🥃 Damassine

Damassine is a Swiss fruit distillate made from damasson rouge red plums, a protected designation of origin (AOP) of the canton of Jura. The fruit is grown, fermented, distilled and bottled only within the canton, and the strength on sale is at least 40% ABV. The aroma shows wild plum, bitter almond and mown grass.

Protected name. The specification was approved by the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture in a decision of 16 August 2007, amended in 2014 and 2018; the Swiss AOP-IGP association gives the registration date as 9 March 2010. Every red plum spirit with the Jura place name must meet these rules.

Harvest and fermentation. The plums, about the size of mirabelles, are harvested from mid-July to the end of September: ripe fallen fruit is picked up by hand every day, and tearing the fruit or shaking the branches is prohibited. The fruit goes into barrels no later than the next day, without crushing or removing the stones, and ferments at 15–25 °C.

Distillation and aging. It is distilled in alembics with one or two distillations no later than 31 December of the harvest year, and the heads are discarded. The distillate is kept for at least six months and diluted only with distilled or demineralized water from the region. It may be sold no earlier than St. Martin's Day in November of the following year; blending harvests of different years or communes is prohibited.

Why this matters to you. The AOP mark guarantees that damassine is made only from Jura red plums, without added spirit and without blending harvests. It is a strong drink of at least 40% ABV, usually served in small portions. The WHO reminds: there is no safe dose of alcohol.