1. Blue Curacao - is a liqueur flavored with the dried peel of the laraha citrus fruit, grown on the island of Curaçao. A non-native plant similar to an orange, the laraha developed from the sweet Valencia orange transplanted by Spanish explorers. The nutrient-poor soil and arid climate of Curaçao proved unsuitable to Valencia cultivation, resulting in small bitter fruit on the trees. But the aromatic peel maintained much of the essence of the Valencia varietal, and the trees were eventually bred into the current laraha cultivar, whose fruits remain inedibly bitter. Curaçao liqueur was first developed and marketed by the Senior family in the 19th century. To create the liqueur the laraha peel is dried, bringing out the sweetly fragranced oils. After soaking in a still with alcohol and water for several days, the peel is removed and other spices are added. The liqueur has an orange-like flavor with varying degrees of bitterness. It is naturally colorless, but is often given artificial coloring, most commonly blue or orange, which confers an exotic appearance to cocktails and other mixed drinks. Blue color is achieved by adding of food colorant, most often E133 Brilliant Blue. Some other liqueurs are also sold as Curaçaos with different flavors added, such as coffee, chocolate, and rum and raisin. 2. Benedictine - is a herbal liqueur beverage developed by Alexandre Le Grand in the 19th century and produced in France.It is claimed that at the Benedictine Abbey of Fécamp in Normandy, monks had developed a medicinal aromatic herbal beverage which was produced until the abbey's devastation during the French Revolution, but in fact Alexandre Le Grand invented the recipe himself, helped by a local chemist, and he told this story to connect the liqueur with the city history to increase sales.
He began production under the trade name "Bénédictine", using a bottle with an easily recognizable shape and label. The family eventually sold the company to Martini and Rossi, which was in turn bought by Bacardi. The recipe is a closely guarded trade secret, ostensibly known to only three people at any given time. So many people have tried to reproduce it that the company maintains on its grounds in Fécamp a "Hall of Counterfeits" (Salle des Contrefaçons). The bottle and label have been imitated, as has the name Bénédictine. The company prosecuted those it felt to be infringing on its intellectual property.The manufacturing process involves several distillations which are then blended.
Every bottle of Bénédictine has the initials D.O.M. on the label, which stands for "Deo Optimo Maximo" ("To God, most good, most great"). This abbreviation is commonly used at the beginning of documents of the Benedictine Order as a short dedication of the work. Besides the B & B, cocktails using Bénédictine include the Frisco,[4] Derby, Singapore Sling,Vieux Carré, and Monte Carlo
3. Kahlúa - is a Mexican coffee-flavored rum-based liqueur. It is dense and sweet, with the distinct taste of coffee, from which it is made. Kahlúa also contains sugar, corn syrup and vanilla bean. Pedro Domecq began producing Kahlúa in 1936. It was named Kahlúa, meaning "House of the Acolhua people" in the Veracruz Nahuatl language spoken before theSpanish Conquest. (Kahlúa was Hispanicized as Ulúa, forming the name of modern San Juan de Ulúa fortress.)
The company merged in 1994 with Allied Lyons to become Allied Domecq. In turn, that company was partially acquired in 2005 by Pernod Ricard, now the largest spirits distributor in the world since its merger with the Swedish Vin & Sprit in March 2008. Since 2004, the alcohol content of Kahlúa is 20.0% (21.5% alc. is still available only inOhio); earlier versions had 26.5%.[2] In 2002, a more expensive, high-end product called "Kahlúa Especial" became available in the United States, Canada and Australia after previously being offered only in duty-free markets. Made with premium Arabica coffee beans grown in Veracruz, Mexico, Kahlúa Especial has an alcohol content of 36% and has a lower viscosity and is less sweet than the regular version.
4. Baileys - is an Irish whiskey and cream based liqueur, made by Gilbeys of Ireland. The trademark is currently owned by Diageo. It has a declared alcohol content of 17% alcohol by volume. It can be compared to other cream liqueurs such as Amarula, Carolans and Sangster's. Baileys Irish Cream was created by Gilbeys of Ireland, a division of International Distillers & Vintners, as it searched for something to introduce to the international market. The process of finding a product began in 1971 and it was introduced in 1974 as the first Irish cream on the market. The Baileys name, and the R.A. Bailey signature, were fictional, inspired by the Bailey's Hotel in London, although the registered trademark omits the apostrophe. Baileys is produced in Dublin and under contract in Newtownabbey. Baileys Irish Cream has a shelf life of 30 months and guarantees its taste for two years from the day it was made - opened or unopened, stored in a refrigerator or not, when stored away from direct sunlight at temperatures between 0 and 25 °C (32 and 77 °F).
5. Cointreau - is a brand of triple sec (an orange-flavoured liqueur) produced in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, France. It is drunk as an apéritif and digestif, and is a component of several well-known cocktails. It was originally called "Curaçao Blanco Triple Sec". Cointreau Distillery was set up in 1849 by Adolphe Cointreau, a confectioner, and his brother Edouard-Jean Cointreau from Angers. Their first success was with the cherry liqueur guignolet, but they found success when they blended sweet and bitter orange peels and pure alcohol from sugar beets. The first bottles of Cointreau were sold in 1875. These days, an estimated 13 million bottles are sold each year, in more than 150 countries. Ninety percent of production is exported. Cointreau & Cie SA was family-owned until 1990, when it merged with Rémy Martin to form Rémy Cointreau, now a publicly traded company.The production methods and recipe are a family secret, but tours of the facility are open to the public. Photography is restricted in many areas to protect the production process from being copied. Cointreau sources its bitter oranges from all over the world, usually Spain, Brazil, Haiti and Ghana.
6. Triple Sec - Triple sec, originally Curaçao triple sec, is a variety of Curaçao liqueur, an orange-flavoured liqueur made from the dried peels of bitter and sweet orange. Triple sec may be consumed neat as a digest if or on the rocks, but nowadays is mostly used in making cocktails such as the Margarita, White Lady, Long Island Iced Tea, and Cosmopolitan. The Combier distillery claims that Triple sec was invented some time between 1834 and 1848 by Jean-Baptiste Combier in Saumur, France. However, Combier was more famous for its élixir Combier, which contained orange but also many other flavorings. According to Cointreau, its orange liqueur was created in 1875.Triple sec was certainly widely known by 1878; at the Exposition Universelle of 1878 in Paris, several distillers were offering "Curaço [sic] triple sec" as well as "Curaço doux".
7. Crème de menthe (French for mint cream) - is a sweet, mint-flavored alcoholic beverage. Its flavor is primarily derived from Corsican mint. It is available commercially in a colorless (called "white") and a green version (which obtains its color from the mint leaves or from the addition of coloring, if extract and not the leaves are used to make the liqueur). Both varieties have similar flavors and are interchangeable in recipes, except where the color is important. Crème de menthe is used as an ingredient in several cocktails, such as the Grasshopper and the Stinger, and is also served as an after-dinner drink and can be used in food recipes as a flavoring (see Mint chocolate). The traditional formula involves steeping dried peppermint leaves in grain alcohol for several weeks (creating a naturally green color), followed by filtration and the addition of sugar.
8. Drambuie (/dræmˈbuːi/) - is a sweet, golden coloured 40% ABV (80-proof) liqueur made from malt whisky, honey, herbs, and spices.Produced in Broxburn, West Lothian, Scotland, it is served straight, on the rocks, or added to mixed drinks such as the Rusty Nail. The name "Drambuie" may derive from the Scottish Gaelic phrase an dram buidheach, meaning "the drink that satisfies", or possibly an dram buidhe meaning "the yellow drink". After the Battle of Culloden in 1746, Prince Charles Edward Stuart fled to the island of Skye. There, he was given sanctuary by Captain John MacKinnon of Clan MacKinnon. According to family legend, after staying with the captain, the prince rewarded him with this prized drink recipe. This version of events is disputed by historians who believe it to be a story concocted to boost sales of the drink. The legend holds that the recipe was then given in the late 19th century by Clan MacKinnon to James Ross. Ross ran the Broadford Hotel on Skye, where he developed and improved the recipe, initially for his friends and then later to patrons in the 1870s. Ross then sold it further afield, eventually to France and the United States. The name was registered as a trademark in 1893. Ross died young, and to pay for their children's education, his widow was obliged to sell the recipe, by coincidence to a different MacKinnon family, in the early 20th century. The latter MacKinnon family has been producing the drink since.
9. Galliano - Liquore Galliano L'Autentico, known more commonly as Galliano, is a sweet herbal liqueur, created in 1896 by Italian distiller and brandy producer Arturo Vaccari of Livorno, Tuscany and named after Giuseppe Galliano, an Italian hero of the First Italo–Ethiopian War. Its vivid yellow color symbolizes the Gold Rushes of the 1890s. Galliano has a large number of natural ingredients including vanilla, star anise, Mediterranean anise, ginger, citrus, juniper, musk yarrow, and lavender. Neutral alcohol is infused with the pressings from the herbs except vanilla. The liquid is distilled and then infused with pressed vanilla. In the final stage distilled water, refined sugar and pure neutral alcohol are blended with the base. Galliano has been formulated at both 60 proof (30% by volume) and 84.6 proof (42.3% by volume). Galliano is sweet with vanilla-anise flavor with subtle citrus and woodsy herbal under notes. The vanilla top note differentiates Galliano from other anise-flavored liqueurs such as Sambuca, Pernod, or Anisette. It is used both as a digestif (meant for drinking after heavy meals), and as an ingredient for cocktails, most notably the Harvey Wallbanger, Golden Cadillac, and Golden Dream.
The Galliano brand is currently owned by Dutch distiller Lucas Bols, and marketed through its worldwide distribution joint venture, Maxxium. Galliano is packaged in a distinctively-shaped bottle, reminiscent of a classical Roman column. Several other liqueurs are also produced under the Galliano brand name, including a black Sambuca, a white Sambuca and an amaretto, which are predominantly distributed in Australasia, where the products are popular as shots. Galliano also makes Galliano Ristretto coffee flavored liqueur and Galliano Balsamico, a balsamic vinegar infused liqueur. Both Galliano Autentico and Galliano Vanilla, as used in the Harvey Wallbanger, are available.
10. Grand Marnier - Cordon Rouge is an orange-flavored brandy liqueur created in 1880 by Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle. It is made from a blend of Cognac brandy, distilled essence of bitter orange, and sugar. Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge is 40% alcohol (70 Proof in UK, 80 Proof in US). Aside from Cordon Rouge, the Grand Marnier line includes other liqueurs, most of which can be consumed "neat" as a cordial or a digestif, and can be used in mixed drinks and desserts. In France this kind of use is the most popular, especially with Crêpes Suzette and "crêpes au Grand Marnier". César Ritz reportedly came up with the name "Grand Marnier" for Marnier-Lapostolle, who in return helped him purchase and establish the Hotel Ritz Paris.
11. Midori - is a bright, green-coloured, muskmelon-flavored cordial made by Suntory. It is manufactured in Japan, Mexico, and France, though it was made only in Japan until 1987. It was first concocted in 1978, with a launch party held in New York's famous Studio 54. Midori is usually 20–21% alcohol by volume. The name comes from midori, the Japanese word for "green". As it is extremely sweet, Midori is generally used in a mixed drink or cocktail; for example, a Japanese slipper. It is usually used in a range of long drinks – with lemonade, fresh lemon juice, lime juice, pineapple juice or orange juice. Sour flavours are often used to balance its sweetness. Midori is known in Scotland for it being mentioned in the comedy Still Game, where the character "Big Innes" has violent reactions whenever he drinks the liquor. Midori manufactured in France is sweeter than the original Japanese formula. As of 2011 Kim Kardashian is endorsing Midori.
12. Amaretto - is a sweet, almond-flavoured, Italian liqueur. It is made from a base of apricot pits or almonds, sometimes both. The name is a diminutive of the Italian amaro, meaning "bitter," indicating the distinctive flavour lent by the mandorla amara--the bitter almond or the drupe kernel. However, the bitterness is not unpalatable, and the flavour is enhanced by sweeteners, and sometimes sweet almonds, in the final products.Therefore, the liqueur's name can be said to describe the taste as "a little bitter". Conflation of amaro and amore ("love") is primarily responsible for the associations with romance. Amaretto should not be confused with amaro, a different family of Italian liqueurs that, while also sweetened, have a stronger bitter flavour from herbs. Despite the known history on the introduction and acceptance of almonds into Italian cuisine, more recent takes on the meanings and origins have come about, further popularized by the two major brands. Though of sometimes questionable factuality, these tales hold a sentimental place in Saronno culture. In 1525, a Saronno church commissioned artist Bernardino Luini, one of Leonardo da Vinci's pupils, to paint their sanctuary with frescoes. As the church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Luini needed to depict the Madonna, but was in need of a model. He found his inspiration in a young widowed innkeeper, who became his model and (in most versions) lover. Out of gratitude and affection, the woman wished to give him a gift. Her simple means did not permit much, so she steeped apricot kernels in brandy and presented the resulting concoction to a touched Luini.