Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Liqueur › Baileys📌 PinBaileys Irish CreamThe bottle that built the cream liqueur category. Baileys is Irish whiskey, fresh dairy cream, sugar, vanilla, and a touch of cocoa. Christmas in a glass for half a century. Slightly uncool, undeniably effective. Every freezer needs one in December.ABV17%CountryIrelandDistilleryDiageo, Dublin and BelfastOwnerDiageoFounded1974StyleIrish cream liqueurPrice band$22-28 (US) / AU$45-55Best mixerCoffee, Kahlua, vodkaWhat it tastes likeSweet cream, light Irish whiskey, vanilla, soft cocoa, a faint nutty finish. Heavy mouthfeel, dessert-like, almost milkshake at room temperature.Drinks at 17% ABV. The cream and sugar mean it goes down very easy and catches

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Liqueur › Creme de Cassis📌 PinCrème de Cassis (Lejay)Blackcurrants and Burgundy, in a bottle. Crème de Cassis is the dry, rustic French liqueur that turns sparkling wine into Kir Royale. Lejay is the textbook brand. Underused outside France, slightly criminal that it is.ABV20%CountryFrance (Burgundy, Dijon)DistilleryLejay-Lagoute, DijonOwnerLejay-LagouteFounded1841StyleCrème de Cassis (blackcurrant liqueur)Price band$25-32 (US) / AU$45-60Best mixerSparkling wine, white wine, ginWhat it tastes likeConcentrated blackcurrant fruit, slight earthiness, gentle bitterness, dry finish for a liqueur. Lejay sources Noir de Bourgogne blackcurrants from Burgundy, which give the liqueur more depth than supermarket cassis.Drinks at 20% ABV with

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Liqueur › Mr Black📌 PinMr Black Coffee LiqueurThe Espresso Martini's secret weapon. Mr Black is an Australian cold-brew coffee liqueur, less sweet than Kahlua, with the actual coffee front and centre. The bottle that turned a sweet weeknight cocktail into a serious one. Bartenders won't shut up about it for a reason.ABV25%CountryAustraliaDistilleryMr Black, Erina, NSWOwnerDiageo (since 2022)Founded2013StyleCold-brew coffee liqueurPrice band$30-38 (US) / AU$50-65Best mixerVodka, espresso, tonicWhat it tastes likeReal espresso, dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, gentle bitterness, dry finish. Mr Black uses cold-brewed Arabica coffee from multiple origins, much less sugar than Kahlua, and a

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Liqueur › Chambord📌 PinChambordBlack raspberries, French XO cognac, and a bottle that looks like a Faberge egg. Chambord is the raspberry liqueur that made the French Martini what it is. Sweet, lush, slightly silly, occasionally exactly the right thing.ABV16.5%CountryFrance (Loire Valley)DistilleryChambord, LoireOwnerBrown-FormanFounded1685 (recipe), 1980s (modern bottling)StyleBlack raspberry liqueurPrice band$30-38 (US) / AU$60-80Best mixerPineapple, vodka, sparkling wineWhat it tastes likeBlack raspberry, blackberry, light vanilla, cassis-style fruit depth, gentle floral, long sweet finish. The XO cognac base gives it more complexity than typical fruit liqueurs.Drinks at 16.5% ABV with thick, syrupy mouthfeel. A small pour goes

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Liqueur › Aperol📌 PinAperolThe bright orange Italian aperitif that ate the world. Aperol is lighter, sweeter, and more orange-led than Campari, with a 11% ABV that lets you drink it like wine. The Aperol Spritz is the cocktail of the decade, deservedly so. Easy, sunny, summer in a glass.ABV11%CountryItalyDistilleryAperol, Campari Group, PaduaOwnerCampari GroupFounded1919StyleItalian bitter aperitif (light)Price band$22-28 (US) / AU$30-45Best mixerProsecco, soda waterWhat it tastes likeBitter and sweet orange, rhubarb, gentian root, cinchona, gentle herbs. Far less bitter than Campari, sweeter, lighter. The rhubarb note is what people don't expect.Drinks at 11% ABV like

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Liqueur › Cointreau📌 PinCointreauThe triple sec the rest measure themselves against. Cointreau is bitter orange, sweet orange, French neutral spirit, distilled clean to 40% ABV. The Margarita and Cosmopolitan are both built on it. If you only buy one orange liqueur, this is it.ABV40%CountryFranceDistilleryCointreau, Saint-Barthelemy-d'AnjouOwnerRemy CointreauFounded1875StyleTriple sec (curacao)Price band$30-40 (US) / AU$60-80Best mixerLime, tequila, vodka, ginWhat it tastes likeBright bitter orange peel, gentle sweet orange, hint of vanilla, dry finish. Cointreau is drier than most triple secs (no syrupy heaviness) and rounder than dry curacaos.Drinks at 40% ABV with structure. Holds up in shaken

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Liqueur › Kahlua📌 PinKahluaThe coffee liqueur that built a category. Sweet, syrupy, vanilla-rich, slightly artificial in the best way. Kahlua is what every Espresso Martini was originally built on, and what every White Russian still demands. Mr Black is fancier; Kahlua is better-known.ABV20%CountryMexicoDistilleryPernod Ricard, VeracruzOwnerPernod RicardFounded1936StyleCoffee liqueur (sweetened)Price band$22-28 (US) / AU$45-55Best mixerVodka, espresso, creamWhat it tastes likeSweet coffee, vanilla, brown sugar, slight rum-cask warmth. The coffee character is dialled down behind a lot of sugar. Mr Black drinkers describe Kahlua as Coke-like; Kahlua drinkers think Mr Black tastes like burnt espresso. Both are

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Liqueur › Carpano Antica Formula📌 PinCarpano Antica FormulaThe sweet vermouth that turns a Manhattan into a religious experience. Carpano Antica is darker, richer, and more vanilla-led than Cinzano or Martini Rosso, and the price reflects it. The bottle that makes you understand why some bartenders insist on premium vermouth.ABV16.5%CountryItalyDistilleryFratelli Branca, MilanOwnerFratelli BrancaFounded1786 (recipe), 2000s (modern bottling)StyleSweet (red) vermouthPrice band$25-35 (US) / AU$45-65Best mixerWhiskey, gin, CampariWhat it tastes likeHeavy vanilla, dark caramel, dried orange peel, bitter cocoa, and a wine-driven base. More aromatic and more bitter than supermarket sweet vermouth. The base wine is a

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Liqueur › Dolin Dry📌 PinDolin Dry VermouthThe dry vermouth bartenders argue is the best in the category. Crisp, alpine-herbal, lightly floral, and hugely affordable for the quality. Dolin Dry is what makes a Martini taste alive instead of just cold and boozy. The bottle every home bar needs.ABV17.5%CountryFrance (Chambery)DistilleryDolin, ChamberyOwnerDolin familyFounded1821StyleDry vermouth de ChamberyPrice band$15-20 (US) / AU$30-45Best mixerGin, vodkaWhat it tastes likeCrisp white wine, alpine herbs, light citrus, faint floral, dry finish. Brighter and fresher than Noilly Prat or Martini Extra Dry.Drinks at 17.5% ABV with delicacy. The Chambery designation requires a particular

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Liqueur › Campari📌 PinCampariRed, bitter, divisive, essential. Campari is the Italian bitter that anchors the Negroni and the Americano. People are split on it the first time. People are converted by the Negroni. The most useful bottle in any home bar that hosts adults.ABV25%CountryItalyDistilleryCampari Group, Sesto San GiovanniOwnerCampari GroupFounded1860StyleItalian bitter aperitifPrice band$25-32 (US) / AU$40-55Best mixerSweet vermouth, gin, sodaWhat it tastes likeBitter herbs, orange peel, cherry, gentian root, a long medicinal finish. Famously divisive on first sip. Works in a Negroni because the gin and sweet vermouth round it out.Drinks at 25% ABV with