A friend had the opportunity recently of tasting the legalised, commercial version, and said it reminded her of a French liqueur.

Campari bought French liqueur Grand Marnier in 2016 and began late last year to sell through its own in-market company in France.

The stakes are high for the world's sixth largest premium spirit maker, which bought the French liqueur last June in its biggest-ever acquisition.

French liqueur Grand Marnier, Campari's biggest acquisition to date, added 32.5 million euros to the group's net sales in the first quarter.