Thyme Liqueur? Seriously…?!

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Some things just don’t sound like a good idea. Until you try them. And such was the case with said thyme liqueur. A total winner!

But who’d come up with such a thing? Answer: The eccentric people of Toledo. In particular, a guy called Ricardo Sánchez Butragueño, who is attempting to commercialise this odd-sounding concoction following an old family recipe.

There’s a back story, of course. For hundreds of years, Toledo has been celebrating Corpus Christi (which fell on Thursday, 19th June this year) for all it’s worth. I mean, they seriously go to town on this one. I must confess, I’m not a particular fan of watching church furniture being lugged round the streets for hours on end by people in stuffy costumes.

The only thing I like about this gaudy spectacle is that they sprinkle the streets with thyme and rosemary. It smells nice. And all I can think about for the entire Corpus Christi week is Welsh roast lamb with butter-drenched new potatoes.

So, when Maria told me that someone had managed to “bottle the Corpus” and that the product launch was going to happen on one of her clients’ venues on Tuesday, we just had to go.

Three botles

Photogenic bottles!

Even the local press turned up for this momentous occasion

Even the local press turned up for this momentous occasion. Note the thyme sprigs strewn all over the floor. Nice idea, but they kept getting caught in my dress, making their way up towards my knickers. A bit scratchy…

Bottle with the back story in the background

Bottle with the back story in the background

 

Maria and I faffing with our cameras

Maria and I faffing with our cameras

This taking selfies thing is definitely NOT my forte...

This taking selfies thing is definitely NOT my forte… and I wasn’t even drunk at this point!

They let you have as much as you wanted... a fatal concept!

They let us have as much of the concoction as we wanted… a fatal concept!

Some people even turned up in bottle-matching outfits ;-)

Some people even turned up in bottle-matching outfits 😉

View of Toledo

View of Toledo from the venue

So, thumbs up to thyme liquor! Where have you been all my life?! The kind organisers gave freebie bottles to take home 🙂

[The event was held at Cigarral Del Angel Custodio, one of Toledo’s most splendid historical country houses. It has amazing garden and terrific views of Toledo, some of which I captured a few weeks back, when the roses were in bloom. Click here if you’d like to see those pics.]

68 thoughts on “Thyme Liqueur? Seriously…?!”

  4. Andean

    I would buy it to taste and if it wasn’t palatable, I would use it as a lamb marinade.
    I must say, nifty bottle design.

    Do you know if it is distributed in the States?

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  6. Andean

    Knickers have not reallly been a fashion in the States since I was a teenager. But I did wear them often, then. 🙂

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    1. ladyofthecakes Post author

      You probably know this… (or not) “knickers” is a UK word for women’s underpants. If you aren’t wearing any, then that’s your choice and your choice alone 😉

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  9. prior

    well I would like to at least sample this thyme liquor sometime – 😉 – and the lamb sounds tasty and the lady w/ matching outfit shot was fun….

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      1. prior

        thanks – but please make it a small glass – I am a total lightweight and did I just read 26 proof? well just had a mini flashback from Liquor 43….. even though back in the day when I did a shot or two – Jäger was my choice while everyone else did sugary schnappsy thangs. ha!

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      3. prior

        maybe a bit seasoned – but I do not really drink at all – even though this thyme liquor sounds amazing…. oh – and I love your photo with the “view of Toledo from the venue” – the verticals in the foreground – and the lighting – o….

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      4. ladyofthecakes Post author

        I’m a late starter on all fronts. I got into coffee when I moved to London aged 30, and now, a decade later, I’m starting on the alcohol. I’m predicting orgies at 50.

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      5. prior

        well hmmm = that comment actually makes the Counselor hairs on my neck stand up = !

        but I do have one question – are you sure you have never been to Rome with all your roaming???

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      5. Expat Eye

        Thank god for that – I had another two today as it will be a while before my next decent sausage! Drinking a glass of German red now and trying to convince myself Riga isn’t that bad…

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  13. pollyheath

    Thyme liqueur? Hmm, I’d love to try it! I’m a big fan of infusing vodkas maybe that’ll be my next go. I’ve had basil liqueur in a cocktail and it was lovely.

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  14. PurplesShade

    Hmm, well I’m sure rotten barley or potatoes didn’t sound like a good idea off the bat either.
    Thyme liqueur sounds lovely to me, I’d love to cook with it. (Of course, I’d like to cook with most alcohols, it is my primary use for them. 😀 )

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      1. PurplesShade

        LOL! Lemon icecream goes well with just about anything in my opinion.

        Ah, it stems from having something of an alcohol intolerance. My body doesn’t respond to alcohols like most peoples, I don’t get buzzed, I just get an instant headache— So my solution, so still enjoy the vast array of flavours out there, is find ways to cook with it…. or you know have such exceedingly tiny sips that it would make even nuns jealous. ;P hehe

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      2. ladyofthecakes Post author

        That makes sense… poor you 😦 I’ve a friend for whom alcohol triggers a three-day headache. She doesn’t need to get drunk – even a tiny glass of wine does it.

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      3. PurplesShade

        It’s not so bad really, I mean I don’t actually know what I’m missing, and cooking with varieties gives me a way to enjoy the flavours.

        Awe, sounds like your friend’s experience is far worse than mine. That sucks. For me, if I drink even a few sips of wine I’ll get a headache, but even when I’ve had a full glass (which is a bigger headache) by the next day I feel fine. I think I may have gotten off easy when it comes to intolerances. <.<

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    1. ladyofthecakes Post author

      Maria more than I, coz she was on the annual ‘operation bikini’ diet, while I kept stuffing myself with the glorious almond cookies they were serving, which absorbed the alcohol just nicely 🙂

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