What's puts the fuzz in a Fuzzy Navel? What turns a Grasshopper green? What makes a pink squirrel nutty? And what makes a Banshee wail? Give up? Surprise--it's liqueurs!
In European countries liqueurs have long been savored as after-dinner drinks, bringing a delightful end to a leisurely repast. In the U.S., perhaps because Americans seem to do everything at a breakneck pace, lingering over a liqueur straight up is not quite the tradition it is in Europe. Americans have always tended to enjoy liqueurs mixed with other ingredients, evidenced by the popularity of classic cocktails such as the Grasshopper and the Pink Squirrel. Hot drinks also often get their kicks from liqueurs--you'll find a whole section of tummy-warmers later.
Americans inevitably put their own spin on things and are quick to launch or latch on to trends. Schnapps, derived from the German word meaning gulp or mouthful, took the country by storm in the mid-1980s and was produced in virtually every flavor you could imagine--and some you'd never think of! The Fuzzy Navel, born during the schnapps phenomenon, remains an oft-requested drink.
Today, while still sipped and savored on their own, liqueurs are most often used in a variety of frozen and ice cream based drinks (there's a section on these coolers later) and the newest sensation to rock the nation--shooters (Hah! There's even a section on these later). Romantic occasions call for the eponymous amaretto of love--Amaretto di Amore--the ideal spirit of sharing. Feeling hospitable? Pour Sambuca di Amore in a snifter and float an odd number of coffee beans on top--Italian tradition says that an odd number of beans tells your guests they're welcome, while an even number...well save those for uninvited drop ins!
Most people use the terms cordial and liqueur interchangeably. Though both describe liquors made by combining or redistilling spirits with one or more aromatic flavorings and are usually highly sweetened, there are subtle differences. Liqueurs are flavored with flowers, herbs, seeds, roots, plants, barks, or any number of spices, while cordials are generally prepared with fruit pulp or juices.
Regardless of what you call them, however, liqueurs date back centuries and were originally formulated as medicinal elixers to "cure" a variety of ills. Made in every country of the world, nearly all liqueurs are quite sweet, with a highly concentrated, dessert-like flavor. Several, made from closely guarded secret recipes and processes, are known throughout the world by their proprietary brand names.
Here are brief descriptions of the most well-known liqueurs. In addition to these there are numerous other flavored liqueurs, including, coffee, hazelnut, melon, strawberry, and black-raspberry.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Shake well with cracked ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Serve in old-fashioned glass over crushed ice with a twist of lemon or a wedge of lime.
Pour amaretto and lime juice over ice in collins glass and fill with club soda.
Shake well with cracked ice and strain into a collins glass. Garnish with a slice of orange.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Pour over ice into collins glass. Top with club soda and stir. Garnish with a cherry.
Combine ingredients in oversized red wine glass. Add ice and garnish with a lemon wedge.
Pour into old-fashioned glass over ice and garnish with an apple slice and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Put creme de menthe into champagne flute and then fill with champagne.
Shake with cracked ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Shake with cracked ice and strain into a old-fashioned glass over ice cubes.
Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Add a twist of lemon peel.
Shake with cracked ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Serve in a highball glass over ice.
Pour over ice in a highball glass and stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Pour over ice in a highball glass and stir. Garnish with a fresh strawberry.
Blend and pour over ice in old-fashioned glass.
Pour into collins glass over ice. Stir and garnish with a lime wedge.
Stir with ice and serve over ice in red wine glass. Garnish with a fresh strawberry.
Fill cocktail glass brimming with shaved ice. Add green Creme de Menthe and serve with 2 short straws.
Shot of any flavor of schnapps in a glass of beer.
Fill cocktail glass with ice, then fill 3/4 full with creme de menthe and float brandy on top.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Mix in old-fashioned glass with ice cubes and add a lemon twist.
Serve in an old-fashioned glass over ice.
Pour over ice into highball glass and stir. Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.
Pour over ice into highball glass and stir. Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.
Blend on low for 10 seconds with 1/2 cup of crushed ice. Strain into champagne flute.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into a collins glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry. Serve with a straw.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Pour all ingredients except grenadine over ice in a hurricane or parfait glass. Top with grenadine and garnish with a fresh peach slice.
Put ingredients in blender or shake well. Serve over ice cubes or straight up in a champagne flute.
Fill a collins glass with ice and add amaretto and brandy. Fill with pineapple juice. Garnish with a pineapple spear and a cherry.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into parfait glass. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with chocolate shavings and a cherry.
Mix ingredients together and pour into collins glasses and chill for 1 1/2 hours. Serve with a straw. Makes 4-5 servings.
Pour Curacao over ice in highball glass and fill with tonic water. Garnish with an orange slice.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Shake with cracked ice and pour into a margarita or cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel and a cherry.
Pour into highball glass over ice cubes and fill with ginger ale or club soda. Add a twist of lemon peel (optional) and stir.
Pour over ice cubes in old-fashioned glass.
Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and pour into old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a peach slice. Serve with a short straw.
Pour over ice cubes into old-fashioned glass. Stir and serve with a peppermint candy swizzle stick.
Shake with ice and strain into a champagne flute.
Blend and pour into large parfait glass. Garnish with a mint sprig and a peppermint candy stick. Serve with a straw.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Pour carefully into pousse cafe glass, so that creme de menthe floats on the grenadine.
Equal Parts:
Pour carefully, in order given, into pousse cafe glass so that each ingredients floats on the preceeding one.
Pour over ice in old-fashioned glass.
Pour liqueurs over ice in parfait glass and fill with club soda and stir.
Fill flute with champagne. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Combine in blender with 1/2 scoop of crushed ice for 15 seconds. Rim edge of champagne flute with a slice of orange. Dip rim in sugar and nutmeg mixture. Pour cocktail into the prepared glass. Top with a dash of nutmeg.
Pour over ice in collins glass and stir.
Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Pour sambuca into snifter and float coffee beans on top. According to Italian tradition, an odd number of beans shows the guest they are welcome.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Serve with a cherry.
Pour in order given into pousse cafe glass.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Pour ingredients over ice into highball glass and stir.
Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Shake lemon juice and sloe gin with ice and strain into collins glass. Add several ice cubes, fill with club soda, and stir. Decorate with slices of lemon and orange and a cherry. Serve with straws.
Shake with ice and strain into highball glass with 2 ice cubes. Fill with club soda and stir. Decorate with a slice of lemon.
Pour into highball glass over ice cubes and stir. Add a lime peel twist.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and pour into highball glass filled with ice cubes.
Pour amaretto and juices over ice into collins glass. Top with rum and garnish with a lime wheel.
Pour over ice in highball glass. Fill with club soda. Garnish with a fresh strawberry.
Pour over ice in highball glass. Fill with orange juice. Garnish with a fresh strawberry.
Combine in collins glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Fill hurricane or parfait glass with ice. Layer ingredients in order given. Whirl gently with a straw.
Pour over ice into sugar-rimmed highball glass. Garnish with a wedge of watermelon.
Add all ingredients over ice in old fashioned glass.
Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Fill highball glass with ice. Add schnapps, fill with cranberry juice, and stir. Garnish with an orange or peach slice.
Pour over ice in collins glass. Garnish with an orange slice and serve with a straw.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
For each serving, chill liqueur and water in freezer compartment of refrigerator for 2 hours or longer (does not have to be frozen solid). Serve in cocktail glasses.