Liqueurs
Liqueurs represent a vast and variable category of alcoholic spirits, distinguished by the fact that they are flavored with, well, almost anything. Fruit-flavored liqueurs like triple sec are well-known to most drinkers, but there are also cocoa-flavored liqueurs (creme de cacao), cream-infused liqueurs (Baileys, et al.), coffee-flavored liqueurs (Kahlua), whiskey-flavored liqueurs (Drambuie, et al.), and nut-flavored liqueurs (Frangelico, and many more). Bitter, herbal liqueurs represent a huge category of this segment, with amari being a specific sub-category of bittersweet liqueurs that has a devout following. (It’s also a separate category of coverage here at Drinkhacker.) Many of these herbal liqueurs are derived from ancient medicinal recipes. Liqueurs can vary wildly in alcoholic content and can be consumed neat, on the rocks, or — most commonly — as a component in any number of cocktails.
Top Liqueurs Posts:
A Brief History of Orange Flavored Liqueurs
St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
Drambuie 15 Liqueur
It’s a Jeppson’s Malört world, and we’re all just living in it. To be fair, that’s probably a stretch. Chicago’s bitter, wormwood-flavored liqueur isn’t exactly omnipresent. But it’s certainly on a hot streak, powered by an extremely vocal fan base and more than a few viral moments. The brand itself has capitalized on that increased…
Somewhere in the last few years, the carajillo became an iconic after-dinner drink that, in some parts of the world, began to eclipse the espresso martini in popularity. The official recipe for the carajillo is simple — espresso and Licor 43 liqueur, shaken vigorously — though plenty of versions made with additional spirits exist. Licor…
Chocolate is the most iconic of desserts, yet it’s widely maligned when it comes to cocktails. The chocolate martini? Is that a serious cocktail that anyone would drink outside of a bachelorette party or while enjoying a cover band on a cruise ship? Hey, it’s time to put aside prejudices and embrace the power of…
Can the world ever have too many coffee-flavored liqueurs? It certainly seems like the answer is no, with artisanal offerings continuing to pop up on the market at a regular clip. The latest to hit our tasting room is Estate 98, an espresso spirit made in El Salvador using what the brand describes as a…
Malört: You know it. You love it. Well I kinda love it, an opinion that has raised more than a few eyebrows about my sanity but for which I am unapologetic. That aside, here’s the scoop: Each year, Jeppson’s releases a special edition of its classic product called Barrel-Aged Malört (BAM), which, as the name…
Conceived at Harlem cocktail bar Sugar Monk and produced in Brooklyn, Atheras Spirits distills a collection of six spirits — two amari and four herbal liqueurs — all “bridging centuries-old traditions of botanical distillation with modern innovations in flavor extraction” — “each inspired by the intersection of art, history, music, and alchemy.” To call these liqueurs…
Pallini’s Limoncello is a classic liqueur. But should you want that racily sharp lemon liqueur flavor without the booze behind it, there’s now Pallini Limonzero, reportedly the first NA limoncello to hit the market. The NA liqueur is made using the same primary ingredient as the standard limoncello, with Amalfi Sfusato lemons offering that trademark…
The Pathfinder is an up-and-coming non-alcoholic brand with a unique production method. The core product, Hemp and Root, is fermented from hemp and then distilled. The non-alcoholic spirit is then infused with a variety of botanicals, including wormwood, angelica root, ginger, sage, juniper, saffron, orange peel, and Douglas fir. Note that though it’s made from hemp,…
Violet Crown Spirits in Bastrop, Texas, produces a variety of obscure liqueurs and other spirits, including multiple absinthes and amari, the latter of which we turn our attention to today. We’re looking at three of them, each decidedly different. Violet Crown Spirits Midnight Marigold Bitter Cordial Review This herbaceous amaro was created in collaboration with…
I experience zero shame telling you that I love the flavor of passion fruit. My go-to sparkling water is passion fruit infused, and passion fruit in a cocktail ingredient list is certain to catch my eye and guarantee an order. (Pornstar Martini? Well… only on special occasions.) Fresh passion fruit is far from a simple…