You’ve definitely seen them around, and you might even have some at home! Liqueurs are everywhere in our modern world, and we can see them being used in multitudes of cocktails, or sometimes even sipped on their own. The number of liqueurs continues to grow, and grow it should, as with every new liqueur comes a new, exciting cocktail.
What Is A Liqueur?
A liqueur is essentially a distilled spirit that has been sweetened with sugar or syrup. It can also be flavoured with ingredients such as herbs, spices, fruit, cream, flowers, nuts and sometimes even vegetables! The higher sugar content means they’re often much sweeter than a typical distilled spirit, however, some liqueurs can be bitter, sharp, tart, herbaceous… the list goes on.
Which Liqueurs Are Best?
Of course, with so much choice comes the inevitable anxiety of which ones to choose and which ones to chuck. To help you out with those difficult decisions, we’ve put together a list of liqueurs we think are definitely worth a place in your bar cart. Whilst they are bold enough to be drunk on their own, they also make a great addition to a cocktail, so, if you like the sound of them, why not try out the cocktails we’ve included below?
Cointreau
Cointreau is a zesty, fresh and fruity orange liqueur, and it’s used in a TON of cocktails. This is a liqueur you definitely need to have on hand, even as an amateur mixologist. One infamously delicious cocktail made with Cointreau is the Margarita, which is actually quite simple to make. Our only condition is that you DO NOT salt the rim of the Margarita glass, why waste the great flavour of tequila and Cointreau?
Ingredients
50ml blanco tequila
25ml freshly squeezed lime juice
25ml Cointreau
lime wedge for garnish
Method
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Fine strain into a rocks glass with ice with no salt(!) and garnish with a wedge of lime.
ABV: 40%
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
Find here: UK £25.95 // US $60.99
Kahlúa
Kahlúa is by far the most popular coffee liqueur out there, and you’re pretty much guaranteed to be able to find this at a supermarket. There are other coffee liqueurs out there (very good ones too), but we love a classic, especially when it’s good value for money! It shines brightest in our favourite coffee cocktail, the darling Espresso Martini but tastes equally as good simply mixed with milk!
Ingredients
40ml vodka
25ml Kahlúa coffee liqueur
25ml espresso
½ tbsp simple syrup
three coffee beans, for garnish
Method
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Fine strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with three coffee beans. Enjoy!
ABV: 16%
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
Find here: UK £18.75 // US $30.99
Chambord
Chambord is a brilliant french liqueur made with black raspberries, Madagascan vanilla and Moroccan citrus peels steeped in cognac and sweetened with honey. It’ll bring a pre-French Revolution decadence to any cocktail you grace it with, and what better ingredient to serve it with than champagne! This cocktail is fabulous and indulgent, just what the stunning bottle deserves.
Ingredients
30ml Chambord
glass of champagne or sparkling wine
raspberry, for garnish
Method
This is a SUPER simple cocktail. Add a shot of Chambord to a champagne flute and top up with champagne or sparkling wine (we’re loving English sparkling at the moment)! Garnish with a raspberry for a fruity but classy cocktail.
ABV: 16.5%
Size: UK 700ml // US 375ml
Find here: UK £27.60 // US $27.99
St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
The taste of elderflower has long been a dear friend of the English palate, with elderflower cordials and syrups popping up all over the place. If you’re looking for something with that same delicate, floral sweetness with a boozy edge - St. Germain is for you. If you’re not convinced by the delicious taste, perhaps the elegant bottle will entice you! The cocktail we’ve chosen is the ‘English Martini’, full of botanicals and florals.
Ingredients
60ml dry gin
25ml St. Germain liqueur
½ fresh rosemary sprig
rosemary sprig for garnish
Method
Take the leaves off the rosemary sprig and muddle them in the bottle of a cocktail shaker. Add the other ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a coupe chilled coupe and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.
ABV: 20%
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
Find here: UK £29 // US $50.99
Bailey’s Irish Cream Liqueur
Irish cream liqueur over ice, what could be more satisfying? Irish cream liqueur is made from a mixture of Irish whiskey, Irish dairy cream, chocolate and vanilla and is used in a variety of creamy cocktails. Bailey’s is the original Irish cream liqueur so deserves to be honoured in this list. They’re now creating many variations of the original liqueur which are worth experimenting with! As the colder months are closing in, spiced cocktails are the perfect evening treat, so we’ve chosen a spiced Irish cream cocktail for you to enjoy!
Ingredients
1½ oz Bailey’s Original
¼ oz spiced rum
grated nutmeg for garnish
Method
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled rocks glass and carefully grate or shake nutmeg over the top.
ABV: 17%
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
Find here: UK £15.43 // US $24.99
Créme de Menthe (De Kuyper)
Créme de Menthe is a sweet mint liqueur that tastes fairly close to if the strawberry cream out of Quality Street was a mint cream instead. Or perhaps an After Eight. Either will do, we’re just hungry for Christmas chocolate… With Créme de Menthe, you can either go for a white (colourless) version or a green version. We love a green version, purely for the theatre of it all! To showcase this green lean liqueur machine, we’ve gone for a Grasshopper cocktail (which looks STUNNING).
Ingredients
25ml De Kuyper Creme de Menthe
25ml creme de cacao
25ml single cream
mint sprig for garnish
Method
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a sprig of mint. Your friends will be green with envy!
ABV: 24%
Size: UK 500ml // US 750ml
Find here: UK £14.62 // US $23.99
Drambuie
If Scotland were a liqueur, it would be Drambuie. Drambuie is a whisky liqueur made with Scotch whisky, heather, herbs and spices. One sip will transport you to the blustery Highlands where you may or may not find yourself unexpectedly wearing a kilt. For Drambuie, we’ve chosen ‘The Lion’s Mouth’ cocktail. It’s bitter but has light, floral notes.
Ingredients
1 oz Drambuie
1 oz bourbon
2 dashes of grapefruit bitters
lemon twist for garnish
Method
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir until ice cold. Strain over ice into a rocks glass and garnish with a twist of lemon!
ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Find here: UK £28.60 // US $59.99
The above is by no means exhaustive - there are plenty more liqueurs out there just waiting to be tried so if you find any you think should definitely be on this list, let us know via our social @thethreedrinkers! For now though, why not check out What is Vermouth? or The Best Gin for a G&T.