Tales of the Cocktail 2015

We use liqueurs in the vast majority of cocktails yet rarely talk about them as a category. In this seminar we’ll review the history, art, and science of liqueurs made around the world. We’ll look at how they were born out of necessity to cover up bad distillation or the bitterness of medicine, classify hundreds of liqueurs into categories based on their flavoring ingredients like nuts, fruits, herbs; dairy- or egg-based, etc., and look at how and where each developed in different parts of the planet. We’ll cover the difference in history and reality between orange Curacao and triple sec, and review which liqueurs have legal definitions of their origin, sweeteners, and/or proof: Did you know that there is an AOC for limoncello and that sambuca has a legal minimum sugar content? We’ll study the complicated ways in which liqueurs are made through infusion, flavor extraction, redistillation, emulsification, and other technologies, and look at the base spirits and added sweeteners employed around the world from sugar beets to honey. Finally, we’ll discuss their use in cocktails both as modifiers and as base spirits; measuring their densities for the ultimate pousse-café, and dehydrating them to flavor foods, candies, and other fun stuff.