Liqueurs & Eaux-de-vie

 Liqueurs
Liqueurs are flavoured and sweetened spirits having high alcoholic content.
Liqueurs are served in small quantities as digestives at the end of the meal.
 Liqueurs
 History
 Liqueurs were first produced in the monasteries of Europe for medicinal purposes.
 Many of the herbs with medicinal properties were grown near the monasteries.
 The medicinal properties of these herbs were extracted by steeping them in alcohol.
 In medieval Europe, the flavoured liquids were applied on wounds and were often drunk
in small quantities for curing cold and fever. Some were sweetened to make them tastier.
 These were regarded as the protection against infection and plague, but many
pharmacists conflicted with the religious laws because of the claims they made for their
potions.
 In the fourteenth century, the elixir of the monks at Fecamp was known as a preventive
against malaria.
 Liqueurs
 The dark red liqueur made from dijon black currants was considered to cure
physical diseases; and the bitter wormwood liqueur of Marseilles was used as
medicine for stress until 1915 when the government banned the production.
 Some of the early liqueurs were made to disguise poor quality spirits.
 Many households had their own concoction, made from garden herbs and
local spirit until the nineteenth century.
 Today there are many distillers who make liqueurs of different flavours and
colours. Some liqueurs are ‘generic’ and others are ‘proprietary’.
 Liqueurs
 Generic liqueurs can be made by anyone. Advocaat, anisette, Curasao, and
creme de menthe are examples for generic liqueurs.
 Proprietary liqueur is made by a single distiller who owns the right to make
the liqueur of that name. Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Benedictine, Kahlua,
and Chartreuse are the examples for proprietary liqueurs.
 Generic Liqueurs

Advocaat Anisette Curacao Crème de Menthe

 Proprietary Liqueurs

Grand Marnier Cointreau Benedictine Kahlua Chartreuse

 Production of Liqueurs

 Liqueurs are flavoured and sweetened spirits. To produce liqueurs, the following main
ingredients are necessary:
- Spirit - Flavouring agents
- Sweetening agents - Colouring agent
(Note: If manufacturers intend to make colourless liqueur, then colouring agent is not
required.)
 Production of Liqueurs
 Spirit

To produce a fine liqueur, the alcohol used must be as pure as possible.

Constituents of alcohol, such as aldehydes that contribute to the aroma are

undesirable in a liqueur base.

The method and the degree of rectification will determine the purity of the
spirit.

Whisky, rum, brandy, cognac, fruit spirit, etc. are all used, although most
liqueurs are made from neutral or grain spirit.
 Production of Liqueurs
 The Flavouring Agent

Liqueurs are flavoured with herbs, flowers, fruits, seeds, barks, and roots. Following are the examples of
flavouring agents used in the
production of liqueurs:

• Herbs Basil, hyssop, peppermint, melissa, rosemary, sage, thistle, thyme, wormwood, etc.

• Flowers Chamomile, lavender, lily, orange blossom, rose, saffron, etc.

• Fruits Berries, peach, oranges, pineapple, banana, citrus peel, raisins, etc.

• Barks Angostura, myrrh, sandalwood, sassafras, cinchona, etc.

• Roots Angelica, celery, ginger, liquorices, turmeric, gentian, orris root, etc.
• Seeds Aniseed, apricot stones, almonds, caraway, clove, cocoa, coffee, coriander, juniper berries, musk,
pepper, star anise, vanilla, etc.
 Production of Liqueurs
 Sweetening Agents
 The sweetening agents used in the production of liqueurs are sugar syrup, maple syrup,
com syrup, and honey.
 The sugar content of the liqueur distinguishes it from the other types of spirits. It ranges
from 2 ½ to 35 per cent by weight.
 All liqueurs sold in the USA must contain a minimum of 25 per cent sugar by weight.
 A liqueur with 10 per cent or less is termed as dry liqueur.
 Production of Liqueurs
 Colouring Agents
 Natural vegetable colouring agents or approved food dyes are used to colour the liqueur.
 The production of liqueurs starts from the extraction of flavouring agents from the natural
substances, then the flavouring agents are impregnated with the base spirit and distilled if
necessary, sweetened, fined, and bottled as liqueurs.
 In the USA, liqueurs are termed as cordials. In reality, all liqueurs are alcoholic drinks,
whereas cordials can be alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
 Production Process of Liqueurs
The steps in the production of liqueurs are discussed below.
Extraction of Flavouring
The flavouring agent must be extracted from the natural substance/substances
which are used as an ingredient in the blending process.
There are four methods by which the flavouring oil can be extracted, depending
on the type of the ingredient.

They are as follows:

 Pressure
By applying mechanical presses the oil is extracted from the ingredients, for
example, from citrus peel.
 Production Process of Liqueurs
 Maceration
It is used when soft and delicate fruits are used as flavouring agents in the
preparation of liqueur. In this method, the flavouring agents are soaked in cold
spirit for long time to gain maximum flavour.
The spirit, usually the brandy, is placed in the oak casks with the fruits for up to a
year and stirred occasionally for effective maceration.
Flavour and colour are extracted during this process. When the maceration is over,
the liqueur is transferred, and filtered.
 Infusion

 This is maceration in warm spirit maintained at a constant temperature for several

days.

 This method extracts more flavour quickly than any other method.
 Production Process of Liqueurs
 Percolation
In this method, the spirit is continuously passed through the flavouring agent by
heating.
The spirit is boiled and the vapours are passed up the flavouring agent by
heating. The spirit is boiled and the vapours are passed up the flavouring agent
to get the flavour, condensed and return to the boiling spirit.
The extracted natural substance may be blended with the base spirit, allowed to
rest, sweetened, fined, and bottled or distilled and processed as given below
according to the flavouring agents and type of liqueurs being produced.
 Production Process of Liqueurs
 Distillation
The extracted essences or oils are steeped in the base spirit until it is well
impregnated with flavour, and then it is distilled under vacuum to protect the
delicate essence.
During distillation, a colourless dry distillate of high alcohol strength is
obtained.
The liquid is further purified by re-distillation to remove any impurities which
would change the flavour.
 Compounding
Compounding is the process of blending the ingredients in strict sequence to
produce a desired flavour.
Most liqueurs are made according to the secret recipes, many of which are
centuries old.
 Maturing
Liqueurs must be allowed to rest. The finest liqueurs are matured in oak casks,
which assist in mellowing liquid.
Sweetening and Colouring
Sweetening agent is added according to the style and sweetness required.
Liqueurs are coloured to harmonize with the flavour.
 Fining
Any suspended matter in the liquid must be removed by fining. The fining
process is similar to fining of wine.
 Bottling
Spirit is added to liqueur to bring it to the correct alcoholic strength, if
necessary. All liqueurs are given a final filtration to ensure star bright clarity
before bottling
 Liqueurs
Liqueurs are used in the preparation of cocktails, specialty coffees, and in
the culinary preparations.
In most flambeed dessert preparations, liqueurs are used for flavouring.
Liqueurs are served at the end of the meal either neat, with ice cream, or
coffee.
 MAKING LIQUEUR/LIQUOR COFFEE
(SPECIALTY COFFEE)
Black coffee with liqueur or spirit and cream floated on top is termed as specialty coffee.
These coffees take their names depending on the type of liqueurs or spirits used in their
making.
All specialty coffees have cream floated on top. An establishment may standardize the
recipe of specialty coffee and the size of the glass for the service.
The steps involved in making this type of coffee are as follows:
• Take 6 oz glass (some establishments use 8 oz glass)
• Pour a measure of liqueur or spirit into the glass (normally, it is 50ml)
• Add 2 bar spoons of sugar, if required (demerara sugar is preferred)
• Pour hot black Coffee (100ml) into the glass upto 1.5 cm below the rim of the glass
• Stir
 MAKING LIQUEUR/LIQUOR COFFEE
(SPECIALTY COFFEE)
• Slightly aerate the cream (20ml) by gently shaking for about few seconds.
• Pour the cream gently over the back of the spoon held over coffee against the
side of the glass so as to make the cream gently slide and settle over the
coffee. Continue pouring till it reaches about 1 cm thick.
• Remove the spoon, place the glass on an underplate with doily and serve
Recipe for speciality coffee
Spirit/Liqueurs : 50ml
Hot black coffee: 20 ml
Hot black coffee: 100 ml
Whipped Cream: 20 ml
Demerara Sugar
 Examples of Speciality Coffee
Monks Coffee Benedictine
Calypso Coffee Tia-Maria
Seville Coffee Cointreau
Prince Charles Coffee Drambuie
Irish Coffee Irish Whiskey
Russian Coffee Vodka
German Coffee Kirsch
Italian Coffee Strega
Jamaican Coffee Rum
Highland Coffee Scotch Whisky
Scandinavian Coffee Aquavit
Normandy Coffee Calvados
Café Royle Cognac
 EAUX-DE-VIE
Eaux-de-vie are spirits distilled from fermented mash of a fruit. They are also called fruit
brandies:

Following arc the characteristics of fruit brandies:

The alcoholic content of eaux-de-vie is more compared to most of the liqueurs.
They arc termed as white alcohols (alcool blanc) as they arc colourless.
They are dry to taste.
They arc aged in glass, not in wood, except calvados.
Eaux-de-vie arc expensive as the quantity of the fruit needed to produce them is huge.
They arc served chilled in chilled glasses with adequate room to swirl the drink so as to
release
the bouquet.
Though many European countries produce fruit brandies, Alsace region of France is well
known
for the production of eaux-de-vie.
 Calvados
This is prepared from a mash of cider apples.
The apple brandy produced in the defined areas of the provinces of Brittany,
Normandy and Maine is entitled to the name Calvados.
In the heart of this large area is the Pays d’Auge and apple brandy from there
can have the appellation Calvados du Pays d’Auge.
The fermented mash of apples is double-distilled in a pot still and then
matured in oak casks for upto 25 years, deriving colour and flavour from the
wood.
Some apple brandy is made in continuous still and when cider is distilled the
spirit is known as eaux-de-vie de cider.
 Applejack
It is distilled from the fermented mash of cider apples.
It is made in pot stills and the minimum maturation period is two years in wood.
It may be bottled as a straight brandy or blended with neutral spirits to be marketed
as blended applejack.

 Pone Williams
It is distilled from Williams pear.
It is sold in a pear-shaped bottle with a ripe pear inside it.
In Germany, it is known as binenwasser.
 Stone Fruit Brandies
It is double-distilled from the fermented stone fruits with kernels.
The bitter tang comes from the essential oils from the crushed kernels.
The brandies are bottled immediately to preserve the flavour.
Some of the best known varieties of stone fruit brandies are as follows:
Name Softfruit
Coing Quince
Kirsch Cherry
Kirshwasser Cherry (Germany/Switzerland)
Mirabelle Mirbelle Plum
Prune Plum
Prunelle Sloe
Quetsch Black Swiss Plum
Slivovitz Plum (Balkan Countries)
 Soft Fruit Brandies
It is distilled from the mixture of soft fruit macerated in alcohol.
Wild berries produce the most delicate eau-de-vie.
The best known varieties are shown in

Name Softfruit
Fraises Strawberry
Fraises de bois Wild Strawberry
Frambois Raspberry
Himbeergeist Raspberry (Germany)
Mure Blackberry
Myrtille Bilberry
 Difference Between Liqueurs and Eaux-de-
Vie
The most important points of difference between eaux-de-vie and liqueurs
are as follows:
Eaux-de-vie are colourless and liqueurs are available in attractive colours.
Eaux-de-vie are dry while liqueurs are sweet.