Kitchen Tips How To Cocktail Hour Cordials and Liqueurs of the World By Carl Hanson Carl Hanson Carl Hanson is a Senior Editor at Allrecipes who has been writing about food and wine for nearly 20 years. He enjoys creating content that informs, entertains, and assists busy home cooks get nourishing meals on the table for their families. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on September 7, 2021 Close These sweet spirits know it's always best to be cordial. Photo by Deb C. Lower in alcohol than straight spirits, these tasty tipples are sweetened spirits infused with fruits, flowers, herbs, nuts, and/or spices--sometimes even bark, roots, and leaves. The word "liqueur" comes from the Latin Liquefacere, which means the process of dissolving something in liquid. Cordial, on the other hand, comes from the Latin word for heart, cor. Whether you call it cordial or liqueur, both words describe the same thing: an alcoholic beverage in which spirits have been steeped, percolated, brewed, or macerated with some kind of flavor-giving substance like fruits, herbs, and flowers, and then sweetened. Some people more narrowly define a cordial as a liqueur made specifically from fruit or fruit juice. What's the Main Ingredient? Here are some classic liqueurs and their main flavor-infusing ingredients. Some are centuries old and made from top-secret formulas. Amaretto: Almond Bailey's Irish Cream: Whiskey/cream Benedictine: Honey/citrus/herbs Chambord: Black raspberry Crème de Cacao: Chocolate Crème de Cassis: Currant Crème de Menthe: Mint Curacao: Bitter orange Cointreau: Sour and sweet oranges Frangelico: Hazelnut Jagermeister: Herbs/spices Limoncello: Lemon Maraschino: Cherry Midori: Melon Kahlua: Coffee Ouzo: Anise Pastis: Anise SambuccaRomano: Elder bush Schnapps: Peach SouthernComfort: Peach/bourbon Triple Sec: Bitter and sweet oranges Cordial Cocktails Liqueurs make delicious and beautiful cocktails. Here are some of our favorites. Amaretto Dirty Bedtime Story Italian Amaretto Margarita Godfather Bailey's Irish Cream Bailey's Banana Colada Irish Cream and Coffee Blue Curacao The Perfect Mai Tai Blue Angel Electric Lemonade Cointreau A Perfect Margarita Cosmopolitan Sidecar Crème de Cacao Nikki's Special Chocolate Martini Coffee Nudge Butter Cup Crème de Cassis Cassis Martini Motion by the Ocean Crème de Menthe Blurry-Eyed Kicker Chocolate Mint Shot Chambord Scarlet Kiss The BEST Raspberry Margarita! Abby's Cosmo Frangelico Church Lady Martini Fried Wild Turkey Italian Stallion Grand Marnier Margaritas to Die For Hawaii Five-O Uncommonly Clyde Jagermeister Jager Bomb Whynatte California Surfer Kahlua Espresso Martini Jamaica Coffee Midori Watermelon Vodka Slush Dad's Melon Sour Buzzy J Peach Schnapps Georgia Sunset Fuzzy Navel Slush White Sangria Southern Comfort The Tiger Paw Alabama Slammer I Triple Sec Banana Margaritas Margaritas on the Rocks Get more cooking tips and awesome food finds. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit