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.

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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Tasting: Jungle Bird 2 Ways

Credit: Brad Thomas Parsons, Amaro

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz blackstrap rum
1 1/2 oz pineapple juice
3/4 oz Campari
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz 2:1 demerara syrup

Directions

Shake and strain over ice.

Notes

Fun to have Campari in a tiki drink! I tried this drink with 2 different rums: Gosling’s Black Seal Rum and Cruzan Black Strap Rum. The Gosling’s Rum led to a more pineapple-forward drink. The Cruzan was much more assertively molasses.

Verdict

My husband preferred the Cruzan version. As much as I love pineapple, I tend to agree!

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Tasting: Amari

The Flight

Amaro Averna (29% ABV)
Amaro CioCiaro (30% ABV)
Cynar (16.5% ABV)
Amaro Montenegro (23% ABV)
Amaro Nonino Quintessentia (35% ABV)

Notes

My husband and I did a blind tasting of all these amari by placing stickers on the bottom of mini glasses, and putting about 2 teaspoons of each one over a mini ice cube. It was fun removing any potential biases and just tasting each one!

The Verdict

The amari fell into a spectrum of ones we could sip, and ones that would do better in concert with other ingredients in a cocktail. Really, only the Cynar was a bit vegetal to sip on its own, but can’t wait to try it in a cocktail. So, in that order:

Amaro CioCiaro
Amaro Montenegro
Amaro Nonino Quintessentia
Amaro Averna
Cynar

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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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Tasting: Coffee Liqueurs

The Flight

Kahlua (20% ABV)
Mr Black Cold Brew (25% ABV)
Patron XO Cafe (35% ABV)

Notes

Kahlua: sweet, less syrupy than expected. Would be great on ice cream or in dessert drinks.

Mr Black Cold Brew: WOW. Tastes like true coffee. Want to use this for White Russians and tiki drinks.

Patron XO Cafe: boozy. More complex than Kahlua. Could see sipping this over ice, or just adding to coffee.

The Verdict

If I had to choose 2, I’d choose Kahlua and Mr Black Cold Brew.

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