Tasting: Cream Liqueurs

The Flight

Amarula Cream Liqueur (17% ABV)
Bailey’s Irish Cream (17% ABV)
Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream (15% ABV)

Notes

Amarula Cream Liqueur: Fruity, tropical. An utter joy to have discovered. We tried this flight neat but I’d welcome this over ice and will also explore using it in cocktails! Amarula is all about the fruit—it’s a rare cream liqueur that doesn’t have a whisky or brandy base, but a fruit spirit base.

Bailey’s Irish Cream: Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve had Bailey’s, and it’s an almost harsh combination of ethanol, sweet, and cream. However, the Oatmeal Cookie shot is a fun use of this one.

Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream: Ok, this one is all about the bourbon flavor coming through. I bought Buffalo Trace to use in a Cynar Boulevardier, and the cream does it justice.

The Verdict

Amarula will always be in my bar. That simple. So glad I discovered this only because I read about L.A. Burdick Chocolates doing a seasonal release of chocolate elephants with Amarula. Bailey’s is alright in coffee, hot cocoa, or collegiate shots, but I won’t rush out to restock it. The Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream is a fun upgrade for a whisky-based liqueur that I look forward to enjoying over ice and in cocktails.

Mai Tai

Credit: Jeff “Beachbum” Berry

Ingredients

1 oz Rhum Clément VSOP Martinique Rum
1 oz Appleton Estate Signature Blend Jamaican Rum
1/2 ounce Pierre Ferrand Curaçao
1/2 ounce orgeat
1/4 oz 2:1 demerara syrup
1 oz lime juice
spent lime shell
mint garnish

Directions

Shake and strain over crushed or pebble ice. Garnish with spent lime shell and mint.

Notes

Fantastic—definitely needs the ice for some dilution. Jeff “Beachbum” Berry is the authority on tiki drinks!

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Cafe Colada

Credit: Cocktail Chemistry, citing Brandon Bramhall, Attaboy Nashville

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Appleton Estate Signature Blend Rum
1/2 oz Tempus Fugit Creme de Banane
1/2 oz Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur
1 1/2 oz pineapple juice
3/4 oz Coco López
1/2 oz orange juice
1/4 oz lime juice
nutmeg garnish

Directions

Shake and strain over crushed ice. Grate nutmeg over the top.

Notes

Another great tiki drink. It reminds me of the Mr. Bali Hai as coffee is the dominant flavor to me, then coconut. I didn’t get much banana, but I might try it next time with Giffard Banane du Bresil.

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Tasting: Banana Liqueurs

The Flight

Drillaud Crème de Banane (25% ABV)
Giffard Banane du Bresil (25% ABV)
Tempus Fugit Crème de Banane (26% ABV)

Notes

Drillaud Creme de Banane: Smells exactly like a banana Now and Later. I’d use this in a pinch where banana liqueur is a small fraction of the cocktail.

Giffard Banane du Bresil: This is pure banana, with a rich, syrupy quality. I’d put this in everything from a Dirty Banana to a banana daiquiri and more.

Tempus Fugit Crème de Banane: Wow. Many people have described the aroma as that of banana bread, and I can see why—it’s banana with a brown sugar and spice dimension. A bit boozier, too.

The Verdict

Giffard Banane du Bresil and Tempus Fugit Crème de Banane are both great to have on hand. I’d use the Giffard in a tiki drink with multiple ingredients, and I’d use the Tempus Fugit when I want to highlight banana liqueur.

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Bramble

Credit: Robert Simonson, A Proper Drink, citing Dick Bradsell

Ingredients

2 oz St. George Botanivore Gin
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz 2:1 demerara syrup
1/2 oz Giffard Crème de Mûre
lemon and blackberry garnish

Directions

Shake gin, lemon juice, and syrup with ice and strain over a rocks glass with crushed ice. Drizzle the crème de mûre on top and garnish with lemon peel and blackberry.

Notes

This drink is summer in a glass, and it works just fine on a 70-degree day in February. My version was a bit sweeter, as I used Meyer lemons and 2:1 syrup. I wasn’t willing to spend money for out-of-season fruit (and the lemon twist was just fine), but in a few months I’ll have a good excuse to load up on blackberries.

Watch Dick Bradsell make his original cocktail, the Bramble,

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Lorikeet

Credit: Shannon Mustipher, Tiki

Ingredients

2 oz Bulleit Rye Whiskey
1/2 Giffard Banana Liqueur
1 oz pineapple juice
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz cinnamon syrup
4 dashes Angostura Bitters
6 Dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
orange twist, pineapple leaf garnish

Directions

Shake and strain over crushed ice.

Notes

An interesting take on tiki with the rye! Not as sweet, but the banana comes through.

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Cosmopolitan

Credit: Difford’s Guide

Ingredients

1 oz Ketel One Vodka
1 oz Cointreau
1 1/2 oz Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice
1/2 oz lime juice
dash orange bitters
Luxardo cherry garnish

Directions

Shake and strain into a chilled glass.

Notes

Made this for a guest. Orange zest is the original recipe but I liked the cherry. It’s a beautiful pink, but a bit too ethanol-forward for me.

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Fistful of Pears

Credit: St. George Spirits

Ingredients

1 oz St. George Pear Brandy
1 oz St. George Spiced Pear Liqueur
1 oz Amaro Nonino
Meyer lemon peel

Directions

Build over ice. Squeeze Meyer lemon peel over drink to release oils, then use as a garnish.

Notes

Fantastic enough to get me out of a blogging dry spell after 2 sips! I opened up the bottle of St. George Pear Brandy to enjoy on its own, and went to the website to check spelling, and happened to see this drink listed, so made it for my husband. It called for Lo-Fi Gentian Amaro and grapefruit zest, but worked with what I had and thought the Nonino and Meyer lemon would sub in well. An ode to pear. It’s late so I’m sticking with brandy, but there’s tomorrow and New Year’s Eve…

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Mr. Bodi Hai

Credit: Shannon Mustipher, Tiki, citing Nathan Hazard

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz blended aged rum (I used Appleton Estate Extra 12)
1/4 oz Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur
1/4 oz Giffard Banane du Bresil
1 1/2 oz pineapple juice
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz macadamia orgeat
dash of Angostura Bitters
Luxardo cherry garnish

Directions

Shake and strain over crushed ice.

Notes

Alas, I wanted this drink to be sweeter. I also couldn’t really taste the banana or the orgeat. My husband liked it though…he said he liked “its darkness.” Oh well, back to Mr. Bali Hais for me!

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Peach Cobbler

Credit: Leandro DiMonriva, The Educated Barfly

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz St. George Botanivore Gin
3/4 oz Giffard Crème de Pêche de Vigne
3/4 oz orgeat
3/4 oz lemon juice
4 drops Angostura Bitters
mint garnish

Directions

Shake and strain over crushed ice.

Notes

The quality of the peach liqueur makes a big difference here. Alas I committed a sin and served this over small ice cubes rather than crushed or pebble ice, because I was low on pebble ice. However, it was great just the same. Slapping the mint against your hand to release the oils makes the mint super-fragrant. A potent one for me! Easy to sip quickly. Curious to try this with cardamom bitters.

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Banana Daiquiri

Credit: Imbibe

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz brown butter-washed banana rum
3/4 oz lime juice
1/2 oz Giffard Banane du Bresil
1/4 oz 2:1 simple syrup

Directions

Shake and strain into a chilled coupe glass.

Notes

This drink captures the essence of banana in all its glory. I think the next step is to make some kind of caramelized banana brown sugar rim.

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Tradewinds

Credit: Martin Cate, Smuggler’s Cove

Ingredients

1 oz lemon juice
1 1/2 oz cream of coconut
1 oz Rothman & Winter Apricot Liqueur
1 oz Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
1 oz Appleton Estate Signature Blend Rum
lemon wedge with a cocktail umbrella, gently turned up

Directions

Shake and strain over crushed or pebble ice.

Notes

Wow, I could have had half of this. I did, and gave the other half to my husband after he had his, and somehow he’s able to do the dishes right now. The apricot and coconut are lovely together. This drinks sends you to worry-free shores!

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Tasting: Peach Liqueurs

The Flight

Drillaud Crème de Pêche (15% ABV)
Giffard Crème de Pêche de Vigne (16% ABV)

Notes

Drillaud Crème de Pêche: smells exactly like a peach gummy candy. Quite sweet. I’d use this in a pinch where banana liqueur is a small fraction of the cocktail.

Giffard Crème de Pêche de Vigne: Much more complex and interesting. I’m looking forward to using this in The Educated Barfly’s Peach Cobbler.

The Verdict

Giffard Crème de Pêche de Vigne.

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Sloe Gin Fizz

Credit: Punch

Ingredients

1 oz club soda
3/4 oz St. George Botanivore Gin
3/4 oz Plymouth Sloe Gin
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz 2:1 simple syrup
1 egg white
Angostura Bitters

Directions

Pour club soda into a coupe glass. Dry shake the remaining ingredients, then add a large ice cube and shake again until it’s chilled. Strain and pour into the coupe glass, and dot with Angostura bitters.

Notes

This is fabulous. It feels like a spring or summer drink, but would also work well for brunch with the berry flavor from the sloe gin. I use 2:1 simple syrup (2 parts white sugar, 1 part water) since it lasts longer. I also added bitters—I keep some Angostura bitters in a small dropper bottle, to allow for more precise placement and design. A beautiful drink.

Variations

I’ve seen recipes for the egg white version with only sloe gin, and I’m hesitant to try it. I think the equal parts gin and sloe gin make more a much more balanced drink. I also tried the Educated Barfly’s version, which doesn’t use egg white and is served over ice in a collins glass. It was far too tart for me!

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