FOOD NEWS
The Best And Worst Liqueurs To Stock Your Home Bar With
BY ALEX DARUS
Best: Triple Sec
If only one liqueur finds a place among the shelves of your home bar, let it be triple sec or orange liqueur, like Cointreau or Grand Marnier.
Triple sec isn’t something you want to drink straight, but it makes for an excellent addition to cocktails like Cosmopolitans, sidecars, and even margaritas, mimosas, or sangria.
Worst: Coffee Liqueur
Coffee liqueur is an integral ingredient in popular cocktails like espresso martinis and White Russians, but the liqueur isn’t entirely worth investing in.
Most coffee liqueurs you’ll buy are artificially sweet and syrupy, so you’re better off making a coffee-infused liqueur or using espresso or coffee concentrate in your cocktails.
Best: Campari
Campari is an Italian bitter liqueur with an iconic red color and notes of herbs and citrus. It’s commonly used in drinks like Negroni or Boulevardier.
The liqueur is a staple for its versatility. You can add it to any drink that needs a bit of complexity, from classic cocktails to a simple Campari spritz.
Worst: Pernod
Pernod is a French liqueur made from anise seed, fennel, and other herbal flavors, giving it the distinct taste of licorice, which can be polarizing.
Given its acquired taste, Pernod may not be a must-have for every home bar. Unless you’re a fan of Pastis (a mix of Pernod and water) it's likely an unnecessary investment.
Best: Chartreuse
Infused with 130 different herbs and spices, Chartreuse is a complex liqueur that comes in both green and yellow colors, each with a distinct flavor.
Green Chartreuse has notes of pepper, mint, and pine, while yellow is sweeter and spicier, making each an excellent choice to zhuzh up a cocktail.