Liqueur

Liqueurs are one of the most notoriously difficult categories of alcohol to define. The advent of flavored or infused spirits, most obviously fruit-flavored vodkas, has blurred the boundaries even further. The defining factor of any liqueur is that it contains a significant addition of sugar. The key sub-categories of liqueur include: Anise, Cream, Egg, Fruit, Herb & Spice, Nut, Chocolate, Coffee and Whiskey.

The word liqueur comes from the Latin word "liquefacere", meaning to melt or dissolve. This is a very early reference to the practice of flavoring spirits with various organic agents. There are four main methods used to extract the essence from desired flavor agents: maceration, infusion, distillation and percolation. Some of the more complex liqueurs may use more than one method of extraction as certain flavor agents are better suited to different processes.