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Elevating Liqueurs at the American Bar
In the second of a two-part series, we move beyond liqueur production to its context, looking for where these drinks might fit best (and more often) into North American drinking culture.
Aperol spritzes overlooking the Piazza del Duomo in Milan. Photo: RossHelen/Shutterstock
In my previous article, I discussed some of the technical and production considerations crucial to making liqueurs. Liqueurs are challenging to master; no wonder all those monks dedicated their lives to the practice.
Here, I want to shift our perspective to the cultural positioning of liqueur because it has one of the longest and most significant histories among all categories of spirit regularly consumed today.
That’s not to say whiskey and gin don’t have rich histories. However, I’d argue that specific liqueurs have cultural connotations that have remained more or less intact—and that isn’t necessarily the case for other spirits, particularly when it comes to consumption rituals. (It’s hard to imagine people in Jack Daniel’s day hounding their local bottle shops to see whether any allocated bourbons had come in, or soldiers in William III’s army expressing a preference for elderflower or classic tonic to be served with their gin.)
The Roots of Liqueur Making
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Devon Trevathan is a freelance trade writer as well as the cofounder and co-owner of Liba Spirits, a nomadic distilling company. She has held a variety of positions related to beverage alcohol: bartender, server, writer, brand ambassador, marketing consultant, tour guide, wine manager. Follow her on Instagram @devlovesbev for updates on the journey of owning a distilling company but mostly pictures of her dog Gilberto.
