LIQUEUR

The History and Origins of Liqueur


The most famous liqueurs come from France. Their origin can be traced back to the monasteries of the Middle Ages. The monks would collect herbs and let them soak in wine or liquor, afterwards adding costly sugar or honey. They would then administer their elixirs to the weak and sickly. Today Chartreuse is the only liqueur in France still produced by monks. Three brothers of the monastery conscientiously oversee the distillation and its composition. They remain loyal to a recipe which was bequeathed to the monastery in 1605, but which was not used until 1737. Benedictine is also based on old monastic tradition, but as a brand liqueur it has, from its very beginnings, been a worldly enterprise.

After the French Revolution (1789) the whole nation acquired a taste for these sweet comforts to the soul. Every little town had its own liqueur shop. It was not until the end of the 19^th century, however, that trade really took off. It was at this time that a fashion for the Oriental developed. Representative of this were oranges, and, amongst the liqueurs, Curaçao, made of bitter oranges, the original nut-sized oranges. Since this was dark, heavy and excessively strong in taste, Edouard Cointreau, a liqueur manufacturer from Angers, developed “Triple Sec”. a simpler and less sweet alternative which was clear and colourless. In line with the spirit of the times, he made us of advertising, and the liqueur became a big success. Grand Marnier was a similar idea, developed by Louis Alexandre Marnier from bitter orange essence and Cognac. Whether orange or herb liqueur, the process followed is always the same. Depending on the type of plant, the leaves, stem, roots, peel, bark or seeds are soaked in water and alcohol. The maceration may last a few hours or a few weeks. The water causes the plant part to swell, allowing the alcohol to penetrate and release the flavours. Finally it is distilled. In this process the alcohol vapours and essential oils vaporise and then condense. A second distillation process, rectification, refines the alcohol further. Before and after the distillation the constituents are put together. In this was the liqueur maker obtains the alcoholate, the aromatic base. Mixed and filtered with sugar, alcohol and water, it produces the liqueur. In the case of other, more involved production processes the alcoholate is blended with macerated fruit or nut shells. Grand Marnier contains Cognac, whilst Izarra, the Basque herb liqueur, has Armagnac as an ingredient. Some place great store on aging in tuns (old barrels). Ultimately every brand has its own secret ingredient or process, handed down over generations. Even if these liqueurs enjoy great popularity as an ingredient of long drinks or cocktails, they show their true worth when drunk as a digestif.