A liqueur (; ; ) is an
alcoholic drink
An alcoholic beverage (also called an alcoholic drink, adult beverage, or a drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol that acts as a drug and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The c ...
composed of
spirits (often
rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as
sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...
,
fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...
s,
herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...
s, and
spice
A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices a ...
s. Often served with or after
dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond a resting period during production, when necessary, for their flavors to mingle.
Liqueurs are historical descendants of
herbal medicine
Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remedie ...
s. They were made in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
as early as the 13th century, often prepared by
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...
s (for example,
Chartreuse). Today they are produced all over the world, commonly served neat, over ice, with
coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
Seeds of ...
, in
cocktails, and used in
cooking.
Etymology
The French word ''liqueur'' is derived from the Latin ''liquifacere'', which means "to dissolve".
In some parts of the United States and Canada, liqueurs may be referred to as cordials, or
schnapps. This can cause confusion as in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
a
cordial would refer to a non-alcoholic concentrated fruit syrup, typically diluted to taste and consumed as a non-carbonated
soft drink.
Schnapps, on the other hand, can refer to any distilled beverage in Germany and
aquavit in Scandinavian countries.
Legal definitions
In the United States and Canada, where spirits are often called "liquor" (), there is often confusion discerning between liqueurs and liquors, due to the many different types of flavored spirits that are available today (e.g.,
flavored vodka
__NOTOC__
Flavored liquors (also called infused liquors) are liquors that have added flavoring and, in some cases, a small amount of added sugar. They are distinct from liqueurs in that liqueurs have a high sugar content and may also contain glyce ...
). Liqueurs generally contain a lower
alcohol content (15–30%
ABV) than spirits and it has sweetener mixed, while some can have an ABV as high as 55%.
Canada
Under the Food and Drug Regulations (C.R.C., c. 870), liqueurs are produced from mixing alcohol with plant materials.
These materials include juices or extracts from fruits, flowers, leaves or other plant materials.
The extracts are obtained by soaking, filtering or softening the plant substances. A sweetening agent should be added in an amount that is at least 2.5 percent of the finished liqueur. The alcohol percentage shall be at least 23%.
It may also contain natural or artificial flavoring and color.
European Union
The European Union directive on
spirit drinks provides guidelines applicable to all liqueurs.
As such, a liqueur must
* contain a minimum of 15%
alcohol by volume,
* contain at least between 70 and 100 grams of
inverted sugar
Inverted sugar syrup, also called invert syrup, invert sugar, simple syrup, sugar syrup, sugar water, bar syrup, syrup USP, or sucrose inversion, is a syrup mixture of the monosaccharides glucose and fructose, that is made by hydrolytic sacc ...
per liter,
* be created using
neutral grain alcohol and/or
distillate(s) of agricultural origin,
* be flavored with natural, or nature-identical, flavorings, and
* be labeled with the alcohol content and a list of any
food colorings.
United States
The
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, statutorily named the Tax and Trade Bureau and frequently shortened to TTB, is a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury, which regulates and collects taxes on trade and imports of alcoh ...
regulates liqueurs similarly to Canada. Liqueurs (and also cordials) are defined as products created by mixing or redistilling distilled spirits with fruit, plant products, natural flavors, extracts, or sweeteners. These additives must be added in an amount not less than 2.5% by weight of the final product.
Preparation
Some liqueurs are prepared by
infusing certain woods, fruits, or
flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...
s in either water or
alcohol and adding sugar or other items. Others are
distilled
Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the hea ...
from
aroma
An odor (American English) or odour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds that are generally found in low concentrations that humans and animals can perceive via their sens ...
tic or flavoring agents.
Anise and
Rakı liqueurs have the property of turning from transparent to cloudy when added to water: the oil of anise remains in solution in the presence of a high concentration of alcohol, but coalesces when the alcohol concentration is reduced; this is known as the
ouzo effect.
Use
Cocktails
Liqueurs are sometimes mixed into cocktails to provide flavor.
By adding Liqueurs to your cocktail, this can change the flavour and appearance of the cocktail. Whilst some liqueurs are coloured and designed to make the cocktail pop in colour, others are clear to prevent the liqueur from taking over the colour of the base spirit or garnish.
Layered drinks
Layered drinks are made by floating different-colored liqueurs in separate layers. 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.
Gallery
File:Chartreuse-Liqueur 7586.JPG, Chartreuse has been made by French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
Carthusian
The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians ( la, Ordo Cartusiensis), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has i ...
monks since the 1740s
File:VanaTallinn 40-45-50 500ml.JPG, Vana Tallinn
Vana Tallinn (Literal translation: "Old Tallinn") is an Estonian brand of liqueur manufactured continuously by Liviko since 1960. The recipe contains Jamaican rum and a variety of herbs and spices.
Vana Tallinn is typically served on the rock ...
is a rum-based Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...
n liqueur
File:Altvater Gessler.JPG, ''Altvater'' herbal liqueur produced in Austria
File:DamianaLiqueur.jpg, Damiana-based liqueur of Mexico
File:Wépion - liqueur de fraise.jpg, Fraise strawberry liqueur from the Ardennes, Belgium
File:KoumQuatLiqueur.jpg, Kumquat liqueurs from Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
File:Demanovka nowe.jpg, Demänovka is a traditional Slovak liqueur produced since 1867
File:Elder flower liqueur .jpg, Homemade elder flower liqueur
File:Fish Shot.jpg, Fish Shot is a liqueur with a Fisherman's Friend
Fisherman's Friend is a brand of strong menthol lozenges manufactured by the Lofthouse company in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England.
History
Fisherman's Friend was originally developed by pharmacist James Lofthouse in 1865 to relieve vario ...
flavour
File:Poire Massenez.jpg, Poire William (William Pear) Liqueur b
Massenez
See also
*
Amaro (liqueur)
*
Cordial (medicine)
*
Cream liqueur
*
Crème liqueur
*
Dessert wine
*
Fortified wine
*
Honey liqueurs and spirits (category page)
*
Lemon liqueur
*
Nalewka
*
Schnapps
*
Sloe gin
*
Southern Comfort
Southern Comfort (often abbreviated SoCo) is an American, naturally fruit-flavored, whiskey liqueur with fruit and spice accents. The brand was created by bartender Martin Wilkes Heron in New Orleans in 1874, using whiskey as the base spirit. W ...
*
List of liqueurs
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Liqueursat ''The Cook's Thesaurus''.
{{Authority control
Distilled drinks
Alcoholic drinks