Keep These Five Liqueurs at Home to Make 15+ Cocktails

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We’ve all been staying home more than we are used to this year (though we are beyond thrilled that we’ve been able to open our doors again and welcome many of you back!). If you’ve baked enough sourdough, organizedyour closets, tried some new recipes, and maybe even dabbled in a TikTok dance or two … maybe it’s time to hone in on your bar-tending skills. Don’t worry, you don’t need a fully stocked bar to make something magical. These five bottles of Liqueur will allow you to make a number of different cocktails at home, no matter the base spirit you have. Today, we’ll map out 19 for you – that’s a good start, don’t you think?

1. Kina Lillet – Classified as an aromatized wine in the EU, but can be used as a versatile blanc vermouth. It’s a liqueur made with white wine mixed with fruit liqueurs and flavored with quinine. The “Kina” in its name is derived from quinine’s main ingredient: the bark of the kina-kina (or cinchona) tree.

Cocktails to try:

50/50 Martini – some may argue that this was the original martini – equal parts gin to kina, 3 dashes of orange bitters, stir very well to chill

Vesper – 1.5 oz Gin, .75 oz Vodka, .5 oz Kina, stir well, expressed lemon oil

Presidente – one of the only stirred rum classics you will see … 1.5 oz Zacapa Rum, 1.5 oz Kina, .75 oz Curacao, .25 oz Grenadine **Fun Fact: Proper grenadine is made with fresh pomegranate juice and orange blossom water

2. Chartreuse – a secret recipe developed by French monks in the mid-18th century, green Chartreuse remains a popular cocktail ingredient today. Combining 130 herbs and botanicals and aged in oak casks, the liqueur delivers a potent punch of flavor that lends a distinctive herbaceous edge to mixed drinks. Yellow chartreuse is also available on the market and is a bit more subtle with notes of chamomile

Cocktails to try:

Last Word – equal parts Gin, Maraschino, Chartreuse and Lime

Naked & Famous – equal parts Mezcal, Aperol, Chartreuse and Lime

Bijou – 1.5 oz gin, .75 oz chartreuse, .75 oz kina (classically with sweet vermouth but I like it better with kina to highlight the citrusy notes of the gin)

Champs-elysees cocktail – 1.5 oz Cognac, . 5oz Chartreuse, .5 oz simple, .75 oz fresh lemon, 2 dashes angostura bitters

3. Aperol – Camparis younger sibling coming in at 16% abv, this is such a light, refreshing aperitif. It’s very slightly bitter/herbal with sweet orange peel notes. When swapping Campari for aperol, the cocktail changes a lot as you lack a bit of the bitter edge that Campari is known for. I would say to add a few dashes of orange bitters to punch up the bitter when using aperol in a negroni (see below) instead of Campari.

Cocktails to try:

Aperol Spritz – 1 oz aperol, 4 oz prosecco, 2 oz club soda, orange oils

Negroni Variant – equal parts gin, kina, aperol, 3 dashes orange bitters

Jasmine – 1.5 oz Gin, .5 curacao, .5 aperol, .75 lemon

Paper plane – equal parts bourbon, aperol, Montenegro, lemon

4. Luxardo Maraschino – Dry and peppery, with hints of pistachio in the aromas, this liqueur has a big buttery body and a palate that bursts with flavors – nuts, candied violets, sweet butter, and rock candy are all there, and nicely balanced with a paraffin note.

Cocktails to try:

Hemingway daiquiri aka papa doble – 1.5 white rum, 1.5 oz grapefruit, 1 lime, .75 oz maraschino

Manhattan #1 – 2 oz Sweet Vermouth, 1 oz Rye, .25 oz Maraschino

Martinez – 1.5 oz gin, .75 kina, .5 maraschino, 3 dashes angostura & orange bitters

Aviation – 1.5 oz gin, 1 oz lemon, .5 oz maraschino, .25 oz crème yvette

5. Curacao – Curaçao liqueur is traditionally made with the dried peels of the laraha. It’s slightly herbal, slightly sweet, bright bitter orange notes – swap it for triple sec in a margarita or cosmo for a deeper flavor

Mai Tai – 2 oz molasses rum, 1 oz curacao, 1 oz lime, 1 oz orgeat

Brandy Crusta – 1.5 oz cognac, .75 oz curacao, .75 oz maraschino, 1 oz lemon

Corpse Reviver #2 – equal parts gin, curacao, kina, lemon

Tequila Daisy – 2 oz tequila, 1 oz curacao (swap for chartreuse or maraschino) 1 oz lemon, shake and carbonate with club soda

Did you have any idea just how much you could do with 5 bottles?! What is your go to base spirit for a cocktail?

Rebecca McKinney

I was born a foodie. My dad is a chef, baker, and restaurant owner and my mom might as well be because she owns whatever kitchen she walks into. I grew up working in my family’s restaurant and bakery in Pawling, New York – McKinney and Doyle. I started behind the bakery counter at 12 years old after begging my parents to let me start working. At 16 I worked as a hostess. By 18 I was serving tables and training behind the bar where I then worked every other weekend throughout my college career. Even now, when I am visiting my family in New York, I help out where I’m needed. To make a long story short, the food and restaurant industry has been my life for as long as I can remember.

I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.

So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!

Eat well & travel often,

Becky McKinney

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Comments

  1. Donna CutlerBrunow says

    Rebecca – most of the liquors can;t be pronounced, but some sound pretty good.

    Also, almost time for Thanksgiving Menu – isn’t it, can’t wait for your yeast rolls.

    Reply

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