Maurin Quina Liqueur

Maurin Quina Liqueur is a fortified sweet white wine infused with wild cherries, quinine, cherry brandy, lemon juice, and measured amounts of cherry juice — a quintessential French aperitif built on a foundation of wine rather than neutral spirits. The delicate red hue and quinine backbone place it squarely in the tradition of quinquinas, the bittersweet aperitifs that dominated café culture across France before vermouth claimed the spotlight. What makes Maurin Quina distinctive is its layered cherry-forward profile balanced by citrus and almond, rendering it equally suited to sipping neat or mixing into classic aperitivo serves and modern low-ABV cocktails. The Maurin house has produced quina liqueurs in the south of France for over a century, relying on wild cherry infusions and carefully sourced quinine to anchor the blend. The white wine base is fortified to preserve the delicate fruit character, then dosed with cherry brandy for body and depth. Lemon juice brightens the wild cherry core, while subtle almond notes emerge from the cherry stones themselves. The result is an aperitif that reads as wine-based rather than spirit-driven, with a gentler alcoholic presence and a more integrated fruit expression than many bitter liqueurs. On the palate, Maurin Quina offers bright cherry immediately, followed by the clean bitterness of quinine and a whisper of almond on the finish. The lemon lifts the sweetness without tipping into tartness, and the wine base keeps the texture light and elegant rather than syrupy. Serve it chilled over ice with a splash of soda and an orange twist as a standalone aperitif, or pour it into Negroni variations where it tempers Campari's intensity with soft cherry and citrus. It pairs beautifully with charcuterie, aged cheeses, or roasted almonds — anything that can meet its bittersweet register without overwhelming the delicate fruit. Maurin Quina Liqueur is available for pickup at our Lincoln Park bottle shop at 1128 W Armitage Ave, for local Chicago delivery, and for nationwide shipping.