Our Shelf of Descriptions

A

Aquavit: A Scandinavian caraway-infused spirit.
Adovokaat: An eggnog liqueur popular in Holland.
Amaretto: An almond-flavored liqueur made from apricot pits.
Anisette: A licorice-flavored liqueur made from anise seeds.
Apple brandy: An apple liqueur, also known as Calvados or applejack.
Apricot liqueur: A cordial made from apricot pits.

B

Banana liqueur: A banana liqueur also known as creme de banana.
Benedictine: A soft herbal liqueur that has been produced since the 1860s by the Benedictine monks in France.
Bitters: Angostura bitters, A brand of bitter aromatic tonic used to flavor aperitifs and drinks.
Orange bitters: A bitter liquor made from the dried peel of unripe, sour, or bitter oranges, steeped in gin or alcohol.
Peychaud bitters: The brand name of a bitters produced in the southern United States.
Blackberry liqueur: A cordial made from blackberries.
Bourbon: A brown liqueur made from at least 51 percent corn mash with wheat or rye grains and aged for at least two years in white oak casts.
Brandy: A liquor distilled from wine or fermented fruit.
Burgundy: The unblended wines (both white and red, but mainly red) of Burgundy, France.

C

Campari: A bright red type of orange bitters.
Chambord: A French liqueur made from small black raspberries.
Chambraise: A French liqueur made from wild strawberries.
Chartreuse (green or yellow): Green Chartreuse is the only green liqueur in the world with a completely natural color. It also is produced in yellow.
Coffee liqueur: A coffee-flavored liqueur.
Cointreau: An orange-flavored liqueur made from the skins of curacao oranges.
Cognac: A fine brandy from the Cognac region of western France.
Cranberry liqueur: Cranberry-flavored cordial.
Creme de cacao: A chocolate-flavored liqueur that comes in white and dark.
Creme de cassis: A black currant-flavored liqueur that is popular in the Kir Royale.
Cream of coconut: A coconut syrup.
Creme de menthe: A mint-flavored liqueur that comes in white or green.
Creme de noyaux: An almond-flavored liqueur, known as creme de almond.
Creme de violette: A violet-flavored liqueur made with the oil of violets and vanilla.
Curacao: A delicate orange-flavored liqueur that comes in orange and blue.

D

Drambuie: A honeyed and herbal liqueur with a scotch malt whiskey base.
Dubonnet: A vermouth from the south of France that comes in sweet or less sweet.

F

Fernet Branca: A bitters made of herbs, with a strong medicinal flavor.
Fino sherry: A very dry type of sherry.
Framboise: A raspberry-flavored liqueur.
Frangelico: A hazelnut-flavored liqueur.

G

Gin: An alcoholic drink distilled from malted grain and flavored with juniper berries.
Dutch Genever gin: A type of gin of very superior quality mainly produced in the Netherlands.
Gordons gin: A brand of gin made in England.
Galliano: A golden Italian liqueur with an anise, licorice, and vanilla flavor.
Grand Marnier: An orange-flavored French liqueur with a brandy base.
Grappa: The name of an Italian brandy made from the stalks of grapes.
Grenadine: A pomegranate-flavored syrup with pomegranate

I

Irish cream liqueur: A liqueur made with Irish whiskey blended with fresh cream, spirits, and chocolate.

K

Kirsch: A white brandy distilled from cherries.

L

Licor 43: A sweet, bright yellow citrus and vanilla-flavored Spanish liqueur made from a combination of forty-three ingredients, including citrus and fruit juices, herbs, spices, and vanilla.
Lillet: A sweet French aperitif wine containing quinine and spices in two varieties: sweet and less-sweet.

M

Madeira: A specific Portuguese sweet fortified wine.
Malibu: A coconut rum liqueur.
Mandarine Napoleon: A Belgian liqueur made with rare mandarines whose skins are soaked in a Cognac base.
Maraschino: A cherry-flavored clear liqueur.
Marsala: A fortified Sicilian wine available dry or sweet.

O

Ojen: An anise-flavored Spanish liqueur popular in New Orleans.
Orange flower water: A non-alcoholic diluted orange flower extract in water.
Orgeat: A non-alcoholic syrup made with almonds, orange flower water.
Ouzo: An anise-flavored Greek aperitif spirit made from pressed grapes, herbs, and berries including aniseed, licorice, mint, wintergreen, fennel, and hazelnut.

P

Parfait Amour: A light purple curacao flavored with rose petals, vanilla, and almonds and made in France.
Pastis: An anise-flavored absinthe substitute that does not include wormwood, not to be confused with anisette.
Pisco: A Peruvian or Chilean unaged brandy.
Punsch: A rum-based liqueur with a spicy sweet flavor.

R

Rum: A liquor made from fermented and distilled molasses. Light rums are usually produced in Puerto Rico, Barbados, and Cuba and do not age for very long. Dark rums come mostly from Jamaica, Martinique, and Haiti and can mature from three to twelve years. The color of rum is due to the aging process.

S

Sabre: An orange liqueur with a hint of chocolate produced in Israel.
Sake: Japanese wines made from rice, spring or mountain water, yeast, and a fungus known as Koji mold.
Sambuca: Licorice-flavored liqueur with an infusion of elderberry. Sambuca is similar to anisette but with a higher alcohol content. Black sambuca is similar but opaque black in color.
Scotch: A term used to designate whisky made in Scotland.
Schnapps: Another name for spirit, mostly 42 proof.
Sloe gin: A berry-plum liqueur made from sloe berries steeped in gin.
Southern Comfort: A blend of bourbon, orange, and peach liqueur.
Strega: A delicate, mild, and colorless herbal Italian liqueur.

T

Tequila: A spirit that is only produced in two regions of Mexico and that is made with a minimum of 51 percent distilled blue agave sap.
Tia Maria: A coffee-flavored, rum-based Jamaican liqueur.
Tonic: A tall drink made with ice, spirits, and tonic water.
Triple sec: An orange-flavored clear liqueur similar to Cointreau. Known in nineteenth century as white curacao.

V

Vermouth: French or French-style dry fortified wine and herb aperitif. The two most common types are: sweet red and Italian, plus dry white and French.
Vodka: A clear alcoholic spirit made from grain that originated in Russia.

W

Whiskey: Blended whiskey is Whiskey produced from a combination of whiskeys and,or neutral spirits containing at least 20 percent straight whiskey.
Canadian whiskey: A whiskey mainly made of rye, usually lighter bodied than American whiskeys.
Irish whiskey: A whiskey made from malted cereals, barley, water, and yeast.
Rye whiskey: A whiskey made from a mash that contains a minimum of 51 percent rye, and is aged in new oak barrels.
Tennessee whiskey: A smoky sweet type of whisky that is produced like Bourbon, but is mellowed before being stocked in barrels. It is considered by law as a separate category of whiskey.

Y

Yukon Jack: A Canadian-whiskey-based liqueur with citrus and herb flavors.
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