Cream liqueurs are the second category of liqueurs being covered in this series of the 6 categories of liqueurs you need if you want to build up a cocktail collection at home.
New to market
Within the family of liqueurs, cream based ones are a relatively recent addition to the cocktail making ingredients. Many distillers in the past had tried unsuccessfully to make liqueurs based on cream. The problem that they couldn’t get around was the fact that the product would go off once it had been bottled.
However it was the Baileys distillery in Dublin in the mid 1980s that found a way of solving this problem. Consequently they became the 1st commercially available bottled cream liqueur. Of course since then many other distilleries have rushed to bring products to the market.
A bit faddish
I find that many products in the category of cream liqueurs or transient. They come and they go. Over the years I’ve frequently tried to replace cream liqueurs I have in my collection only to find that they are no longer in production. Creme de Grand Marnier, Myers rum cream, Waterford cream, Chantre, the minty cream liqueur Greensleeves are all products which had a short life.
Nevertheless Baileys Irish cream has endured and is still the market leader in this sector quite rightly. It is a lovely product. although I suspect a large proportion of its sales volume is made on the lead up to Christmas and new year. It’s a beautiful drink which suits the festive period perfectly.
Watch the weather
If you’re planning an event or party for the future consider what the weather may be like at that time. Not what it’s like now – when you’re planning the party, but then. In April, you might plan out a cocktail party for midsummer. Now it may be cool and possibly wet. However, I can say from experience that you definitely don’t want to have any cream based cocktails on your menu when the weather is warm. The very thought of it will put many people off.
The voice of experience
I remember committing this crime once many years ago. We were planning out a summer party for a client in February. We had the Grasshopper on the list which is a lovely 80s cocktail based on a combination of green creme de menthe, white creme de cacao and cream. It was the day Andy Murray won Wimbledon for the first time and it was extremely hot. Needless to say, we didn’t serve any Grasshoppers that afternoon. I didn’t make that mistake again. For any party between April and October, I left any form of cream based cocktail off of the menu unless specifically requested by the host.
Advocaat
I would also include Advocaat in this category as it is based on dairy products. If you’ve never tried the vivid yellow liqueur Advocaat you might be put off by the fact that it’s made of egg yolks. But give it a go. You’ll be pleasantly surprised, hopefully. It is a gorgeous smooth, creamy liqueur which works well in a handful of cocktails. I developed an Easter themed cocktail a few years ago, the Easter Bunny. It combines chocolatey flavours with the bright yellow Advocaat. It looks like Easter and it tastes like Easter. Easter Bunny recipe here.
Great for indulgence
Having said all of that, creamy liqueurs and cream based cocktails – at the right time are gorgeous. They fit the indulgence of Christmas perfectly for instance. A Brandy Alexander or the aforementioned Grasshopper are both lovely drinks. I was given a recipe for a Salted Caramel Alexander a few years ago. This is a great twist on the traditional Brandy Alexander. You simply swap out half of the brandy double measure for a shot of salted caramel vodka.
Where does it sit in the collection?
Of the 12 categories of spirits and liqueurs I have in my collection : 6 spirits and 6 liqueurs, it is the smallest category. I have only 2. Baileys and Advocaat. It’s enough to make any creamy cocktails and in any case you don’t want to collect too many creamy liqueurs as they are the only ones which will go off in the bottle.