Leroux Aquavit was an American aquavit produced by Leroux & Co., Inc. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was bottled at 90 proof (45% ABV) and made with 100% grain neutral spirits.
The spirit as containing caraway and other flavours. The aquavit was intended to be served without dilution, ice cold and directly from the refrigerator, in small glasses.
Leroux recommended serving the aquavit as an aperitif with hors d’oeuvres or sandwiches. A separate Leroux recipe suggestion also used the aquavit in cooking, recommending it for sautéing asparagus, Brussels sprouts or green beans, followed by caraway seeds.
Leroux Aquavit was part of a much larger range of spirits and liqueurs that included Kummel, brandies, rum, anisette, curacao, maraschino and peppermint schnapps. A Leroux advertisement from 1944 listed the aquavit at 90 proof and identified Leroux & Co., Inc. in Philadelphia as the maker and bottler.
The aquavit was still being sold in 1968, when Leroux Aquavit was again listed at 90 proof in a fifth-size bottle.
Leroux Aquavit was a distinctly American interpretation of aquavit: a strong, caraway-flavoured spirit intended to be served very cold and in small portions rather than diluted or served at room temperature.
Bottle gallery
About the producer
Leroux & Co.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Leroux & Co., Inc. was an American liquor company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company produced and bottled the Leroux range of spirits and liqueurs, including Aquavit, Kummel, brandies, rum, anisette, curacao, maraschino and peppermint schnapps.
The Leroux name was in use by the 1930s. By the 1940s, the company had a broad portfolio of alcoholic beverages. A 1944 advertisement lists Leroux Aquavit at 90 proof and identifies Leroux &Co., Inc. in Philadelphia as the maker and bottler.
Leroux was also involved in bottling and supplying spirits produced by other distillers. A 1948 federal court case concerning whiskey identifies Leroux & Co. as a bottler and supplier, so the company should not be treated simply as a distillery that distilled all of its own products.
The original Philadelphia company eventually disappeared, but the Leroux brand survived through later ownership. It is now produced and bottled by Ed Phillips & Sons Co. in Princeton, Minnesota. The current range consists mainly of flavoured brandies, liqueurs, schnapps and Rock & Rye; Aquavit is no longer listed.
The historical Leroux & Co. and the modern Leroux brand therefore represent different stages of the same American spirits brand, with Leroux Aquavit belonging to the earlier Philadelphia period.