herbal liqueur | The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails

is a sweetened alcoholic beverage with flavors derived from herbs and spices. These liqueurs are typically made by steeping herbs, roots, leaves, flowers, citrus peels, or other botanical ingredients in alcohol. Typical herbs and spices used in these liqueurs include angelica, anise, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, coriander, fennel, gentian, hyssop, iris, juniper, lemon balm, marjoram, mint, oregano, peppermint, star anise, thyme, and turmeric.Herbal liqueurs are made using a variety of production methods and base spirits. The French liqueur Bigallet Thym, for example, is made by macerating and then distilling thyme sprigs in a neutral alcohol made of sugar beets. Another French liqueur, Giffard’s Vanille de Madagascar, uses grape neutral alcohol flavored with vanilla extract and sweetened with cane sugar; other vanilla liqueurs, however (such as Gabriel Boudier Vanille au Cognac and the now-discontinued Navan, from Grand Marnier) are built on a cognac base. Mexico’s Ancho Reyes is made by steeping ancho chiles in neutral alcohol for six months. Sugar syrup is added to balance the flavors and provide body to the liqueur. Many herbal liqueurs were originally used medicinally, as an herbal remedy or tonic and as a digestive aid. See health, spirits.

Common brands of herbal liqueurs include Bénédictine, Chartreuse, Jägermeister, Liquore Strega, and Galliano. See Bénédictine; Chartreuse;, Galliano. Strega is a yellow Italian herbal liqueur that derives its color from saffron; other flavors come from mint, juniper, and fennel. Herbal liqueurs include such subcategories as amari and fernets.