Liqueur

All about liqueur

No other spirit comes in so many flavours and varieties, and can be enjoyed in so many different ways. In our online store, you will find delicious fruit liqueurs, creamy egg liqueur and herbal liqueur. But what is liqueur all about, where does it come from and how can it be drunk?
 

What is liqueur?

By definition, a liqueur is a spirit that contains a relatively large amount of sugar - at least 100 grams of invert sugar per litre of liquid, according to EU law. You can add other sugars to the liqueur, but in the end the sweetness level must correspond to the specified amount of invert sugar. Invert sugar is produced when granulated sugar is split into glucose and fructose and is used to make desserts and beverages because it is liquid and doesn’t crystallise.

Then there is the alcohol content: this must be at least 15% by volume for a liqueur, according to the Federal Association of the German Spirits Industry. Most liqueurs range in alcohol content between 15 and 35% volume, but stronger liqueurs are also available on the market.

Thus, all spirits with at least the specified sugar content and at least 15% vol. are liqueurs. Crèmes contain at least 250 grams of sugar per litre, and in the case of crème de cassis, there must be 400 grams per litre according to the traditional recipe.

Liqueur has its origins in the Latin "liquor" which simply means "liquid."
 

History of liqueurs

In ancient Greece and Rome, people experimented with wines and spirits, so it is believed that the liqueur has its origin in the fruit wines of that time. But even today there are fruit wines, especially in Central Europe, which are not so far from fruit liqueurs in terms of taste. Currant wine, for example, which is also very sweet, but not quite sweet enough to be a liqueur.

In medicine

In Europe, the processing of herbs into liqueur began at the end of the 13th century. At that time a certain Arnaldo of Villanova was rector of the medical university in Montpellier. He took part in a crusade in Central Asia and there learned the technique of distillation. He brought this knowledge directly to Europe, where until then only beer and wine could be produced. Thanks to distillation, it was now possible to produce drinks with a higher alcohol content.

Villanova used the technique of maceration in the production of his liqueurs: he placed various medicinal plants and herbs in alcohol or mixtures of water and alcohol so that the active ingredients from the plants were gently released. To this day, this is one of the two basic techniques used in the production of liqueur - in the other, maceration is omitted and distilled straight away.

Maceration can take from a few hours, to several weeks. The result is alcohol as well as extracted oil essences. Both are then distilled once or twice.

During distillation, a liquid (e.g., mash from fruits) is separated into its components with the help of heat. When heated in a special copper still, it evaporates, the vapors collect in the so-called spirit tube and are then cooled. The distillate or condensate is collected in the process. The more often a liquid is distilled, the higher its quality.

Originally, the spirits were quite tart after distillation and could not be drunk easily. Villanova improved the taste by adding honey. And that was the birth of medicine in liquid form, because the herbs and medicinal plants used in the production of the liqueur have a therapeutic effect. To this day, there are "liqueurs" from pharmacies and monasteries that run their own herb gardens, which are used as remedies.

In times when sugar was an exotic, expensive commodity, only the upper classes could afford this beneficial medicine. Just how exotic and precious is shown by the example of Catherine di Medici: When she married the then French King Henry II in 1532, her entourage included liquorists, or specialists in distillation and the production of high-quality liqueurs.

It was not until the 17th century, through colonisation and later also the production of sugar from sugar beets, that the production of liqueur became affordable - even the "little people" could afford this pleasure.

In this era, especially in the Netherlands and France, well-known liqueur brands were created, some of which, like Bols (production since 1575) or De Kuyper (1695), still stand for quality and selection in liqueurs today.
 

Liqueur types

As mentioned above, the diversity of the liqueur world accounts for its popularity - and its success. In 2021, liqueur with all its sweet varieties was the most popular type of spirit in Germany at 27.9%.

The countless flavours can be roughly divided into four different categories:
 

Fruit liqueurs

As the name suggests, the main ingredient in these liqueurs is fruit. Whether cherries or currants, blueberries or sea buckthorn - the list of fruits from which liqueurs can be made is long. Fruits with a high sugar content are usually only distilled, while those with little sugar still undergo the process of maceration before distillation. We have stock wild raspberry, blackberry and apple-aronia flavours.
 

Herbal liqueurs

With these liqueurs, the jorney from medicine to "liqueur de plaisir", or pleasure liqueur, is not that long. There are liqueurs that contain only one plant as an aroma-giving ingredient, for example anise liqueur. More familiar and popular with us, however, are liqueurs made from finely balanced herbs, such as our herbal liqueur Moortrunk.

Creams

The so-called creams not only have a sugar content of at least 250 g - they usually also contain milk or cream, which give them their incomparably smooth, creamy taste. Besides the well-known cream, coffee and cocoa liqueurs, egg liqueur is a typical cream liqueur that you can order from us.
 

Crèmes

Creams and crèmes are not to be confused. Crèmes have the highest sugar content of any liqueur and are rarely drunk neat. Instead, with their variety of flavours, they serve as perfect ingredients for cocktails and other alcoholic drinks.
 

Enjoying liqueurs

And that brings us to the question of how best to enjoy liqueurs. And here, too, there’s a huge variety, because almost every liqueur can be served in different ways.

Fruit liqueurs can be drunk as an aperitif or digestif straight from a liqueur glass, i.e. a kind of stamper with a stem. They taste delicious both chilled and warm. And in winter it is worth trying warm fruit liqueur. Just make sure when heating it that it doesn’t boil. Fruit liqueur can also be used to enhance desserts - simply pour a little liqueur over ice cream, cheesecake or pancakes. Delicious! And of course, you can experiment to your heart's content: How about a dash of blackberry liqueur in your tea in winter? Or in summer, mix 2 cl of wild raspberry liqueur with 100 ml of sparkling wine: a wonderful welcome for your guests at your next barbecue!

Herbal liqueurs, like Obstler, are a classic digestif and always perfectly round off a hearty meal. There are also many recipes for drinks with herbal liqueurs.

Creams are also particularly popular as digestifs: everyone probably remembers a sip of egg liqueur with their coffee from their grandmother. But this liqueur is not just for old ladies, it tastes delicious, whatever your age. Creams are also ideal companions for all types of desserts.

Creams belong in your bar cabinet if you like to mix cocktails or long drinks.
 

Recipes for drinks with liqueur

We have prepared a few recipes with our liqueurs for you to try at home:
 

Caribbean Dancer

Ingredients:

4 cl herbal liqueur

4 cl rum

Pineapple juice

Mint

First, mix the liqueur and rum together in a tumbler. Add two to three ice cubes and pour the mixture with pineapple juice. Add a few mint leaves for a lovely fresh taste.
 

Creamy coconut

Ingredients:

2 cl eggnog

1 cl rum

2 cl coconut liqueur

2 cl cold espresso

Coconut shavings

Moisten the rim of a martini glass and then press it into the coconut shavings, creating a rim. Add the other ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake briefly. Pour the mixture into the glass without the ice.
 

Berry dream

Ingredients:

3 cl rum (Cachaca)

3 cl blackberry or raspberry liqueur

3 cl dry white wine

3 blackberries

3 raspberries

Place one raspberry and one blackberry in a tumbler. Shake the remaining ingredients and the remaining fruit with a few ice cubes in a shaker and pour the cocktail with the ice into the glass. This drink needs no decoration - its bright colour creates a wonderful visual effect at the bar.
 

Liqueurs from Kaiserburg Feinkost

In our online store you will find a small but fine selection of different liqueurs. What is important to us is that our liqueurs are locally produced in Franconia and made with regional fruit, according to old recipes, often passed down through generations.