LIQUEURS

INTRODUCTION
Liqueurs are flavoured and sweetened spirits having high alcoholic
content. An alcoholic beverage produced by combining spirits with
fruits, herbs and other flavouring elements and containing more than
2.5% sugar by weight. The word liqueur comes from the Latin
word “LIQUIFACERE” which means to dissolve or to melt and refers to
the dissolving of the flavourings in the spirits. Liqueurs were used as
medicine for stomach ailments since these medicines were harsh
tasting so they were sweetened with honey. Liqueurs are served in
small quantities as digestives at the end of the meal either neat, with
ice cream or coffee. Liqueurs are used in the preparation of cocktails,
speciality coffees and in the culinary preparations. In most flambéed
dessert preparations, liqueurs are used for flavouring.

HISTORY
Liqueurs were first produced in the monasteries of Europe for
medicinal purposes. Many of the herbs with medicinal properties
were grown near the monasteries. The medicinal properties of these
herbs were extracted by steeping them in alcohol. In medieval Europe,
the flavoured liquids were applied on wounds and were often drunk
in small quantities for curing cold and fever. Some were sweetened to
make them tastier. These were regarded as the protection against
infection and plague but many pharmacists conflicted with the
religious laws because of the claims they made for their potions.
In the 14th century, the elixir of the monks was known as a preventive
against malaria. The dark red liqueur made from black currant was
considered to cure physical diseases; and the bitter wormwood
liqueur of Marseilles was used as medicines for stress until 1915 when
the government banned the production. Some of the early liqueurs
were made to disguise poor quality spirits.
Many households had their own concoction, made from garden herbs
and local spirit until the 19th century.
 TYPES OF LIQUEURS
There are many distillers who make liqueurs of different flavours and
colours. There are two types of liqueurs mentioned below:

• Generic Liqueurs:
Generic Liqueurs can be made by anyone. Advocat, Anisette,
Curacao and crème de menthe are some examples for Generic
liqueurs.

• Proprietary Liqueurs:
Proprietary Liqueurs is made by single distillers who owns the
right to make the liquor of that name. Grand Marnier, Cointreau,
Benedictine and Kahlua are the examples for proprietary
liqueurs.

INGREDIENTS USED FOR MAKING LIQUEURS

Liqueurs are flavoured and sweetened spirits. To produce liqueurs, the
following main ingredients are necessary:
• BASE SPIRIT: The base of any liqueur is spirit. Some liqueurs rely on
the flavours of a particular mother spirit. For example, Drambuie is
based on scotch. Brandy is the heart of many famous liqueur brands
like Grand Marnier. To produce a fine liqueur, the alcohol used must
be as pure as possible. Whisky, rum, brandy, cognac etc. are all used,
although most liqueurs are made from neutral spirits also.

BASE SPIRIT

Brandy Rum Whisky Neutral Spirit

• FLAVOURING AGENT:
Liqueurs are flavoured with herbs, flowers, fruits, seeds, barks and
roots. Following are the examples of flavouring agents used in the
production of liqueurs.
 FLAVOURING

Herbs Fruits Flowers Barks Roots Seeds

• Herbs: Basil, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sage, Thistle, Thyme, hyssop etc.
• Flowers: Chamomile, Lavender, Lily, Rose, Saffron etc.
• Fruits: Berries, Peaches, Oranges, Pineapple, Banana, Raisins etc.
• Barks: Angostura, Myrrh, Sandalwood, Sassafras, Cinchona etc.
• Roots: Angelica, Celery, Ginger, Liquorice, Turmeric, etc.
• Seeds: Aniseed, Pepper, Juniper Berries, Caraway, Clove, Coffee,
coriander, star anise etc.

• SWEETENING AGENTS:
The sweetening agents used in the production of liqueurs are sugar
syrup, maple syrup, corn syrup and honey. The sugar content of the
liqueurs distinguishes it from the other types of spirits. It ranges from
2⅟2 to 35% by weight. All liqueurs sold in the USA must contain a
minimum of 25% sugar by weight. A liqueur with 10% or less is termed
as dry liqueur.

• COLOURING AGENTS:
Natural vegetable colouring agents or approved food dyes are used to
colour the liqueur. Natural colouring agents include saffron, coffee,
raspberry and currants. In the USA, liqueurs are termed as cordials. In
reality, all liqueurs are alcoholic drinks, whereas cordials can be
alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

PRODUCTION PROCESS
Top quality liqueurs are produced by distillation of either the
fermented flavour materials or the spirit in which they have been
infused. Many liqueurs used the steps in the production of liqueurs
are discussed below:
 PRODUCTION PROCESS OF LIQUEURS
Extraction of flavour

Distillation

Compounding

Maturing

Sweetening & Colouring

Fining

Bottling

1. EXTRACTION OF FLAVOURING:
The flavouring agent must be extracted from the natural
substances which are used as an ingredient in the blending process.
There are four methods by which the flavouring oil can be
extracted, depending on the type of the ingredient. They are as
follows:
• PRESSURE:
By applying mechanical presses the oil is extracted from the
ingredients, for example, from citrus peel.
• MACERATION:
It is used when soft and delicate fruits are used as flavouring agents
in the preparation of liqueur. In this method, the flavouring agents
are soaked in cold spirits for long time to gain maximum flavour.
The spirit usually the brandy, is placed in the oak casks with the
fruits for up to a year and stirred occasionally for effective
maceration. Flavour and colour are extracted during this process.
When the maceration is over, the liqueur is transferred, and
filtered.
• INFUSION:
This is maceration in warm spirit maintained at a constant
temperature for several days. This method extracts more flavour
quickly than any other method.
• PERCOLATION:
This method is similar to coffee percolator. In this method, the spirit
is continuously passed through the flavouring agent by heating. The
spirit is boiled and the vapours are passed up the flavouring agent
to get the flavour, condensed and return to the boiling spirit. This
continues for weeks or even months. Flavoured spirit is separated
and filtered. Spirit is added to adjust the flavouring.
2. DISTILLATION:
The extracted essences or oils are steeped in the base spirit until it
is well impregnated with flavour, and then it is distilled under
vacuum to protect the delicate essences. During distillation, a
colourless dry distillate of high alcoholic strength is obtained. This
liquid is further purified by re-distillation to remove any impurities
which would change the flavour. It can be done two ways:
• DISTILLATION IN ALCOHOL:
This is done in a copper pot still. The flavouring agent is soaked in
alcohol for several hours, then put in the still with additional spirits
and distilled.
• DISTILLATION IN WATER:
This method is used with delicate herbs and flowers. They are
soaked in water and distilled in a pot still. The distillate is then
added to pure alcohol or base spirit.
3. COMPOUNDING:
Compounding is the process of blending the distillate in strict
sequence to produce a desired flavour. Most liqueurs are made
according to the secret recipes, many of which are centuries old.
4. MATURING:
Liqueurs must be allowed to rest. The finest liqueurs are matured
in oak casks, which assist in mellowing the liquid.
 5. SWEETENING AND COLOURING:
Sweetening agents are added according to the style and sweetness
required. Liqueurs are coloured to harmonize with the flavour.
6. FINING:
Any suspended matter in the liquid must be removed by fining. The
fining process is similar to fining of wine.
7. BOTTLING:
Spirit is added to liqueur to bring it to the correct alcoholic strength,
if necessary. All liqueurs are given a final filtration to ensure star
bright clarity before bottling.

LIQUEURS: THEIR FLAVOUR, COLOUR, BASE AND ORIGIN:

FLAVOUR /
LIQUEUR COLOUR COUNTRY
BASE SPIRIT
Abricotine Gold Apricot / Brandy France
Advocaat Yellow Egg yolk / Brandy Netherland
Almond /
Amaretto Brown Italy
Neutral Spirit
Aniseed /
Anisette Clear France
Neutral Spirit
Bailey’s Irish Chocolate /
Coffee Ireland
Cream Irish Whiskey
Benedictine Dark gold Herbs / Brandy France
Calvados Amber Apple / Brandy France
Green &
Chartreuse Herbs / Brandy France
Yellow
Chambord Raspberry Raspberry / Cognac France
Orange /
Cointreau Clear France
Neutral Spirit
Crème de
Dark Brown Chocolate / Rum France
Cacao
Honey /
Drambuie Golden Scotland
Scotch Whisky
Grand Light
Orange / Cognac France
Marnier Amber
Herbs & Spices /
Glayva Golden Scotland
Scotch Whisky
Cherry /
Kirsch Clear Scotland
Neutral Spirit
Coffee / Neutral
Kahlua Brown Mexico
Spirit
Aniseed / Neutral
Galliano Gold Italy
Spirit
Caraway seeds /
Kummel Clear Netherland
Neutral Spirit
Maraschino Cherry
Maraschino Clear Yugoslavia
/ Neutral Spirit
Parfait Violet, citrus fruits
Purple Netherland
Amour / Neutral Spirit
Liquorice /
Sambuca Clear Italy
Neutral Spirit
Mint /
Vandermint Dark Brown Netherland
Neutral Spirit
Southern Peaches /
Golden USA
Comfort Bourbon Whisky
Herbs & Spices /
Strega Yellow Italy
Neutral Spirit
Tia Maria Brown Coffee/Rum Jamaica
Van der South
Pale Yellow Orange / Brandy
Hum Africa

USES OF LIQUEURS
• After dinner drink- good for digestion.
• Cocktail ingredient.
• For specialty coffees.
• For making desserts.
• For flavouring ice creams and chocolates.
 • Sorbet can be made with liqueurs.

OTHER NAMES
• CORDIAL — SWEET (AMERICA)
• DIGESTIF — DIGESTIVE (FRANCE)

LIQUEUR COFFEE/SPECIALTY COFFEE

Black coffee with liqueur or spirit and cream floated on top is termed
as specialty coffee. These coffees take their names depending on the
type of liqueurs or spirits used in their making. All specialty coffees
have cream floated on top. An establishment may standardize the
recipe of specialty coffee and the size of the glass for the service. The
glass chosen for these coffees should be made of clear and toughened
glass. The glass may have a stem or handle.
The steps involved in making this type of coffee are as follows:
• Take a Specialty coffee glass of capacity 8oz.
• Pour a measure of liqueur or spirit into the glass.
• Add 2 bar spoons of sugar, if required (Demerara sugar is
preferred)
• Pour hot black coffee 100 ml into the glass up to 1.5 cm below
the rim of the glass and stir.
• Slightly aerate the cream 20 ml by gently shaking for about few
seconds.
• Pour the cream gently over the back of the spoon held over
coffee against the side of the glass so as to make the cream
gently slide and settle over the coffee. Continue pouring till it
reaches about 1 cm thick.
• Remove the spoon, place the glass on an under liner and serve.
Following are the examples of some of the specialty coffees:

SPECIALTY COFFEE BASE SPIRIT / LIQUEUR

Monk’s Coffee Benedictine
Calypso Coffee Tia – Maria
Seville Coffee Cointreau
 Irish Coffee Irish Whiskey
Russian Coffee Vodka
German Coffee Kirsch
Italian Coffee Strega
Jamaican / Caribbean Rum
Coffee
Highland / Gaelic Scotch Whiskey
Coffee
Normandy Coffee Calvados
Café Royale / Café Cognac
Parisienne

SERVICE OF LIQUEUR:
Liqueurs are taken as digestives at the end of the meal with coffee.
Liqueur are mostly served neat in a liqueur glass. Some people prefer
taking liqueur with black coffee as a liqueur coffee.
Sommeliers offer the wine list soon after sweet and before the service
of coffee so that the liqueurs will be on the table when the coffee is
offered. Pre-poured liqueurs may be collected from dispense bar on a
lined tray and placed at the table to the right of the guest from the
right hand side or served from the liqueur trolley. The quantity of the
liqueur depends on the standard measure of the restaurant. Liqueur
glasses of different shapes and sizes are available. Guests can order
their liqueurs in any of the following ways:
• Neat.
• With Cream.
• With Coffee and Cream.
• Frappe (with ice).

EAUX–DE-VIE
Eaux-de-vie are spirits distilled from fermented mash of a fruit. They
are also called as fruit brandies. Following are the characteristics of
Eaux-de-vie:
 • The alcoholic content of Eaux-de-vie is more compared to most
of the liqueurs.
• They are termed as white alcohols (alcool blanc) as they are
colourless.
• They are dry to taste.
• Eaux-de-vie are expensive as the quantity of the fruit needed to
produce them is huge.
• They are served chilled in chilled glass with adequate room to
swirl the drink so as to release the bouquet.
Many European countries produce fruit brandies, Alsace region of
France is well known for the production of Eaux-de-vie.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LIQUEURS AND EAUX-DE-VIE:

The most important points of difference between eaux-de-vie and
liqueurs are as follows:
• Eaux-de-vie are colourless and liqueurs are available in attractive
colours.
• Eaux-de-vie are dry while liqueurs are sweet.
• Alcohol content in liqueurs is less as compared to eaux-de-vie.