The Liqueurs of Brive-la-Gaillarde: The Secret Drinks Capital of the Corrèze | Food Tour de France
Brive-la-Gaillarde — the largest city in the Corrèze, sitting at the point where the Massif Central meets the Dordogne Valley — has been making artisan liqueurs since 1839 and is one of the most underrated drinks destinations in France. Today's Food Tour de France episode starts in Malemort, right next to Brive, and tells the full story of a city that turned its extraordinary geographical position — close to the Cognac and Armagnac country, surrounded by walnut orchards, rich in aromatic plants from the edge of the Massif Central — into a liqueur-making tradition that has been running for nearly two centuries. At the heart of that tradition is the Maison Denoix — founded in 1839, now in its fifth generation, designated a Living Heritage Company by the French state — and its most celebrated creation, the Suprême Denoix walnut liqueur, made from green walnuts harvested around the city every mid-July and still produced from the same ancestral recipe in the same building in the centre of Brive.
The episode tells the full story of the Maison Denoix — from its foundation by Pierre Lacoste in 1839 through the creation of the Quinquinoix walnut wine, aged for five years in oak barrels, to the extraordinary story of the Moutarde Violette de Brive — the violet mustard made from grape must and fine mustard seeds whose purple colour and sweet-sharp balance connects the city to a fourteenth century Pope who was born in the Corrèze and summoned a mustard maker from Turenne to his court in Avignon. We also cover the Distillerie Bellet, founded in 1922 and now in its fourth generation, whose chestnut liqueur, gentiane, pastis and absinthe draw on the botanical richness of the Massif Central edge in a completely different register to Denoix. Two distilleries. Two philosophies. One city with an extraordinary liqueur-making tradition.
The Food Tour de France is a daily series running alongside the 2026 Tour de France on Fabulously Delicious — one episode for every stage start and finish. The Brive liqueurs episode connects to the broader picture of Corrèze and Dordogne food culture this part of the series has been building — from the pâté de Périgueux in Périgueux to the Monbazillac wines of Bergerac — and sits alongside these as part of one of the richest stretches of food country in the whole of France. Search Fabulously Delicious on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for the full series.
As Fabulously Delicious steps into its sixth year, one thing is clearer than ever: five years of French food culture has taught Andrew that the subject is genuinely inexhaustible.
My book Paris: A Fabulous Food Guide to the World’s Most Delicious City is your ultimate companion. This is a new 2026 update for the book and you’ll find hand-picked recommendations for the best boulangeries, patisseries, wine bars, cafés, and restaurants that truly capture the flavor of Paris. You can order it online at andrewpriorfabulously.com
For those who want to take things further, why not come cook with me here in Montmorillon, in the heart of France’s Vienne region? Combine hands-on French cooking classes with exploring charming markets, tasting regional specialties, and soaking up the slow, beautiful pace of French countryside life. Find all the details at andrewpriorfabulously.com
You can help keep the show thriving by becoming a paid subscriber on substack where you'll also get fabulous extra content. Every contribution makes a huge difference. Join here at Substack
Merci beaucoup!
Newsletter Youtube Instagram Facebook Website
#FrenchFoodPodcast #FabulouslyDelicious #foodpodcast #BriveLaGaillarde #FrenchLiqueur #FoodTourDeFrance #TourDeFrance2026 #CorrèzeFood
