Liqueur is an alcoholic drink based on berry and fruit juices, infusions of various fragrant herbs with the possible addition of spices, roots, and so on. These are typically sugary drinks that can be consumed in a variety of ways.
Instructions
Step 1
The first liqueurs appeared in the days of the pharaohs, and the commercial production of these drinks began in the Middle Ages, when monks, doctors and alchemists tried to obtain the elixir of life. Liqueurs are quite difficult to classify as there are a huge number of them. They are usually divided into three groups: creams (15-23% alcohol), dessert (25-30% sugar and the same amount of alcohol) and strong (32-50% sugar and 35-45% alcohol).
Step 2
Almost any liqueur can be drunk neat, this allows you to truly feel their complex bitter-spicy taste. It should be borne in mind that liqueurs are never served before a meal as an aperitif, since they are too sweet for that, so they are usually placed on the table closer to the end of the meal, with coffee or tea, for dessert. You need to drink pure liquors from the correct glasses, which are very small 25 ml bowls with thin legs. Liqueurs must be drunk in one gulp, this allows you to feel their correct warm aftertaste. Liqueurs in their pure form were drunk at the beginning of the 20th century, now there are few supporters of this method of drinking.
Step 3
Liqueurs are often consumed diluted, and cream, milk, ice, water, hot chocolate, juice, or even ice cream can be used as a second liquid. Neither ice nor water spoil the taste of liqueurs, therefore it is recommended to mix good expensive liqueurs exclusively with water. Any dairy products change the taste of liqueurs quite strongly, so not everyone likes this combination, usually the ideal balance between the taste of milk (cream, ice cream) and liqueur can be achieved with a little experimentation. If you add orange or any other citrus juice to liqueur, you can get an interesting refreshing drink. You can experiment with other juices, but they shouldn't be too sweet.
Step 4
Many people prefer to drink liquor in combination with hard liquor. Liqueurs are usually mixed with vodka, whiskey, rum, gin, cognac or brandy. In this case, you can get a not too sweet, but aromatic and strong drink.
Step 5
Of course, liqueurs can be drunk as part of complex cocktails, because about 30% of all known alcoholic cocktails contain one or another liqueur, which can be used as a syrup, flavoring agent, or even a base. However, even a cocktail prepared on the basis of liqueur does not give a complete picture of the taste of the liqueur itself.
