The Top Community Rated Liqueurs From Last Week

Released Stateside in September 2015, Boodles Mulberry Gin is inspired by the British classic sloe gin, but is instead made with mulberries rather than sloe berries. Using a base of Boodles Gin, this liqueur is bottled at 30% ABV. Mulberry trees are a common sight on the English countryside, and if you haven't seen one you've certainly heard or sang the nursery rhyme "Here We Go Round..."

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.

Ginger was considered a powerful curative in the early 1900s, and was commonly found mixed with rye whiskey and sweetened with rock candy for a concoction found at many bars called "Rock and Rye." Post Prohibition it was relegated to a dusty jar kept behind the bar for old timers, but has recently found a resurgence. Reilly's selected the rye whiskey (mash bill 51% rye, 45% corn, 4% malted barley) with Master Blender Dave Pickerell and infused it with ginger and spices for this updated interpretation.

Cooper Spirits follows up their initial Hochstadter's Slow & Low Rock & Rye, bottled at 84 proof, with this 100 proof edition. While the same flavorings are included, rock candy, raw honey, bitters, and air dried navel oranges, apart from the higher proof another change is in the form of an older whiskey. Here, it's an 8-year-old rye whiskey, sourced from an unspecified location.

Caffè Borghetti Espresso Liqueur is based on an 1860s recipe created by cafè owner, Ugo Borghetti. It's made with real Italian espresso made from Arabica and Robusta coffee beans, in addition to sugar and alcohol. Bottled at 25% ABV.

RumChata is a liqueur made with Caribbean rum and dairy cream from Wisconsin. Cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar are also used. It is based on Horchata, a Latin American beverage made from rice, sugar, vanilla, and other spices.

The recipe for Zucca Rabarbaro dates back to 1845 when a doctor prescribed rhubarb and medicinal herbs to Tilde Zucca to aid her digestion. Her husband Ettore decided to add alcohol to the concoction. It became quite popular in cafes as an aperitif in Milan among other European cities. In the early 1900s, a descendant of Ettore, Carlo, established the Zucca Company to bring the product to shelves. Rabarbaro is Italian for "rhubarb" and is the only disclosed ingredient by the brand. The rhubarb root is sourced from the Gansu province in China. Note: In Spring 2016, this product got an updated label and recipe upping the proof from 30 to 60.

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.

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.