clear citrus aroma. Soon afterwards, you could find typical quince flavours which always remind me of honey. Besides some quince jam flavour, I also found some herbal notes and cooling menthol.
Rusty, but golden
For my drink, I went for a variation of the Rusty Nail. As well as my usual Scotch, Compass Box Synthesis, I used Drambuie 15 Year Old and Amaro Tossolini. I had not opened either bottle before. To finish off, I added a few dashes of peach bitters.
0,75 cl Engel Lemon Quince Eau de Vie
1,5 cl Drambuie 15 Years
1,5 cl Tossolini Amaro
Stir – strain – chilled Old-Fashioned glass over ice cubes;
Garnish: Orange Twist;
Song: The Dodos – Paint the Rust;
The drink was a complex blend of flavours. On top of that, the herbal notes of the Drambuie and Tosolini complemented each other perfectly. The quince eau de vie came through nicely, providing a pleasant contrast to the whisky, too.
*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. I received the eau de vie for free from Engel Naturbrennerei.
