Liqueurs

A liqueur is a sweet alcoholic beverage, often flavoured with fruits, herbs, spices, flowers, seeds, roots, plants, barks, and sometimes cream. Liqueurs date back centuries and historically, they derive from herbal medicines, often those prepared by monks, as Chartreuse or Benedictine. Liqueurs were made in Italy as early as the 13th century.

Some liqueurs are prepared by infusing certain woods, fruits, or flowers, in either water or alcohol, and adding sugar. Others are distilled from aromatic or flavouring agents. The distinction between liqueur and spirits is not simple, especially since many spirits are available in a flavoured and sweet form today. Alcohol content is not a distinctive feature, but most most liqueurs have a lower alcohol content than spirits. However, some liqueurs have an alcohol content as high as 55% (absinthe, for example).

Liqueurs can be taken straight, are often drunk during or after the dessert, or can be used in cocktails or for cooking.