Liqueurs

Question 1

Crème de mûre

Answer 1

Crème de mûre is a French liqueur made with fresh blackberries.

Creme de mure is powerful and layered: fruity, rich, bold, sweet, bright, and jammy all at once, with a sweet tart finish. It tastes like a larger than life version of a blackberry candy, and it’s instantly memorable.

** Chambord, a French black raspberry liqueur, or crème de cassis, a French blackcurrant liqueur, are decent substitutes for crème de mure. But there’s nothing quite like the smooth, pungent sweetness of the real thing. It’s worth seeking out a bottle.**

Question 2

Crème de cassis

Answer 2

Crème de cassis is a dark, sweet French liqueur made black currants. It was invented in 1841 in the city of Dijon in the region of Burgundy, France, and is still produced there today. It’s most famous for its use in the popular Kir Royale and Kir cocktails.

French creme de cassis bottles label the region where the blackcurrants were grown. Bottles labeled “Crème de Cassis de Dijon” contain black currants grown in the city of Dijon, whereas the term “Cassis de Bourgogne” have black currants for the surrounding Burgundy region.

Crème de cassis is sweet, with a rich, dark berry flavor, with a fragrant, lush and fruity aroma. It’s popularly mixed with white wine in a Kir or champagne in a Kir Royale, or drink it straight or on the rocks as an aperitif or digestif.

Question 3

Creme de menthe

Answer 3

Creme de menthe has a very sweet flavor with a strong cooling peppermint finish. It’s similar to peppermint schnapps, but schnapps is more medicinal with a strong spicy finish.

Are there any substitutes? Peppermint Schnapps works in a pinch, but it’s stronger and spicier. Also beware: it’s sold in three different ABV levels: 15% ABV (30 proof), 30% ABV (60 proof), and 50% ABV (100 proof). The 100 proof is much stronger

Question 4

Tia Maria

Answer 4

What is Tia Maria?
Tia Maria is a coffee liqueur invented in Jamaica in the 1940’s, made with Arabica coffee, Jamaican rum, bourbon vanilla and sugar. It was manufactured in Jamaica until it was bought in 2005 by the Pernod Ricard company. It’s now manufactured in Italy.

Tia Maria is sweet, with bitter coffee and strong vanilla notes, and hints of caramel and citrus. It has more depth and tastes smoother and more refined than Kahlua, with a stronger coffee flavor.

Question 5

RumChata

Answer 5

RumChata is a cream liqueur with Caribbean rum, cream, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Released in 2009, it’s similar to Baileys Irish Cream, but Baileys is made in Ireland with Irish whiskey. RumChata was inspired by the Mexican and Spanish drink horchata, a creamy drink made with soaked rice or almonds and cinnamon that resembles milk.

RumChata is very sweet, with a creamy body. It has vanilla, cinnamon, and dark rum notes on the finish. It tastes similar to Baileys Irish Cream, but distinguished by the cinnamon notes.

Question 6

Coconut Rum

Answer 6

** What does Malibu rum taste like?
Malibu tastes sweet, with notes of fruity rum and a finish of coconut and almond. Critiques of the coconut liqueur are that it is too sweet and lacks depth. Keep in mind its flavor profile when building a drink (a little goes a long way!).**

Question 7

Limoncello

Answer 7

** Limoncello tastes sweet with an intensely concentrated citrus flavor, like drinking lemon candies. Drunk straight as a chilled shot, it’s both refreshing and invigorating. The pure lemon flavor is like no other liqueur.**

Question 8

Amaretto

Answer 8

Though it tastes like almond, most often amaretto is not made with almonds. It’s made with the kernels inside apricot pits, which bring in that signature almond flavor! (This is also true about creme de noyaux, the almond-flavored liqueur responsible for the Pink Squirrel.)

Amaretto tastes tastes rich and sweet, with a strong almond flavor, notes of vanilla and a subtly bitter finish. Quality brands of amaretto have a sophisticated and developed flavor; we recommend grabbing at least a mid-priced bottle. Low quality brands aren’t worth buying, as the flavor is overly intense.

Question 9

Midori

Answer 9

Midori liqueur is very sweet, with a candy-like honeydew melon flavor: think watermelon Jolly Rancher. It’s typically mixed into cocktails instead of drinking it straight.

Question 10

Chambord

Answer 10

Chambord is a black raspberry liqueur made in France. Despite the fancy historic looking bottle, the brand started in the 1980’s. But, it’s inspired by a raspberry liqueur recipe from the the 1680’s! It’s made with both raspberries and blackberries and several spirits including Cognac. This gives it a nuanced, sophisticated flavor.

Chambord tastes tastes rich and fruity, with raspberry and citrus notes. The Cognac adds subtle notes of vanilla and oak

Question 11

Licor 43

Answer 11

** Licor 43 is a bright yellow, vanilla flavored Spanish liqueur was invented in 1946 by the Zamora family, apparently based on an ancient recipe. It’s also known as Cuarenta Y Tres (43 in Spanish). The name comes from the 43 herbs and botanicals used to make it.**

** Licor 43 tastes sweet and aromatic, strongly of vanilla with notes of orange peel, cinnamon, and cocoa. It’s herbal with a very complex finish! It’s perfect in coffee and other mixed drinks.**

Question 12

Baileys

Answer 12

Baileys Irish Cream is a liqueur made with Irish whiskey, cream, and cocoa that’s manufactured in Ireland

** Baileys Irish Cream tastes sweet and milky, with notes of vanilla and chocolate, the fruitiness of Irish whiskey on the finish.**

Question 13

St Germain

Answer 13

** St Germain is a liqueur that’s made with elderflowers, the small white flowers of an elderberry plant. **

** The flavor is light, sweetly floral, and fragrant, with notes of citrus, pear and passionfruit.**

Question 14

Kahlua

Answer 14

Kahlua has a full-bodied, rich and sweet flavor. It tastes strongly of coffee, with notes of vanilla and caramel on the finish.

Question 15

Galliano

Answer 15

Galliano liqueur is sweet with a very complex flavor. It has strong notes of vanilla and anise, and subtler tone of juniper, peppermint, lavender, and cinnamon.

Question 16

Crème de cacao

Answer 16

** White creme de cacao is sweet, with a strong milk chocolate flavor and vanilla notes. The dark variety is sweet with a richer, dark chocolate flavor.**

Question 17

Jagermeister

Answer 17

••Jagermeister tastes herbal and complex: it’s thick and syrupy, with strong anise or black licorice notes on the finish. It’s most similar to an Italian amaro (bitter liqueur) like Amaro Nonino**

Question 18

Pernod Anise

Answer 18

Pernod aka Pernod Anise is a French anise-flavored liqueur invented in 1920, after absinthe was banned in 1915. Making it without wormwood made it a legal liquor (absinthe was thought to be hallucinogenic at the time).

Pernod is made with star anise, fennel, and other herbs and botanicals. The anise or black licorice flavor is very strong, though some say it’s not quite as potent as similar liqueurs like absinthe and pastis. It’s manufactured and distributed by the company Pernod Ricard.

There are a few anise-flavored products that can be easily confused. Here’s a breakdown of similar liqueurs:

Pastis aka Ricard Pastis is another an anise-flavored liqueur invented in France in the 1930’s as an alternative to absinthe. It has a very strong black licorice flavor and is lightly sweetened, whereas absinthe is not. A popular brand is called Ricard Pastis, and it’s also manufactured by the Pernod Ricard company.
Pernod Absinthe is an absinthe manufactured by the Pernod Ricard company. It’s not the same product as Pernod Anise because it’s an absinth

Pernod Anise has a strong black licorice flavor, with subtle notes of fennel, coriander and mint. It’s best served as the French drink Pastis, diluted with water so it becomes cloudy (called the ouzo effect).

Are there any Pernod substitutes? Substitute another French anise liqueur like absinthe, Pastis or anisette. Other comparable substitutes are Sambuca, an Italian anise liqueur, or Ouzo, a Greek anise liqueur.

Question 19

Absinthe

Answer 19

**Absinthe has an herbal aroma, with a strong anise or black licorice finish. Some taste light and floral, others are darker and earthier.

Are there any substitutes? Absinthe is a unique liqueur that’s hard to replace. You can use equal amounts of other anise-flavored liqueurs, like Pernod or Pastis.**

Question 20

Chartreuse

Answer 20

Chartreuse has a sweet, spicy, and smooth flavor, with a distinctly herbal finish. Tasting notes include mint, sage, gentian, apple, and vanilla.