Liqueur? I hardly even know her.

At some point, someone trying to be funny came up with a statement like “Liqueur? I hardly even know her.” Liqueur may not have been the original word. But, it works for today. While the alliteration does have its humorous side, it’s been so overdone, it evokes a groan instead of a chuckle. The Michael Scott character on The Office has a lot to do with the joke’s fall from grace. The running gag on the show coming from a buffoon of a character dragged it firmly into the dad joke or worse category. So, joking aside, today is National Liqueur day. And, it’s a good time to get acquainted with some of the best drinks we have to offer. Purists may disagree, claiming liquor beats liqueur. But, we contend they go hand in hand.

So, what is liqueur? And, how does it differ from liquor? It’s an age old theorem. All liqueur is liquor. But, not all liquor is liqueur. Liquor is a distilled beverage derived from a grain or fruit. The flavor comes from the base ingredients. This would be your vodka, brandy, whiskey, gin, tequila, and other pure representations of a distilled beverage. For instance: whiskey is a barley based beverage distilled to have a high alcohol content. Brandy is distilled wine, vodka from potatoes or grains, etc. Liqueurs start with a base like a vodka or brandy and add sweetness and/or flavorings to make it more palatable and unique. Originally used medicinally, the art of liqueurs has grown dramatically over the years.

Who even says Liqueur? I hardly even know her.

Liqueurs have a long history. In Ancient Greece and Egypt, they were strictly medicinal. And, in the middle ages, monks began playing with them, combining herbs and botanicals in tinctures, primarily for medicine. But, they began experimenting with flavors that everyone could enjoy. During the renaissance, it became a drink to share at political and social events. By the 17th century, they became commercially available. And, in the modern era, mass production brought it to everyone on the globe. While liquor still does the job, and, in the hands of a good mixologist produces fine cocktails, liqueurs bring complex flavors to the forefront. While you could mix an orange syrup with brandy, it’s not the same as Grand Marnier.

We wouldn’t say liqueur is better than liquor. Indeed, they complement each other. Think of a drink like a mudslide. While vodka still makes a great base, the addition of liqueurs make the drinks unique. And, they add more alcohol than adding coffee, chocolate, and cream. Kahlua and Baileys make a more complex drink. So, it’s strong and tasty, which can be a dangerous combination. If you drink whiskey or other hard liquor, you either pound it down as a shot or sip it slowly. But, when you drink liqueur, it’s usually sweet and goes down quicker. Plus, the sweetness tricks you into thinking it’s not that strong. You could become a girl drink drunk, though. So, be careful. Remember, liqueurs started as medicine. But, now people treat them like candy. which can lead to dad jokes like: Liqueur? I hardly even know her.

Not all candy

By definition, liqueurs have at least 2.5% flavoring and a minimum of 15% alcohol. But, those are minimums. While drinks like Kahlua, Baileys, and Limoncello are syrupy sweet, there are things out there that make even the “manliest” whiskey drinker flinch. Jagermeister comes to mind. The combination of bitter herbs, alcohol, and sticky syrup create what is best called an acquired taste. Then you have things like Chartreusse, Campari and Absinthe which, again, have herbs, roots, and bark front and center. These are the drinks that “manly men” crave, as it shows you’re tough and like drinking lighter fluid.

Then you get into the licorice flavored ones like Sambucca, Pernod, and Galliano. And, of course the minty ones like Goldschlager, Rumple Mintz, and creme de menthe. These are so sickly sweet. But, some people love to drink them straight. This is where liqueurs start to look like politics. People either love them or hate them. That’s why the best place for liqueurs is in mixed drinks. Remember, the flavoring in liqueurs derives from syrupy extracts. So, it’s concentrated flavors of whatever the predominant aspect is. There are some liqueurs, like Grand Marnier that use high quality ingredients, making them suitable for drinking straight. But, for the most part, liqueurs make great mixers.

Stop saying: Liqueur? I hardly even know her.

Liqueurs are often stereotyped. But, that is unfair since there are thousands of variations. Most fall under a handful of categories though. The main categories are:

• Fruit: Like Grand Marnier, Limoncello, Creme de Cassis
• Cream: Like Irish cream or maple cream, etc
• Nut: Like Amaretto, Frangelico, and more
• Coffee: Kahlua, Tia Maria
• herbal/Anise/Mint: Jegermeister, Chartreusse, Absinthe, etc
• Floral with flavors like elderflower, etc.: St Germaine, Creme Yvette

And, of course, there are a number of Whiskeys, vodkas, and other base liquors infused with flavors, like Irish Mist, Cherry or cinnamon whiskey, and vodkas with all kinds of fruit flavors. Sometimes these don’t get classified as liqueurs depending on the percentage of extracts added. Either way, most are just ways to make something like a whiskey more palatable to a wider audience.

Chances are, you’ve been drinking a lot of liqueurs all along. You just didn’t stop to think about it. So, Stop saying: Liqueur? I hardly even know her.

This is when you really want to mix your drinks

People often say don’t mix drinks. This usually means don’t have beer, wine, and hard liquor. But, as mentioned above, we believe liqueurs have a special place in mixed drinks. Vodka and tonic, Tom Collins, or screwdrivers may be nice for a simple drink. But, adding liqueurs opens a world of cocktails to your repertoire. Add a splash of Galliano to your screwdriver and you’ve got a Harvey Wallbanger. Or get adventurous. You can forego base liquors entirely and make cocktails that are all liqueurs. Although, using a vodka, rum, whiskey, gin, or brandy base is always a good place to start. Plus, the straight liquors usually have a higher alcohol content.

Anyway, enough talking about liqueurs. This is making me (and hopefully you) thirsty. So, here are some ideas for mixing things up:

• Black Russian: Equal Parts vodka and coffee liqueur
• White Russian: Add cream to a black Russian
• Mudslide: Black Russian with an extra part of Baileys. Can also add ice cream and make a frozen Mudslide.
• Layer Kahlua, baileys, and Grand Marnier as a shot.
• Pearl Harbor: 1 part Vodka, 1 part Midori (melon liqueur), 2 parts Pineapple juice
• Eclipse: 2 oz Bourbon, 1 oz Chambord, 3/4 oz Lime juice, 2 oz Cranberry juice, shake and garnish with raspberry and mint
• Sazerac: 2 Oz cognac, 1 oz Absinthe, 1 oz Simple Syrup, a few dashes of bitters, garnish with a lemon twist
• Negroni: 1 oz Dry Gin, 1 oz Campari, 1 oz sweet vermouth, garnish with an orange slice

Cheers!