Sabra Liqueurs, familiar to Israelis and in particular to tourists to Israel over the last 40 years, is making a comeback. The product range has been enlarged, the labels upgraded and the liqueurs are now presented in a new, stylish black gift box.

The new product in the line up is a de-luxe liqueur called Grand Sabra. This is an orange brandy liqueur made by macerating kumquats in Carmel’s three year old 777 Brandy. The result is a liqueur of the highest quality. The idea was inspired by Carmel’s Orange Flavored Brandy, which won two successive gold medals in the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) in London. Grand Sabra is amber colored and has a pronounced orange aroma. It is full bodied with a warm middle palate and an intense lengthy finish. The dry citrus nose marries well with the richness of the brandy.

Grand Sabra is delicious served in a traditional brandy balloon. It is also useful for chef’s making pastries, soufflés or flavored crepes and is a classic ingredient for ‘Duck a l’orange’. As for cocktails, it may be used whenever an orange brandy liqueur, such as Grand Marnier, is required.

The original and most famous Sabra liqueur, with the familiar green label, is the Sabra Chocolate Orange. This liqueur, also a gold medal winner in the demanding and prestigious IWSC in London, will be found on any respectable list of the world’s best liqueurs.  It is a sweet chocolate liqueur, the color of cold tea, with a backdrop of orange. The orange provides a hint of subtlety in contrast to the broader chocolate taste. The orange is more noticeable on the nose, whilst the chocolate comes to the fore in the mouth. Each flavor retains its character while blending harmoniously with the other.

Sabra Chocolate Orange is best as an after dinner drink. It may be chilled or served on ice. It is good for cocktails or for cooking and is excellent poured over ice cream.

The third product in the range is Sabra Coffee. This liqueur is a dark, mahogany brown in color. The taste is silky smooth with a toasty coffee flavor against a backdrop of vanilla. A winner of a silver medal at the IWSC, it has also performed well in blind tastings in the United States against the main international coffee liqueur giants – Kahlua and Tia Maria.

Sabra Coffee may be used to make a Black Russian cocktail, added to chocolate desserts or to chilled liqueur coffee.

Sabra is ‘The Liqueur of Israel’ and one of Israel’s most recognizable beverages. It was originally developed in 1963 by the Bronfman family, the Jewish owners of Canadian drinks giant Seagram. The unique bottle was based on a 2,000 year old Phoenician wine flask found in a Tel Aviv museum.

Carmel, the historic winery of Israel, purchased Sabra in 2003 when the rest of Seagram was split up and divided between Diageo and Pernod Ricard. In fact Carmel has been producing Sabra since 1990 on behalf of Seagram’s Israeli subsidiary.

The three Sabra liqueurs, marketed and distributed by Carmel Winery, are available in duty free, premium drinks stores and quality bars in Israel. In export markets, Sabra is distributed by Royal Wine Corp in Canada, the United States and South America.

Now imported spirits and liqueurs dominate the domestic market, there are virtually no spirits and liqueurs that are made in Israel which may be truly regarded as world class international brands. Sabra Liqueurs are the exception, being established over the years as quality liqueurs which can more than hold their own against the biggest and best international names.

December 2006