Liqueur

Liqueur is a spirit drink that is flavoured and sweetened: at least 100 grams of sweetening products per litre, expressed as invert sugar, and a minimum alcohol content of 15 percent by volume, according to EU spirits legislation.

Grüner Walnusslikör von Faude feine Brände

Liqueur is a spirit that is flavored and sweetened: at least 100 grams of sweetening products per liter, calculated as invert sugar, and at least 15 percent alcohol by volume, according to EU spirits legislation.

The basic pattern is always the same: something that provides flavor is added to alcohol, along with sugar. In a domestic setting, this is called an infusion liqueur, where chopped fruit is mixed with alcohol and sugar. The added alcohol keeps the mixture stable, preventing fermentation or mold, while simultaneously enhancing the aroma; typical alcohol content levels are between 18 and 30 percent by volume.

What exactly is liqueur?

A liqueur blends alcohol, sugar, and a flavoring agent: fruits, fruit juices, fruit pieces, herbs, spices, or flavorings. The base may be ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, a distillate, or a finished spirit, including a mixture thereof.

What you see in the glass is determined by the sugar. Depending on the flavor profile, it ranges between 100 and 400 grams per liter, consisting of both the sugar from the fruit and the sugar added during production. For a creamy consistency, glucose syrup is added, which is less sweet than sugar. The sugar content therefore determines not only the sweetness but also the thickness of the liquid, and it contributes to the shelf life.

When preparing an infusion, the fruits are only coarsely chopped and covered with alcohol. Flavor and coloring compounds are located beneath the fruit skin, and the alcohol extracts them; the higher the proof, the better it draws out the aroma. After two to three weeks, the mixture can be filtered through a cheesecloth or pressed. If it stands for longer, especially in warmth, the fruit will turn brown and aroma will be lost.

Dissolve the sugar in the juice or water first, then add the alcohol; it dissolves poorly in alcoholic solutions. Then let the liqueur rest for a few days and taste it again before making any adjustments.

What is the difference between schnapps and liqueur?

The process. A fruit brandy (Obstbrand) is created exclusively through the alcoholic fermentation and distillation of fresh, fleshy fruit or its must—first fermented, then distilled. Flavoring is prohibited, as is the addition of alcohol. Sweetening is permitted only to round off the taste, up to 18 grams per liter; German products are currently allowed 10 grams, and those with a geographical indication are allowed none at all. A fruit brandy has an alcohol content of at least 37.5 percent by volume.

A liqueur follows the opposite path. It is flavored and sweetened, which is why a brandy tastes of the fruit that was fermented and distilled, while a liqueur tastes of what was infused into the alcohol.

The "Geist" (spirit) stands in between. For this, unfermented fruits, nuts, or herbs are steeped in alcohol and then distilled. This is the method used for anything that cannot be fermented. A walnut contains neither sugar nor starch and therefore cannot ferment.

The Raritas from Lantenhammer shows how close brandy and liqueur can be. For a stone pine brandy, one usually uses the pine cone; here, real stone pine wood is planed instead because it contains strong aromas. Distiller Christina Kölbl distills a "heart" (the middle cut) from the wood at the Tegernseer Schlossbrennerei, which forms the basis for a brandy, and from this brandy, the liqueur then matures.

What can call itself a liqueur?

Anything that meets the two lower limits. However, there is a gap on the label: a list of ingredients is not yet mandatory for spirits. Therefore, you usually cannot tell what is in the bottle just by looking at it; the distillery STILVOL. advises asking the producer in such cases.

Three pieces of information still help. The first is the name. If a food item or a flavor is mentioned in the name, the taste must come from that specific raw material; synthetic and biotechnologically produced flavorings are prohibited in that case. For sour cherries, raspberries, blueberries, gentian, and anise, the regulation goes even further and allows only flavoring foodstuffs, natural flavorings, and flavor extracts.

The second is the color. Colorings are permitted; if no list of ingredients is provided, their addition must be indicated by the words "with colorant." Three words in the fine print that are worth looking for.

The third is the fruit content. If "fruit juice liqueur" is on the bottle or a similar indication that suggests a particularly high fruit content, it must contain at least 20 percent fruit juice. The fruit portion carries the typical fruit note.

At what point is it a liqueur?

The regulation has clear boundaries and its exceptions. Below 15 percent alcohol by volume, it is no longer a liqueur, with the exception of advocaat (egg liqueur), which is classified as an emulsion liqueur and can have 14 percent alcohol by volume. The same applies to those under 100 grams of invert sugar per liter, though there are three exceptions here. If the ethyl alcohol of a cherry or sour cherry liqueur consists solely of cherry or sour cherry brandy, 70 grams are sufficient; liqueurs flavored exclusively with gentian, a similar plant, or wormwood can make do with 80 grams. A cream liqueur, however, requires at least 250 grams.

How far the spectrum extends upwards is shown by three bottles from our range. The Bellabomba from Marzadro, made from Trentino milk, egg yolk, and rum, is at 17 percent by volume; the Green Walnut Liqueur from Faude feine Brände is at 34; and the Raritas Stone Pine Liqueur is at 38.

A liqueur can be stored simply, in a cool place protected from direct light. It cannot spoil, but after a few years, it will oxidize, and the color and taste will change; oxygen accelerates this in opened bottles. Keep an opened bottle in the refrigerator.

And then there is the table. In South Tyrol, one eats a piece of apple with walnut liqueur. Lantenhammer recommends the stone pine liqueur neat and well-chilled. Marzadro suggests serving the Bellabomba cold, at 0 degrees, or warmed and topped with a dollop of whipped cream and bitter cocoa powder.

Liqueurs from our range

All bottles can be found under Liqueur. For the Green Walnut Liqueur, Faude feine Brände infuses wild, still-soft walnuts with herbs and spices and ages it for a year in used Sauternes wood barrels. In the case of green walnuts, "soft" means: at harvest time, a knitting needle can still easily pierce through them. For the Sour Cherry Liqueur, the same house uses its own sour cherry juice, its own sour cherry brandy, and a little sugar. The Hazelnut Liqueur from piekfeine Brände is made from finely ground and roasted hazelnuts, cream, and the house’s own hazelnut spirit. In addition, there is the Raritas Stone Pine Liqueur made from planed stone pine wood and the Bellabomba Egg Liqueur from Marzadro.

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