The Most Wished For Liqueurs Last Week

Lucano Amaro is made in the town of Pisticci Scalo in Basilicata, Italy. It is made from more than 30 herbs and spices some of which are disclosed. They include: angelica root, bitter aloe, bitter orange, blessed thistle, clary sage, elderberry, gentian, musk yarrow, ruta, and woodworm. The company was founded in 1894 by Pasquale Vera and is now run by his grandson, his namesake, and his family.

Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur is a clear cherry liqueur made from Sour Marasca cherries which are cultivated exclusively by the Luxardo family in the orchards of the Euganean Hills in Veneto. The cherries including the stones, branches and leaves are placed in larchwood vats for two years to infuse with neutral alcohol. Then the infusion including the solids is distilled and the heart of the cherry distillate is aged in large Finnish ash wood vats for a 12-18 months. Water and sugar is added prior to bottling at 64 proof.

Chambord Liqueur is a black raspberry liqueur. It is made from an infusion of raspberries and blackberries. Other ingredients include Madagascar vanilla, Moroccan citrus peel, honey, and XO cognac which the master blender balances all together to create a concentrate. Although this French liqueur is based on a recipe from the late 17th century, it wasn't released commercially until 1981. Bottled at 16.5% ABV.

Cointreau is a clear, orange flavored liqueur developed in 1875 by Édouard Cointreau, son of one of the co-founding brothers of the distillery. In 1885 it became the first registered brand of triple sec, although the brand dropped "triple sec" from its name in early 20th century. It is made with both bitter and sweet orange peels which are macerated in neutral alcohol and then distilled. The only other ingredients are sugar and water. Suitable for any recipe calling for triple sec. Note: As February 2023, Cointreau has redesigned the bottle to celebrate the orange, its key ingredient, more prominently. The new label also has a QR code granting consumers access to almost 500 drinks.

Grand Marnier is an orange liqueur made from a blend of cognac (51%) and bitter orange distillate (49%). To make this distillate, the bitter orange variety citrus Bigaradia is harvested and the peels are sun-dried. The peels then macerate in neutral alcohol for ~10 days before it is distilled. This bitter orange distillate is then blended with cognac and further aged in large oak vats for 1-6 months. Originally named Curaçao Marnier when created in 1880 by founder Louis-Alexandre Marnier Lapostolle, it was soon changed to Grand Marnier after friends declared it to be grand. Also called Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge or simply GrandMa by those in the bar industry.

The recipe this classic liqueur is based on has been kept in the family for many generations. It's made by steeping wild English sloe berries with Hayman's original London Dry Gin for months, before the addition of sweetener. Along with sloe berries, the botanicals include juniper, coriander, lemon peel, orange peel, angelica root, cinnamon, cassia bark, orris root, licorice, and nutmeg. Bottled at 26% ABV.

Fernet-Branca was created in 1845 by Bernardino Branca in Milan where it is still made today. It is made from a proprietary recipe of 27 different herbs, roots, and spices only some of which are disclosed. They include: aloe ferox, bitter orange, chamomile, cardamom, cinchona bark, cinnamon, galangal, gentian, iris, laurel, laraha, linden, myrrh, zedoary and saffron. It is aged in 15,000-20,000 liter Slovenian oak vats for at least a year. Due to the popularity of the brand in Argentina, a second distillery located outside of Buenos Aires was founded in 1941. Fernet-Branca & Coke is how it is most consumed there.

Part of the Luxardo portfolio since 1821, Luxardo Cherry "Sangue Morlacco" is flavored with marasca cherry, a variety of sour cherries. Sangue Morlacco translates to “Morlacco blood,” referring to the liqueur’s deep red color and a group of people from the Dalmatian hinterland from the 17th and 18th centuries. The name was coined by Italian poet Gabriele D’Annunzio in 1919, after which the liqueur was renamed nearly a century after its creation.

Aperol first debuted a century ago, in 1919. Known for its orange hue, and today for the ubiquitous and eponymous Aperol Spritz, Aperol is flavored with ingredients including cinchona, rhubarb, and gentian. The bittersweet liqueur has been a part of the Campari portfolio since 2003.

Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao is based on a 19th century recipe and made in consultation with cocktail historian David Wondrich. It's made by infusing bitter laraha orange peels for one week in grape spirit. Then this infusion is distilled. Separately, walnut skins and prunes are infused for several months in brandy and Pierre Ferrand cognac to create a vegetal infusion. Then the master blender blends the orange distillate, the vegetal infusion, along with brandy and Pierre Ferrand cognac. Toasted cane sugar, which is barrel aged for several months, is used to sweeten the blend. Finally, the Dry Curaçao is left to age for several months in French oak barrels before bottling.