At in-the-spirit, we understand the frustrations of the Armchair Bartender. So, you’ve chosen a cocktail, and it’s got Vodka in it – which you have in the cupboard – as well as Gin and Tequila, but there’s something called Crème de Cacao in the recipe as well, and you haven’t the faintest idea what it is or what it tastes like. You wouldn’t even know how to get hold of it even if you did know what it was. Yes, we can hear you cursing under your breath that we should be helping you out with this and telling you where to get hold of this sort of stuff. Well, your frustrations are now over, as in-the-spirit dedicates this month to telling you what these products are, what to do with them, and where to get hold of a bottle!

Liqueurs were originally produced as digestive aids and as medicinal tonics using an alcohol base and a number of different herbs, spices or fruits which are steeped in the alcohol to give them flavour and colour. There are so many different liqueurs around that we couldn’t possibly tackle all of them in one go. So, we’ve split the Armchair Bar Tender’s Bible into sections, with Part 1 looking at the world of De Kuyper Cocktail Liqueurs.

De Kuyper produce a range of Cocktail Liqueurs, each with its’ own cryptic name. For example, many Cocktail Liqueurs in the range are called ‘Crème de…’ which doesn’t mean that the liqueur contains cream. The term actually comes from the French ‘Crème de la crème’ meaning ’Best of the Best’. The name is then followed by the French term for the fruit, so no wonder you’re confused!