The most difficult category to define in the alcoholic world, liqueurs regularly walk the fine line between sweet and dangerous, quite often hiding a long and intricate history. The necessary balance in most cocktails, liqueurs are mostly likely recognised by their brand names – Baileys, Kahlua, Midori – and are usually enjoyed by those with a sweet tooth who enjoy a slight alcoholic edge. However the variety and recipes of these mysteriously flavoured liquids can overwhelm quite easily when one starts to look into them in detail.
Liqueurs – What are they?
The story of liqueurs is almost as old as the story of alcohol itself. The word ‘liqueur’ is a derivation of the Latin liquecere and means to melt or dissolve which goes a small way to describing exactly what a liqueur is – however definitions and descriptions can be a slippery area.
The simplest explanation would be to say that liqueurs’ begin life as base – often neutral - spirit which is then flavoured and sweetened heavily. However trying to define them further will only end in many contradictions and exceptions.
They can range in alcoholic volume from 15% up to over 80% and can be flavoured with almost anything. There are no legal regulations that can be applied to the production of liqueurs – they can be made anywhere and by anyone – even in your own bathtub! The flavouring and colour can be from natural and fresh botanicals or artificially produced, and can encapsulate almost any flavour the palate can imagine – some of course which don’t bear experimenting with. From this brief definition, it is patiently clear that this area of alcoholic beverages may require some very painstaking – but rewarding – sampling across its rather broad spectrum.
The History of Liqueurs
The first example of a brand of liqueur being produced is that of Chatreuse, a herbal liqueur which dates back to 1603 and the production is still overseen by the same order of Carthusian monks in France. However liqueurs in some form or another have been present every since the first alchemist attempted to divine the meaning of existence through aque vitea – the water of life. Through their experimentations with various materials the distillation of fermented liquid into spirits was discovered – however with technology being as primitive as it was, the flavours of herbs, roots and fruit was added in order to mask the unpleasant tastes which was often the end result of distillation in those days. Hence the creation of early liqueurs was more or less a necessity.
Of course in addition to trying to solve the mysteries of life, alchemists were also looking to develop medicines and tonics, in order to help cure aliments of the day. As many alchemists were in fact monks, their skills and experimentation knew no bounds, and as they had given their life to the scientific practices their dedication to this search was all consuming and involving. They already had much of the knowledge required to utilise roots, herbs and other flora in order to create the medicines needed – the spirit base gave them a way to deliver it in a more appealing style. The flip side of the coin is of course the fact that not only were liqueurs used to make the base spirit more palatable – but they were also used to make the ingestion of medicines more ‘interesting’.
So from as early as 800 BC, this sweetened style of alcohol has been with us. Indeed some of the first vodkas and gins could be considered liqueurs under this definition.
However it took time before liqueurs were considered sophisticated and elegant drinks. An important event in this development was the importation of sugar – see history of rum. With the sweetness that sugar had to offer, a whole world of change opened up the creation of liqueurs. New and delicious flavours could be mass marketed and - aimed at the right classes of society – be enjoyed as a social pleasure. New ingredients such as exotic and rare spices and fruits were also becoming available as the Dutch spice trade expanded its travels.
By the early 19th century liqueurs were really getting some attention from socialites, bartenders and the general drinker. Brands such as Grand Marnier, Cointreau and Amaretto to name a few, were developed during this period, and many great cocktails in the American bar scene were utilising these unique flavours in their race to the perfect drink.
It must be noted that in past decades, where a more premium version of a popular spirit – such as vodka or scotch - has been in demand, liqueurs have tended to lose their luxurious appeal and to be considered as nothing more than mere flavourings for cocktails. However some notable arrivals on the liqueur market – the most significant being Baileys Irish Cream, which since being launched in 1974 has become the number 1 selling liqueur worldwide.
How they are Made
Of course, as the recipes for many well-known brands are kept under lock and key, knowing the exact way many liqueurs are made is impossible. However there as few basic steps required that are general knowledge.
In general liqueurs are made from a neutral base spirit – something similar to vodka is a good example – to which flavours can be added through different methods.
- Maceration – This process is also used when flavouring vodka and gins. The ingredients – which could be fruit flesh, peel or roots – are placed in the base spirit for an extended period of time in order for the flavours to leach out. Sometimes gentle heating is used in order to speed up the process.
- Distillation - This technique is a follow on from maceration with ingredients such as nuts, seeds and roots. Through distilling the product with the ingredients the flavours become more firmly fixed in the spirit, and it allows a fuller expression of the flavours to be released.
- Concentrates – this is the equivalent of adding cordial water – an industrially produced flavourings that are added straight to the base spirit without requiring either of the previous techniques.
While most liqueurs are made from a neutral base spirit there are a few which a made unique by utilizing the flavours of this spirit. Drambuie – an orange liqueur – uses a blend of grain and malt whisky while Grand Marnier – another orange variation – is made from Champange Cognac. Baileys Irish Cream uses – yes quite obviously – Irish whiskey as it’s base, a flavour that complements the vanilla and cocoa perfectly. |
The Brands
Of course when you come to liqueurs the brand names are what often makes the difference. Liqueurs are the only category that is made up of generic and proprietary styles. The proprietary brands are those which are recognisable by their names, history and quite often secret recipe – Baileys, Cointreau, Frangelico, Kahlua. These are the brands which have taken over the market so to speak – other variations may be available but these are the brands which will always be referred to.
The generic styles are those which produce the flavours which are known to all – very similar to a ‘no frills’ brand name. These include:
Limoncello – a lemon based Italian liqueur
Triple sec – an orange peel liqueur
Irish cream – a whiskey based dairy liqueur
These variations may produce exceptional liqueurs, but if the brand is not recognised, quite often neither will the liqueur. However there are more and more companies which are producing unique and delicious liqueurs outside the norm, which are often important features in new and upcoming cocktails. Some examples of these may include the Massenez or Cartron range of liqueurs which features such mouth-watering flavours like watermelon, ginger, passionfruit and cherry.
Baileys is the biggest liqueur brand globally but has only been with us since 1974. It was the first brand to be able to successfully blend Irish whiskey with cream without using any artificial additives. |
As mentioned earlier the proprietary brands often have their own secret recipe which tends to make their product taste more original. For example Baileys was the first brand to develop a way to make whiskey and cream blend smoothly without separating. Other brands have been producing a similar ‘Irish Cream’ however Baileys is still viewed as the original creamy liqueur.
Types of Liqueurs
One of the simplest ways of understanding liqueurs is to break them up into four main groups.
Herbal
This group was really where liqueurs began. The very first liqueurs are among the oldest of all spirits and they were primarily created as medicines. They were typically high in alcoholic content and initially were the creation of monks – monks being the most scientifically advanced alchemists at the time and able to devote time to the experimentation and development of liqueurs.
Herbal liqueurs were often flavoured with variety of roots, spices, herbs and seeds – often in the one batch. Chatruese is of course one of these brands and still maintains the original recipe centuries after it’s creation. Some other brands include
- Galliano – a rich Italian liqueur with vanilla and aniseed flavours, it’ main claim to fame was it’s inclusion in the well known 70’s cocktail the Harvey Wallbanger.
- Licor 43 – a Spanish liqueur with prominent vanilla notes, but it actually gets its name from the 43 herbal ingredients put into the mix. Most often served beside an expresso coffee in Spain, this liqueur makes for some great sipping.
- Tuaca – a relative newcomer on the liqueur scene, this Italian liqueur has a light, sweet herbal-vanilla flavour.
Fruit
The use of fruit as a flavouring really came into popularity when the continuous still was invented. Until this occurred all liqueurs were made from a base spirit that was often too full of its own characteristics to allow the simple flavour of in one type of fruit to shine through. However with the continuous still came the ability to produce a clean and neutral base spirit, which then could be flavoured with a large range of fruits and berries.
The range of fruits used in liqueurs can be anything from the obvious – orange and apple – to the extremely exotic – pomegranate and ginger.
Some of the best known brands in this group are:
- Midori – a Japanese honeydew melon liqueur most recognisable by it bright green hue, and is one of the few liqueurs to have it’s own cocktail named after it – the Midori Illusion.
- Cointreau – a French orange peel liqueur – a proprietary example of triple sec mentioned earlier. Not only an important cocktail ingredient, this is a tremendous spirit on it’s own – at 40% ABV it is just as strong as vodka or gin.
- Luxardo – an Italian maraschino cherry liqueur which has an interesting sweet and sour taste, made not only from cherries but also their pits.
Crème
This group is not, as one might expect, related in any way to the creamy world of Baileys and the like. Cremes are a style of fruit liqueur in which the flavour has been enhanced by more sweetness and a lower volume of alcohol. These tend to be made solely from the concentrates mentioned above, and often the result of the flavouring of just one fruit, nut or pod. Examples of these generic versions are crème de cassis (blackberry), crème de framboise (raspberry) and crème de mure (blueberry). Some of the international known brands are:
- Kahlua – a Mexican coffee liqueur made from rectrified cane spirit, coffee and vanilla. This, along side a preferably Russian vodka is without substitute for the perfect Black Russian.
- Tia Maria – a Jamaican coffee liqueur which is much sweeter and lighter than Kahlua and made from coffee beans grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. It’s name is Spanish for ‘Aunt Mary’ and supposedly named after a maid servant who saved the precious family recipe from their homestead was attacked in the 17th Century.
Nuts & Seeds
One of the more obvious groups of liqueurs, the nuts and seed varieties have been with us almost as long as the herbal flavourings, and indeed some of these are the most well known brands in today’s bars. In this category the flavourings are diverse and incorporate a large number of styles, and while some of these may seem to overlap the herbal group with their ‘secret ingredients’ however the inclusion of nuts or seeds in the recipes make these quite a different batch.
Some of the best known brands in this group are:
- Sambucca – a classic Roman liqueur with anise, elderberries and other herbal flavourings. Now a popular drink within Greek communities the traditional style of serving it is in a shot glass with three flamed coffee beans – signifying health, wealth and happiness.
- Frangelico - one of the most iconic bottles on the bar shelves, this is an Italian liqueur flavoured with hazelnuts and assorted herbs. The monk shaped bottled reflects the history of the drink and it’s creation.
- Amaretto Disaronno – the first almond liqueur brand known, this liqueur has a romantic history which involves an artist and an innkeeper’s wife in the 16th century. However it wasn’t until late in the 18th century that Amaretto was being made commercially from a small town called Saronno.
- Malibu – built on a white rum base, this is a rich and sweet coconut liqueur from the Caribbean. Launched in the 80’s it’s primary use is in sweet tropical cocktails.
