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When you think of liqueurs (lih-KYOOR), cordials (CORE-jull) , crèmes, and schnapps just know that it’s going to be a very sweet flavorful spirit. Actually, the spirit part is usually very low, but the high flavor really helps enhance a cocktail. Liqueurs come in every flavor imaginable. Some cordials are non-alcoholic like Rose's Lime Juice/cordial. Always keep in mind that for every brand name liqueur there is also another less expensive copycat version of it on the market. Europeans drink shots of Limoncello, minted schnapps, Grappa, and anise liqueurs. Today, after dinner drinks tend to be either creamy, hot, or a neat measure of spirit. Nightcaps can be a hot drink or a single sprit that is sipped to make you feel warm and cozy inside. If you like the taste of anise/licorce (pastis) then there are many other choices for you: Galliano, anisette, Pernod, Ouzo, Sambuca, Pastis, Ricard, or absinthe. The most intriguing over the years has been absinthe (AB-sinth). This pastis contained wormwood, which caused slight hallucinations earning it the nickname, The Green Fairy (La Fée Verte). Absinthe originated in Switzerland and legend says that the inventor was Dr. Pierre Ordinaire. By 1898, Absinthe was banned in Brazil. Others that followed were: Belgium, 1906; Holland, 1908; Switzerland, 1910; USA, 1912; France, 1912. Recently, due to its re-legalization, many producers use clever marketing, extravagant claims, and flashy and hip labels to sell their less than worthy imitations. I’m sure they figure that the general public doesn’t know what real absinthe is (or was) like that they can get away with it. There is one white hope though, a life-long New Orleans absinthe historian, who happens to be a chemist and environmental microbiologist, named Ted Breaux, has cracked the Absinth code. He has re-created the Absinthe one could have found over 100 years ago. It isn’t made in America (the US government doesn’t allow it to be distributed, yet), so Breaux makes it in France. He named it Jade Absinthe and you can find it a www.vintageabsinthe.com.
Popular Liqueurs and their flavors
Misc. Cordial & Liqueur Stuff Cordial & Liqueur Books
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