Review: Pegasus Vodka and Eau d’Or

We previously reviewed Pegasus Distillery’s meteorite-infused vodka, but today we circle around to try their more grounded, original vodka along with the citrus focused liqueur Eau d’Or. Both are made at the Meursault, Burgundy-located distillery, which is still fairly young, having been founded in 2021, but they are drawing attention by making exciting products with technologically advanced distilling and certified organic ingredients. More details about the distillery and their practices can be found in our reviews of their unusual vodka and Orion Gin.

Pegasus Vodka Review

As with their Orion Gin, Pegasus Vodka is also made using their iStill, which mashes, ferments, and distills at once. The vodka is made from certified organic French wheat, using spring water sourced deep underground, beneath the distillery. On the nose, the vodka is quite clean, offering some gentle, pleasant cereal aromas and a light hospital note. The palate is more assertive, opening with sweet, maybe too sweet cereal grains that were not present on the nose. With time, further notes begin to appear, including lemon drop, vanilla, and minerality. The vodka has a lovely, oily mouthfeel and a very long finish as the flavors and the sweetness slowly dissipate. The sweetness will be a determining factor for this vodka; if that sweetness resonates with you, it stands as an excellent choice for cocktails or even for sipping neat. 80 proof. B / $35

Pegasus Eau d’Or Review

We have to start with the bottle, which is really quite attractive and would make a lovely gift. The liqueur inside the bottle was reportedly inspired by an original recipe of Louis XIV’s reign, and it is distilled with French organic lemons, bitter oranges, and orange blossom from Menton on the French Riviera. Pegasus distillery explains their dynamic maceration process: “Each citrus undergoes an 18-hour dynamic maceration with five successive passes to progressively extract essential oils and aromatic compounds. It is then re-distilled for 12 hours to refine fragrance and structure.”

The result is an assertive, sweet citrus liqueur.

Poured neat in the glass, Eau d’Or introduces bold, sweet aromas of candied oranges and lemons along with a bit of a floral note. The palate is more of the same. Oily sweet orange rind hits first, with lemon pith following. The flavors are quite strong but not overpowering, sweet but not too sweet, which is to say: This is a well-balanced liqueur. A slight alcohol bite comes at the end, which I enjoyed after the sweetness faded.

This liqueur is intended for cocktails, but I could imagine drinking it in lieu of dessert, perhaps with just an ice cube. On their website, they recommend drinking it with seltzer or tonic, and it goes beautifully with both for a refreshing, low-abv cocktail option. They also suggest cocktails that include both the vodka and the liqueur along with other ingredients. I tried just mixing the two and found that they go together nicely, making for a well-rounded orange vodka martini. 46 proof. A- / $35

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