Advocaat is an off-white coloured, egg-based liqueur made in the Netherlands with a flavour reminiscent of egg nog. It is made from brandy, unpasteurised egg yolk, egg white, herbs, sugar and vanilla. Though versions made for export are thinner, versions made for the Dutch market can be so thick you can eat them with a…
Liqueurs
Arrack
Arrack is a clear liqueur flavoured with aniseed to give it a liquorice flavour. The alcohol can be made from molasses, rice or the sap from coconut trees. It is made in the Middle East, India, Sri Lanka, etc. The alcohol content averages 40 to 50% abv. Cooking Tips Can be drunk straight up, on…
Cherry Liqueurs
Cherry Liqueurs are liqueurs that have real or artificial cherry colouring and flavouring. Whether real or artificial are used, they are added to a neutral-tasting and clear alcohol base. Some Cherry Liqueurs have an additional flavour added such as chocolate or almond. Almond flavour can be added by infusing cherry pits. Cherry Liqueurs can be…
Chocolate Liqueurs
Chocolate Liqueurs are a category of liqueurs based on crème de cacao – cocoa beans infused in vanilla. To this base, other flavours can be added — orange, cherry, mint, etc. The liqueur can be white or brown. The alcohol content ranges from 20 to 40% generally. Not the same as “Chocolate Liquor.”
Cordials
Cordials are sweet, distilled spirits, often brightly coloured. Their name comes from the Latin word for heart, with the idea being that a Cordial was something that would medicinally do you good, by stimulating the heart and the circulation. They were both sold by apothecaries, and made at home. Different kinds were thought to have…
Drambuie
Drambuie is a golden coloured liqueur based on aged scotch whisky (Talisker brand), honey and herbs and spices. Among the flavouring, experts figure, is lemon, saffron and sugar; its colour may come from the saffron. It is 40% alcohol. It can be drunk on its own, straight-up or on ice, or used as a mixer…
Drambuie Cream
Note: as of 2004, Drambuie Cream is a defunct product. Drambuie Cream is a liqueur made in Broxburn, Scotland by the Glenard company, as a joint venture between Scottish companies Glenmorangie and The Drambuie Liqueur Company Ltd 17% alcohol, it has actual dairy cream (stabilized) in it, along with honey. It is very sweet and…
Falernum
If you are looking for Falernum, the wine, see Falerno. Velvet Falernum (the full name) is a clear liqueur made in the Barbados, where it is very popular. It is made from lime, cane syrup, ginger, and flavourings including almonds and cloves. The liqueur ends up 11.5% alcohol. Falernum can be blended with rum, drunk…
French Liqueurs
By French law, to be called a Liqueur, the drink must have a minimum 15% alcohol content, and a minimum sugar content of 20%. If a liqueur in France is called a “crème”, the minimum sugar content must be 40%. 22% of the French liqueur sold worldwide is Crème de Cassis.
Kahlua
Kahlúa® is a Mexican-made coffee-flavoured liqueur. It is dark brown, thick and very sweet. Ingredients include coffee, corn syrup, sugar and vanilla bean. Many think there is chocolate in it, but there isn’t. It comes in various flavours such as Mocha, French Vanilla, Hazelnut, Especial, White Russian, Mudslide, and of course, regular. It can be…
Kahlua Day
The 27th of February is Kahlua Day. It celebrates the creamy, rum-based liquor from Mexico with the coffee flavour and a caffeine hit.
Licor Cuarenta y Tres
“Licor Cuarenta y Tres” is a bright yellow, sweet Spanish liqueur flavoured with citrus and vanilla. It professes to be made from a combination of 43 ingredients, including citrus and fruit juices, herbs, spices and vanilla. The name comes from the number of ingredients said to be used. The liqueur is 31% alcohol, 62 proof….
Liqueurs
A Liqueur is a strong, concentrated alcohol — such as brandy, rum, whiskey or neutral grain spirits — infused with flavouring. There are three main types: fruit, herb and other. Almost always quite sweet, they are served in small quantities as after dinner “digestive” beverages to help meals settle. They are also used for flavouring…
Orange Liqueurs
Orange Liqueurs are used a great deal in making mixed drinks. The category includes liqueurs made from mandarins (or “tangerines”), which technically aren’t exactly the same thing as oranges. They are made from the skins of oranges, either by chopping the skins up and letting them soak in the alcohol, then straining them out, or…
Patxaran
Patxaran is a clear, reddish-brown, sweet digestive liqueur made in the Basque areas of Spain such as Navarre, and somewhat in the bordering Basque-speaking Pyrenées area of France. Thus, you will see both Spanish and French terms used in discussing it. It is made from sloe plums let steep for several months (between 1 and…
Pear Liqueurs
Pear Liqueurs can be either actually distilled from fermented pears, or can be made by steeping crushed pears in brandy. The aroma is often more like pear than the taste is. Some are thick and syrupy; some are thin but sweet, more like an “eau-de-vie.” Many include a pear right in the bottle for dramatic…
Ratafia
Ratafia is a liqueur originally made from something that would impart almond flavour, such as the kernels of Morello cherries, peach or apricot kernels or bitter almonds or a combination of these. The liqueur come have been distilled or infused. Sometimes angelica or anise-flavoured cordials were also referred to as Ratafia, but but generally, people…
Tia Maria
Tia Maria © Denzil Green Tia Maria is a rich, sweet coffee-flavoured liqueur with an alcohol content of 20% to 26%, depending on the country it is bottled in. It is made from coffee beans, cane spirit, vanilla, and sugar. The coffee beans are Jamaican Blue Mountain. It is made in Kingston, Jamaica. The company…
Umeshu
Umeshu is a yellowish, Japanese liqueur made from the Japanese plums called “Ume.” It has a very smooth, but slightly sweet and sour taste. To make it, green, unripened Ume are macerated in shochu alcohol. The alcohol level is around 35%. It is sometimes sold in green-hued glass jars, with a few Ume plums in…