Mandarine Impériale is a yellowish-orange liqueur made in Corsica from alcohol, orange skin, mandarin oils, sugar, water and other ingredients that are secret.
The mandarin oil comes from Paris or from the Grasse region. The orange skins come from oranges grown by the company right there in Corsica. The skins are let steep in neutral alcohol 96% proof for at least two months, then distilled. A sugar syrup and water are then added to bring the alcohol content down to 22%, and the mixture is let stand for about 10 days, then filtered.
On the label there is a picture of Napoleon.
Alcohol content is 22% ABV.
Mandarine Imperatrice
Same company and liqueur as above, but with a 30% abv.
History Notes
Louis Napoleon Mattei (1849 to 1907) in Bastia, Corsica had started a spirits company back in 1872, at which he made Cedratine. After the First World War, the Mattei company started an orange liqueur they called “Bonapartine”, and registered the trademark for it in 1920. In 1935, they named the product Mandarine Impériale. Business was bad during the Second World War, and market demand for liqueurs in general fell in the 1950s, at which point production was abandoned. Production was restarted in 1977 by the Société des vins du cap Corse, which had taken over from the Mattei company.