liqueur

(lĭ-kûr', -kyʊr')

[French, from Old French licour, a liquid. See liquor.]

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Distilled, flavoured, and sweetened alcoholic liquors, usually 20-40% alcohol, 20-30% sugar.

[lih-KYOOR; lih-KER] A sweetened spirit flavored with ingredients like seeds, fruits, herbs, flowers, nuts, spices, roots, leaves and barks. The base can be brandy, rum, whiskey or other spirit and may be flavored in four ways: distillation-alcohol and flavoring agents are blended before being distilled (see distillation); infusion- flavorings are steeped in hot water, which is then mixed with the alcohol base; maceration-flavoring agents are steeped directly in the alcohol base; percolation-alcohol is dripped through the flavoring agents to extract their essences. Proprietary liqueurs (such as bénédictine, galliano and southern comfort) are made exclusively by specific liqueur houses with secret formulas, some of which have been closely guarded for centuries. Generic liqueurs (like amaretto and crème de cacao) are made by various producers using fairly standard recipes. Quality brands are typically flavored with the finest ingredients, essential oils and extracts; less expensive examples often use artificial flavorings. Cream liqueurs are flavored mixtures that have been homogenized with cream. They have a rich mixture that's velvety smooth and creamy, and they require no refrigeration. Crème liqueurs (such as crème de menthe) are distinguished by being sweet and syrupy. Liqueurs range widely in alcohol content, generally from about 15 percent (for some irish cream liqueurs) to 55 percent (green chartreuse), although a few "baby liqueurs" like Kahlúa Mudslide contain only 6.5 percent alcohol. Although the word "liqueur" is common usage today, such potables are also called cordials and, less frequently, ratafias. Liqueurs were originally used (and some still are) as a digestive. They are now usually served after dinner but also play an important role in many cocktails. Liqueurs can also be used in cooking, particularly for desserts. See also absinthe; advocaat; anesone; anisette; chéri-suisse; cointreau; crème d'abricots; crème d'amande; crème d'ananas; crème de banane; crème de cassis; crème de cerise; crème de noyaux; crème de rose; crème de violette; curaçao; drambuie; eau de vie; frangelico; glayva; goldwasser; grand marnier; herbsaint; irish mist; izarra; kahlúa; kümmel; mandarine liqueur; maraschino; midori; ouzo; pernod; prunelle; rock and rye; sabra liqueur; sambuca; sloe gin; strega; tía maría; triple sec.

• Beverages
• Drinking Terms - liqueur: usu. flavored, sweet, thick alcoholic liquor
• Liqueurs and Cordials - liqueur: usu. flavored, sweet, thick, alcoholic liquor

Not to be confused with Liquor.

Kumquat liqueurs from Corfu

A liqueur ( /lɪˈkjʊər/) is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.

The distinction between liqueurs and spirits is not simple because many spirits are available today in a flavored form (e.g. flavored vodka). The most reliable guide to classification is that liqueurs contain added sugar, but spirits do not.

Some people distinguish between liqueurs and cordials, but the words have become synonymous.^[1][2][3] Dessert wines may taste like a liqueur but they do not contain any added flavoring or sugar.

Most liqueurs have a lower alcohol content (15%-30% ABV) than spirits, but some liqueurs contain as much as 55% ABV.

Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

History

Liqueurs are historical descendants of herbal medicines; they were made in Italy as early as the 13th century and were often prepared by monks (e.g. Chartreuse and Bénédictine).

Nowadays, liqueurs are made worldwide and are served in many ways: by themselves, poured over ice, with coffee, mixed with cream or other mixers to create cocktails, etc. They are often served with or after a dessert. Liqueurs are also used in cooking.

Some liqueurs are prepared by infusing certain woods, fruits, or flowers, in either water or alcohol, and adding sugar or other items. Others are distilled from aromatic or flavoring agents. Anise liqueurs have the interesting 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 crystallizes when the alcohol concentration is reduced; this is known as the ouzo effect.

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.

The word liqueur comes from the Latin liquifacere ("to liquefy").

Bottles of homemade strawberry liqueur

See also

Herbal liqueur produced in Austria and bottled at 38% ABV.

• List of liqueurs
• Cordial
• Cream liqueur
• Crème liqueur
• Dessert wine
• Nalewka
• Sloe gin

References

1. ^ Lichine, Alexis (1987). Alexis Lichine's New Encyclopedia of Wines & Spirits (5th ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 198. ISBN 0394562623. 
2. ^ New Oxford American Dictionary (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. 2010. p. 385. ISBN 978-0-19-539288-3.  cordial: "another term for liqueur"
3. ^ "The Cook's Thesaurus". http://www.foodsubs.com/Liqueurs.html. Retrieved October 11, 2010. 

External links

Look up liqueur in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Liqueurs

• Comprehensive coverage of most liqueurs

v d e Alcoholic beverages   History and production History of alcohol History of alcohol · History of beer · History of Champagne · History of wine · History of French wine · History of Rioja wine Production Brewing · Distilling · Winemaking   Alcoholic beverages Fermented beverage Beer (types) · Wine (types) · Cider (category) · Mead (category) · Rice wine (category) · Other fermented beverages Distilled beverage Brandy (category) · Gin (category) · Liqueur (category) · Rum (category) · Tequila (category) · Vodka (category) · Whisky (category) Fortified wine (category) Madeira wine (category) · Marsala wine · Port wine · Sherry (category) · Vermouth (category)   Distilled beverages by ingredients Grain Barley: Irish whiskey · Japanese whisky · Scotch whisky · Maize: Bourbon whiskey · Corn whiskey · Tennessee whiskey · Rice: Awamori · Cheongju · Rice baijiu · Soju · Rye: Rye whiskey · Sorghum: Baijiu (Kaoliang) Fruit Apple: Applejack · Calvados · Cashew apple: Fenny · Coconut: Arrack · Grape: Arak · Armagnac · Brandy · Cognac · Pisco · Plum: Slivovitz · Ţuică · Pomace: Chacha · Grappa · Marc · Orujo · Tsikoudia · Tsipouro · Zivania · Various/other fruit: Eau de vie · Kirschwasser · Nalewka · Pálinka · Rakia · Schnaps Other Agave: Mezcal · Tequila · Sugarcane/molasses: Aguardiente · Arak · Cachaça · Clairin · Guaro · Rum · Seco Herrerano · Tharra · Various cereals and potato: Akvavit · Baijiu · Canadian whisky · Poitín · Shōchū · Vodka · Whisky   Liqueurs and infused distilled beverages by ingredients Almond: Amaretto · Crème de Noyaux · Anise: Absinthe · Arak · Ouzo · Pastis · Raki · Sambuca · Chocolate · Cinnamon: Tentura · Cloudberry: Lakka · Coconut: Malibu · Coffee: Kahlua · Tia Maria · Egg: Advocaat · Hazelnut: Frangelico · Herbs: Aquavit · Bénédictine · Brennivín · Crème de menthe · Metaxa · Minttu · Honey: Bärenjäger · Drambuie · Glayva · Krupnik · Juniper: Gin · Jenever · Orange: Campari · Curaçao · Triple sec · Star anise: Sassolino · Sugarcane/molasses: Charanda · Various/other fruit: Crème de banane · Crème de cassis · Limoncello · Schnapps · Sloe gin Alcoholic beverages category · Drinking establishment · Drink Portal · Beer Portal · Beer WikiProject · Spirits WikiProject · Wine Portal · Wine WikiProject

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - likør

Nederlands (Dutch)
likeur

Français (French)
n. - liqueur

Deutsch (German)
n. - Likör

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ηδύποτο, λικέρ

Italiano (Italian)
liquore

Português (Portuguese)
n. - licor (m)

Русский (Russian)
ликер

Español (Spanish)
n. - licor

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - likör

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
利口酒

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 利口酒

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 리큐르(달고 향기로운 독한 알콜 음료)

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - リキュール

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) شراب مسكر معطر وعادة محلى‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮משקה אלכוהולי חזק ומתוק, ליקר‬

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