Tastes

I'm not much of a fan of cream liqueurs in general, but I will say this is definitely better than Bailey's. The fact that it also doesn't really cost much more than Bailey's is another plus and I believe this offers a unique twist to any cocktail that one would typically use Bailey's. I will say though, I wish the marula fruit was utilized more and in a blind taste test you may not even know this has that fruit in there, just that it has a bit of citrus that isn't as common in cream liqueurs. The nose is heavy on the coffee notes, with some nutmeg thrown in there. The first sip hits you with chocolate and orange peel. It's not as rich as I would have expected, pretty silky actually. The finish has no burn, which is pretty much standard for most cream liqueurs, although there is some nice spice, citrus and sweetness. I don't expect this to blow people away and while it hails from South Africa and utilizes a native fruit to the region, it really can stand in for any cream liqueur. It's a nice late night dessert drink as well. I'm not sure I will go out of my way to stock this, but in the world of cream liqueurs this is up there, but still not as good as Five Farms in my opinion.

Becherovka is an herbal liqueur from the Czech Republic. It's often drunk neat as a digestif, but I think it could have some uses in cocktails. Sadly, you probably won't find a ton of recipes that call for it, but you can certainly use this as an alternative to other herbal liqueurs, such as Yellow Chartreuse (although I prefer Yellow over this). The nose immediately hits you with menthol and allspice. The palate is pretty sweet with some cinnamon and gentian. The heat hits you on the finish, along with the bitterness. Neither of which is that bad though. I didn't find this too complex, it's solid enough, but I think where this excels is in cocktails. Again though, you won't find many out there (difford's guide has a few though so I would start there). The one drink that I really enjoyed was Becherovka with tonic water (2oz of Becherovka to 4oz Tonic which I've heard called a Beton). The cost isn't that bad for this, but the lack of uses may make it a tough sell for most people. If you enjoy herbal liqueurs neat, then this may be a nice add to your collection, but I have a feeling for most this will be a pass.

Curacao is one of those liqueurs that appears a ton in cocktail recipes, especially if you are into tropical drinks. There are a number of recipes that call for it that are not in the tropical realm and in many of those instances they will call for this one specifically. In my opinion, this is the best curacao out there and it's not really close. The nose is exactly what you would expect with orange peel dominating. The palate is where this separates itself from the others. It is almost spirit like, very dry but not in a bad way with bitter orange, a touch of heat and a buttery feel to it. It is very well balanced, and the finish has no burn. Most other curacaos are either poorly balanced and one note or extremely sweet. I hold this in the same high regard as Cointreau. Both are incredibly well made and taste more like a spirit than a liqueur. It's one of the few liqueurs that I think it's worth trying neat. I was also planning on reviewing Senior Orange Curacao, but I don't see it out there. It is the one true curacao from the island of Curacao. It's solid for sure and better than most, but again doesn't beat out Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao. It's a touch too sweet for my liking and a little too watery. I would probably put it at a 3.25, so above average, but nowhere near as good as this. In general, my rule is if a recipe calls for triple sec, I go with Cointreau and if a recipe calls for curacao (typically orange curacao) I go with this. These are the two orange liqueurs that everyone should own if they like to make cocktails.