From the shelf
Everything we have from Maison Louis Roque
Click on a bottle for the rest of the details.
How does that pear get into the bottle?
It is the question everyone asks, and the answer is simpler than you might think: the pear grew in there. In spring, when the fruit on the branch is only a few millimetres in size, an empty bottle is slipped over it and fixed in the tree.
The pear grows through the summer as if nothing were amiss, until it fills the bottle. At the end of the season it is harvested together with the bottle. The bottle is then filled with pear distillate, in which the fruit remains.
It is labour-intensive work: every bottle has to be hung in the tree by hand, and it is far from always successful. That explains why a prisonnière costs more than an ordinary poire williams.
The bottle we have in stock
Maison Louis Roque Poire William’s Prisonnière en Caraffe
Pear eau de vie with a whole Williams pear in the carafe, grown inside the bottle on the tree. 70 centilitres, 40 per cent according to the label.
€ 49,99
Does that pear keep?
As long as the fruit is completely covered by the alcohol, it keeps. If you pour from the bottle, bear in mind that the level drops; the part of the pear that sticks out above the spirit discolours. That is why many people keep such a bottle unopened, or empty it in one go on an occasion.
A house from the Lot
- The house in brief
- 1905The house starts out in Souillac.
- 1920Louis Roque creates La Vieille Prune.
- SouillacThe small town in the Lot department.
- OakAged in old oak casks.
Maison Louis Roque started in 1905 in Souillac, a small town in the Lot department in south-west France. The house is best known for La Vieille Prune de Souillac, a plum distillate that, according to the house, Louis Roque blended in 1920.
The Vieille Prune is a blend of distillates from different plum varieties: mirabelle, quetsche and reine-claude. It ages in oak casks that the house describes as a hundred years old.
Besides the plum, the house makes other fruit distillates. The pear in the carafe is the most visible of them: you can see at a glance where the spirit comes from.
What is a poire williams?
An eau de vie made from the Williams pear, called Williams Christ in Germany and Bartlett in England. It is the pear most often distilled in Central and Western Europe. A lot of fruit goes into one bottle, because pears contain little sugar; that is why pear distillates are generally more expensive than those made from apple or plum.
Who is this bottle for?
This is the ideal bottle to give as a gift or to put on the table: the pear in the carafe does the work. Our customers mostly take it as a gift.
If you are mainly after the distillate rather than the fruit in the bottle, this shelf also has regular pear bottles that give you more spirit per centilitre.
Not sure? Call 0570 541 278 or email info@bockje.nl. We're happy to help you choose.
Frequently asked questions about Maison Louis Roque
How does the pear get into the bottle?
It grew in there. In spring, an empty bottle is slipped over the tiny fruit on the branch and fixed in the tree. The pear grows inside the bottle through the summer and is harvested together with it.
How many bottles of Maison Louis Roque does ’t Bockje have in stock?
One: the Poire William’s Prisonnière en Caraffe of 70 centilitres, available for immediate delivery.
Can you eat the pear?
That is not what it is intended for. The fruit stands in strong spirit for years and is meant to stay in the bottle; it keeps the spirit flavoured and shows what it is made from.
Does the pear keep once the bottle is open?
Yes, as long as the fruit is completely covered by the alcohol. If the level drops, the part that sticks out above the spirit discolours.
Where does Maison Louis Roque come from?
From Souillac in the Lot department in south-west France. The house started in 1905 and is known for La Vieille Prune de Souillac.
Does ’t Bockje also ship this bottle abroad?
Yes. We ship to around forty countries. Email info@bockje.nl if you want to know whether your country is included.
Order, collect or drop by
- In stock in our shop at Brink 2 in Bathmen
- Available to order online and have delivered, including abroad
- Order online or collect in Bathmen
- Personal advice via 0570 541 278 or info@bockje.nl
- Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 09.00–18.00, Saturday 09.00–17.00. Closed Monday and Sunday
Wij verkopen geen alcohol aan personen onder de 18 jaar. NIX18.
Keep browsing
Brink 2, Bathmen
All our stock is in the shop, not in a warehouse somewhere else. If you walk in with a name you couldn't find anywhere, it is often simply here on the shelf. You can also call: 0570 541 278.
Wij verkopen geen alcohol aan personen onder de 18 jaar. NIX18
- Tuesday to Friday 09.00 – 18.00
- Saturday 09.00 – 17.00
- Monday and Sunday closed