What is the difference between liquor, liqueur, cordials, and spirits? | Senior (2024)

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What is the difference between liquor, liqueur, cordials, and spirits? | Senior? ›

The definition of a liquor is a distilled alcoholic beverage, the word liqueur is typically reserved for the sweetened and/or lower-proof distilled spirits. The terms Cordial and liqueur are often used interchangeably to described these sweet distilled spirits, however, cordial has a few other meanings.

Liqueur is made from liquor; it's sweetened, often flavored (think almondy Amaretto or chocolatey Crème de Cacao), and generally lower proof. And just as spirits is the same thing as liquor, a liqueur is basically the same as a cordial.

So simply said a liqueur is a liquor with added sugar, flavors, and often (though not always) has a lower proof. Examples of liqueurs are Curaçao Liqueurs, Disaronno, Bailey's, Amaretto, etc. Another word that is often used for liqueur is cordials. These are also used as a digestive after dinner or in a dessert.

Jagermeister is a popular liqueur, or sweetened, flavored liquor. It's infused with a number of herbs, and a lot of its recipe is kept secret to keep the brand exclusive. However, it's known that Jagermeister contains bitter orange, cloves, and star anise among other ingredients.

What is the definition of a liquor? Liquor is defined as a beverage made from fermented grains, fruits, or other plants that is then distilled, which removes impurities and increases the concentration of ethanol. Synonymous with 'spirits', liquor includes vodka, gin, whiskey, rum, brandy, and liqueurs.

Traditional pure spirits are made from grains or other plants with the main six pure spirits being gin, vodka, brandy, tequila, rum and whisky, all of which have a high alcohol content of usually over 38% ABV.

The Chambord brand was developed in 1982 by Norton "Sky" Cooper at his family's cordial company, Charles Jacquin et Cie (later his son, Robert Cooper, would develop the elderflower liqueur, St-Germain).

Baileys Irish Cream is an Irish cream liqueur made of cream, cocoa and Irish whiskey emulsified together with vegetable oil.

RumChata is a Pewaukee, Wisconsin-produced cream liqueur that was released in 2009.

Amaretto is a fragrant almond flavoured liqueur. Traditionally, the almond flavour and slight bitterness come from oil extracted from bitter apricot kernels. However, sufferers of nut allergies should be aware that some amarettos are now made using almonds.

What are the six basic liquors? ›

There are six primary liquors — whiskey, brandy, vodka, rum, gin and tequila. These beverages fall under the liquor category because they use a similar distilling method, but each has a distinct flavor that arises from using different ingredients and aging processes.

Last but not least. In simple terms, digestifs are alcoholic beverages that are served after a meal to help settle the stomach and aid digestion. They tend to be higher in alcohol than drinks served before or during a meal. Spirits such as whisky and Cognac traditionally fall into this category, as do fortified wines.

Southern Comfort (often abbreviated SoCo) is an American, naturally fruit-flavored, whiskey liqueur with fruit and spice accents. The brand was created by bartender Martin Wilkes Heron in New Orleans in 1874, using whiskey as the base spirit. Whiskey was replaced by a neutral spirit under the ownership of Brown–Forman.

Hennessy is a Cognac, which is a type of brandy. It is not a whiskey. Cognac is a grape-based brandy produced in the Cognac region of France.

Liqueur is actually a type of spirit or liquor, which itself is a grain-based, distilled alcoholic beverage. A liqueur is a distilled spirit like vodka or brandy that is sweetened with sugar or syrup, and oftentimes it also contains flavoring agents such as fruit, herbs, and oils.

What is Tequila? Tequila is a distilled liquor that is made from the fermented juices of the Weber blue agave plant. It's one of the most popular spirits worldwide but is most commonly consumed in the United States and Mexico.

Some think it stems from the Arabic word al-ghawl, which means spirit in the demon sense. Others think it comes from the word al-koh'l, a word meaning to paint. Al-koh'l was used to refer to the black eyeliner popular in ancient times that was created through a chemical process similar to distilling.

Spirit refers to a distilled beverage containing at least 20 per cent alcohol by volume and no added sugar. When alcohol is distilled, it is transformed into a spirit. Fermentation is the process of distilling alcohol. Brandy, gin, tequila, and vodka are the most common spirits.