Licor-Beirão-&-Orus - Orus Clothing (cropped)

A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink 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 double ...

, fruits,

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 medicinal ...

s, and spices. Often served with or after

dessert Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and ...

, 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 remed ...

s. They were made in Italy as early as the 13th century, often prepared by monks (for example,

Chartreuse Chartreuse () may refer to: Food and drink * Chartreuse (liqueur), a French liqueur * Chartreuse (dish), a French dish of vegetables or meat tightly wrapped in vegetable leaves and cooked in a mould Religion * Carthusians, a Catholic religi ...

). Today they are produced all over the world, commonly served neat, over ice, with coffee, in cocktails, and used in

cooking Cooking, cookery, or culinary arts is the art, science and craft of using heat to Outline of food preparation, prepare food for consumption. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric ...

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 a cordial would refer to a non-alcoholic concentrated fruit syrup, typically diluted to taste and consumed as a non-carbonated

soft drink A soft drink (see § Terminology for other names) is a drink that usually contains water (often carbonated), a sweetener, and a natural and/or artificial flavoring. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a su ...

. 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 Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

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 Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

provides guidelines applicable to all liqueurs. As such, a liqueur must * contain a minimum of 15%

alcohol by volume Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...

, * 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 sa ...

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 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 flowers in either water or

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 heating ...

from aromatic or flavoring agents.

Anise Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and ta ...

and

Rakı Rakı or raki (, Turkish pronunciation: ) is an alcoholic drink made of twice-distilled grapes. It is the national drink of Turkey. It is also popular in other Balkan countries as an Apéritif and digestif, apéritif as well as in Kazakhstan. I ...

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 drink A layered (or "stacked") drink, sometimes called a pousse-café, is a kind of cocktail in which the slightly different densities of various liqueurs are used to create an array of colored layers, typically two to seven. The specific gravity of ...

s 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,

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 monks since the 1740s File:VanaTallinn 40-45-50 500ml.JPG,

Vana Tallinn Vana Tallinn (Literal translation: "Tallinn Old Town, 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 se ...

is a rum-based Estonian 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 The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

, 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 flavour File:Poire Massenez.jpg, Poire William (William Pear) Liqueur b
Massenez

References

External links

Liqueurs
at ''The Cook's Thesaurus''. {{Authority control Distilled drinks Alcoholic drinks