Liqueurs: A comprehensive guide to a versatile beverage

24/09/2021 For something so widely available, it surely is an interesting and sometimes confusing topic for the unacquainted. Let's understand liqueurs a little bit better in this article.

With a long and ancient history, liqueurs have been consumed for centuries. Descendants of herbal medicines, liqueurs are said to have been originated in Italy, often prepared by monks.

Today, liqueurs are produced worldwide and can be found in most bars, restaurants, and hotels. For most general consumers and cocktail enthusiasts, liqueurs are also a household item.

For something so widely available, it surely is an interesting and sometimes confusing topic for the unacquainted. Let's understand liqueurs a little bit better in this article.

Liqueur

Liqueurs vs. Liquors

Over the years, these 2 terms have been easily confused but are actually quite different.

Liquor, the more common of the two, is simply the term used to describe a distilled beverage. Gin, rum, vodka, whisky, are all liquors. With a comparatively higher ABV content, liquors are typically ‘not sweet’, even when flavored.

Liqueurs on the other hand are sweet in nature, unlike liquors which have a strong flavor that is anything but sweet. Liquors such as brandy, rum, and whisky, can actually be used as a base spirit for liqueurs, which is one of the major reasons for the confusion between the two, apart from the similar names. Liqueurs are basically sweetened and diluted forms of liquor.

Liqueurs come in a vast variety of flavors and sub-categories ranging from citrus fruit to coffee to herbs, honey, sweet, creamy, and everything in between.

Liqueurs usually have a lower alcohol content (15–30% ABV) than other distilled spirits. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule such as Chartreuse, a French liqueur that has been made by the Carthusian Monks since 1737.

Usage:

Liqueurs win hearts because of how versatile in nature they are. They can be used as mixers in mixed drinks, drank straight, served neat, with ice, in coffee, or even added to non-alcoholic beverages such as milk or cream.

Many liqueurs are also used in baking and cooking and a few of our favorite spirits have even become necessary dessert ingredients.

Liqueurs are sometimes also added to cocktails to provide flavor. Mixologists around the world genuinely love to experiment with the sweet taste of liqueurs to create some beautiful concoctions.

Another great usage of liqueurs is in making layered drinks. We want to keep these separate from cocktails because they deserve their own limelight here. Made by floating different-colored liqueurs in separate layers, these layered drinks indeed provide an aesthetic touch to a drink.

B-52 cocktail Shots - Layered drink

Each liqueur is poured slowly into a glass over the back of a spoon or down a glass rod, so that the liquids of different densities remain unmixed, creating a striped effect.

Liqueurs post-covid

The role of liqueurs post-covid has indeed been a prominent one, with people all over the world getting creative with their cocktails and indulging in home mixology courses. Alcohol policy in the US saw a major transformation during the COVID era, with to-go cocktails and liqueur sales observing a steady rise.

Liqueurs have consistently been a sort of support system to the hospitality industry, being a complementary product that helps to cater to a niche audience that doesn’t necessarily prefer the taste or strength of traditional spirits or to those who just like to experiment with their drinks.

That being said, let’s take a quick look at some trending liqueurs of 2021 which were handpicked by a panel of leading bartenders and on-premise buyers based on 3 primary criteria, their Quality, Value for Money, and Packaging.

Here are the 13 trending liqueur categories that bartenders should stock up:

1. Aniseed

Bartender's suggestion for you:

Mount Rigi - 83 points

Mount Rigi Tasting Notes

24/09/2021 For something so widely available, it surely is an interesting and sometimes confusing topic for the unacquainted. Let's understand liqueurs a little bit better in this article.

Liqueurs vs. Liquors

Usage:

Liqueurs post-covid

1. Aniseed

Mount Rigi - 83 points

Tasting Notes:

2. Cassis

Jahiot - 78 points

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3. Citrus Fruit

Magdala Orange Liqueur - 90 points

Tasting Notes:

Accompani Crimson Snap - 92 points

Tasting Notes:

Accompani Mari Gold - 92 points

Tasting Notes:

Maennerhobby Zitronenlikör - 84 points

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4. Coffee

Galliano Ristretto - 91 points

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5. Flavoured Cream

Southern Star Double Shot Bourbon Cream Liqueur - 85 points

Tasting Notes:

Strawberry Dream Sippin' Cream - 74 points

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Banana Pudding Sippin' Cream - 76 points

Tasting Notes:

Caramel Creams Liqueur - 89 points

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6. Fruit

Ginja9 Portuguese Sour Cherry Liqueur - 88 points

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Maraschino Liqueur - 78 points

Tasting Notes:

Patique Cherry Liqueur - 80 points

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Aloha Spirit Liqueur Lilikoi - 78 points

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7. Herb

Amaro Di Angostura - 94 points

Tasting Notes:

Galliano L'autentico - 89 points

Tasting Notes:

Ginrosa - 93 points

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Accompani (Flora Green) - 85 points

Tasting Notes:

Amaro Santoni - 84 points

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8. Spice

Golden Falernum - 90 points

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9. Nut

Andean Cream - 87 points

Tasting Notes:

Sir Almond - 73 points

Tasting Notes:

Orahovac (Green Walnut Liqueur) - 85 points

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10. Floral

Accompani (Blue Dorris) - 86 points

Tasting Notes:

Grand Poppy Amaro - 90 points

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11. Whisky Based

Stroma Malt Whisky Liqueur - 82 points

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12. Honey

Perun Honey - 73 points

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13. Lemon

Basbas - 72 points

Tasting Notes:

Pallini Limoncello - 89 points

Tasting Notes:

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