Under the name The Original Canton Delicate Ginger Liqueur the liqueur was produced until 1997 in Doumen, a district of the city of Zhuhai in the Pearl River Delta of China's southern Guangdong province, near Macau. It was sold in limited quantity in the United States before high-end Asian fusion cuisine became popular. In its original formulation, the liqueur's ingredients were advertised to include six varieties of ginger, ginseng, "gentle herbs," "finest spirits," brandy, and honey. Its strength was 20 percent alcohol (40 proof), and it was sold in decorative faceted glass bottles of various sizes.[1]
The product's stay on the market lasted from 1992 to 1995. It was officially discontinued after 1997.
In 2007, John Cooper (son of the US importer of the original product, N. J. Cooper) revived the name and idea by producing a new ginger liqueur called Canton Ginger & Cognac Liqueur. Canton Ginger Liqueur follows a new recipe and is produced in Jarnac, France. The new formula is 28 percent alcohol (56 proof), is golden in color, and is packaged in a bamboo-shaped bottle. It contains syrup made from crystallized Chinese baby ginger, Grand Champagne cognac, neutral spirit, orange blossom honey from Provence, and vanilla.
Domaine de Canton was released in New York City in August 2007. By 2008, the name of the liqueur had changed once again, to Domaine de Canton French Ginger Liqueur.
Domaine de Canton's packaging won a 2008 Pentawards for packaging design in the luxury spirits category, for its bamboo shaped bottle along with the appointed closure on the top.[4]
