Liqueurs: How to Stock Your Home Bar With Liqueurs

Liqueurs, also known as cordials, are heavy, sweet, and complexly flavored drinks. The process of making liqueurs involves adding fruits, sugar, cream, spices, herbs, nuts, and flavorings to a liquor base at a distillery. The sweetness of liqueurs is their most common feature, though they can range widely in sugar content. Popular types of liqueurs include orange liqueurs, herbal liqueurs, and coffee liqueurs.

Liqueur and liquor are drinks with high alcohol content and similar-sounding names. However, there are essential differences between these two categories:

• Fermentation: Liquor—also known as hard alcohol, spirits, or distilled spirits—is a category of alcoholic beverages that ferment and undergo distillation. In the distillation process, heat and condensation increase the alcohol content, and a significant portion of the water boils off, concentrating the alcohol and particular compounds. Liquors usually starting with a grain base (distillers occasionally use fruits). The six main categories are whiskey, brandy, rum, vodka, gin, and tequila.
• Flavorings: Most liqueurs begin with liquor as a base; then, distillers add herbs, spices, and other flavorings. Bartenders can serve liqueurs as-is or add them in small amounts to a liquor base to form mixed drinks.
• Sugar: The main difference between liquor and liqueur is sweetness. Liqueurs are intensely flavored with the most predominant note usually being sweetness. Flavoring herbs and oils and added sugar provide flavor and texture.
• Alcohol content: Both liqueurs and liquors have a range of alcohol content. Most liquor is in the 40 to 55 percent range of Alcohol by Volume (ABV), or 80 to 110 proof. Liqueurs typically contain more ingredients, so the alcohol content is generally lower, from 15 to 30 percent ABV or 30 to 60 proof.

When stocking your home bar, consider the following tips:

1. 1. Start by sampling. A trip to your local cocktail bar is an excellent way to familiarize yourself with some of the popular liqueurs in classic cocktails. Branching out and experimenting with those that involve more exotic liqueurs will help inspire you to try new things at home.
2. 2. Find your flavor profile. When deciding on what liqueurs to stock your home bar with, consider your favorite cocktails. Add a curaçao if you prefer light, sweet, and fruity cocktails. If you like aromatic and herbal flavors, try some amaro.
3. 3. Consider versatility. You can consume many liqueurs on their own, either before or after meals, as aperitifs or digestifs. Stocking Sambuca or Chartreuse will provide standalone beverages that can also serve as a critical ingredient in a cocktail.
4. 4. Cover your bases. If you want to expand your mixology skills, do some home experimentation, and impress your guests with an extensive drink menu, it's good to have a wide range of liqueur flavors. This means a citrus option, like Cointreau, a fruit liqueur, like Chambord or Maraschino, a nutty liqueur like Frangelico, a coffee liqueur like Kahlua, an anise liqueur such as Sambuca or Pernod, cream liqueurs like Baileys for creamy dessert cocktails, and amari for herbal mixed drinks.

There is a wide range of liqueurs, from cream-based cordials to proprietary recipes. Some of the most popular types of liqueurs include:

1. 1. Amaretto: Amaretto is an Italian liqueur made from apricot kernels, which give the liquor a distinctly bitter almond flavor. Its name comes from amaro, the Italian word for “bitter.” Sweeter notes of brown sugar temper the bitterness of the apricot pits. Amaretto contains twenty-one to twenty-eight percent alcohol by volume (ABV) and can be sipped alone or added to cocktails.
2. 2. Amaro: Amaro is a broad category of regional Italian bitters. Made from either a neutral spirit or brandy, this bitter liqueur is a staple in the Italian lifestyle. A curated blend of botanical ingredients—typically an inherited recipe that includes herbs, spices, and flowers, as well as barks and roots like gentian root, cinchona, and wormwood—gives each variety of amaro its unique flavor. Campari, Cynar, Fernet Branca, and Aperol are popular amaro liqueur brands.
3. 3. Anise liqueurs: Anice, the primary flavoring agent in black licorice, is a popular ingredient in alcoholic drinks in many countries and cultures: Ouzo in Greece, Sambuca and Galliano in Italy, Pernod Absinthe in France, and Raki in Turkey, among others.
4. 4. Chambord: Chambord is a popular brand of raspberry-flavored liqueur. The ingredients are red and black raspberries, honey, vanilla, and cognac. Chambord is great for making Raspberry Mojitos and Raspberry Margaritas.
5. 5. Cream liqueurs: These thick, sweet liqueurs are made with the addition of milk or a milk substitute, along with sweetener, to provide a creamy sweetness to the drink. Baileys Irish Cream liqueur and Amarula are two examples of cream liqueurs.
6. 6. Creme liqueurs: Creme liqueurs are thick, sweet, syrup-like beverages. Unlike cream liqueurs, creme liqueurs do not contain dairy. Instead, added sugar provides a thick consistency. Crème de cassis (made from blackcurrants), crème de cacao, (a chocolate liqueur) and crème de menthe are different flavors of this category.
7. 7. Coffee liqueurs: These liqueurs contain caffeine, and the predominant flavor is coffee. Coffee liqueurs, such as Kahlúa from Mexico or Irish Sheridan, are generally served with cream and sugar.
8. 8. Elderflower liqueurs: These herbal liqueurs provide a light, floral note to cocktail recipes. St. Germain is a popular brand of elderflower liqueur.
9. 9. Limoncello: Limoncello is a liqueur flavored with lemon peel. Limoncello is strong, sweet, and bright yellow.
10. 10. Medicinal: Some liqueurs, such as Chartreuse and Benedictine, were initially used for medicinal purposes. These liqueurs tend to be floral and highly complex, with an ingredient list that remains secretive.
11. 11. Orange liqueurs: These liqueurs feature predominant orange flavors, and are broadly known under the labels curaçao or Triple Sec. Popular brands include Cointreau and Grand Marnier.
12. 12. Schnapps: Some varieties of schnapps do not classify as liqueurs, but those with added sweetness and flavoring agents, such as peach schnapps and peppermint schnapps, are liqueurs.
13. 13. Drambuie: This Scottish liqueur has a base spirit of Scotch whiskey and a proprietary blend of herbs and spices.
14. 14. Frangelico: This Italian liqueur is flavored with roasted hazelnuts and comes in a uniquely shaped bottle, modeled after a Chrisitan monk, complete with a rope belt.
15. 15. Strega: Strega is an Italian herbal liqueur that gets its name from the Italian word for witch. The distinctive yellow color comes from saffron, imparting flavor to the liqueur.

Learn more about mixology from award-winning bartenders Lynnette Marrero and Ryan Chetiyawardana. Refine your palate, explore the world of spirits, and shake up the perfect cocktail for your next gathering with the MasterClass Annual Membership.