There is no essential difference between liqueurs and cordials, but as a rule the name "liqueur" is applied to foreign products, whilst the British preparations are generally termed "cordials."

Typically they are strongly spirituous and usually sweetened compounds, flavoured with aromatic herbs, essences, or fruit extracts, and often coloured. Among the best-known foreign liqueurs are absinthe, anisette, benedictine, chartreuse, creme de menthe, curacoa, kirsch, kummel, maraschino, noyau, and vermouth; whilst in this country are made such preparations as cherry brandy, cherry whisky, clove cordial, ginger cordial, orange bitters, peach bitters, peppermint cordial, and sloe gin.

The flavouring of the higher class liqueurs is almost a fine art. They have been fancifully compared to musical harmonies. In a scale of flavours some are concordant with others, some discordant, like the notes of a musical scale; and the art of the expert liqueur maker consists in so choosing his flavours that they shall blend, like the notes of a chord, into a pleasing, harmonious whole. Hence in the best qualities of liqueurs care is taken to have highly-rectified, neutral alcohol and pure white sugar as the fundamentals, in order that the flavour of the final product may not be impaired. Both grape spirit and grain spirit are used, the former in the better kinds of liqueur, the latter in the commoner varieties and in cordials.

1 Loc. cit. 2 Loc. cit.

The exact recipes for the more esteemed liqueurs such as chartreuse are, of course, trade secrets; but among the "chief flavouring ingredients used in making these compounds are the following: -

Almonds, angelica (root and seeds), aniseed, balm, calamus, caraway, cardamoms, chervil, cherries, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cubebs, curacoa oranges, dill, fennel, gentian, ginger, hyssop, juniper, lemon peel, muskmallow, orange peel, orris root, peppermint, pineapple, raspberries, sassafras, spearmint, strawberries, wormwood, and vanilla.

In making the liqueurs three principal methods are employed for treating the flavouring ingredients.

(1). An essence is obtained by macerating the ingredients in alcohol, distilling the mixture, and rectifying the distillate.

(2). An alcoholic extract is made by digestion of the ingredients and filtration, without distilling.

(3). For inferior kinds, an essence is prepared by simple solution of essential oils (e.g., oil of anise, oil of lemon) in alcohol. Whichever method is adopted, the resulting solution is mixed in the required proportions with sugar syrup and alcohol, coloured if necessary, clarified with white of egg, isinglass, or other suitable agent, and filtered. The liqueur may be "mellowed " by digestion for a short time at a gentle heat in a closed vessel.

As an illustration, the following method of making ordinary "anisette" may be cited: -

(1)

The bruised seeds are digested with the alcohol for twenty. four hours, then 25 litres of water added, and the mixture distilled until 51 litres have been collected. To this distillate 25 litres of water are again added, and the mixture redistilled till 50 litres of distillate have passed over. This is the flavouring essence,

(2)

of this essence, 5 litres are mixed with 20 litres of alcohol (80 per cent.), 12 1/2 kilos, of sugar, and 66 litres of water. The sugar is first dissolved by heat in a part of the water, and added as a syrup. The spirituous mixture is then clarified and filtered.

In France, liqueurs are divided into four main classes as ordinaires, demi-fines, fines, and surfines; liqueurs doubles are also made. The demi-fines have more alcohol, sugar, and flavouring than the ordinaires of the same type; the fines more than the demi-fines; and so on. It is not merely a question of less water; the better qualities may contain additional flavouring.ingredients and be generally better prepared than the commoner kinds.

The colouring matters which have been employed for colouring liqueurs include coal tar colours such as aniline red, aniline violet, malachite green, and indigo carmine; alkanet root, brazil wood, caramel, catechu, chlorophyll, cochineal, cudbear, hematoxylin, indigo, orchil, saffron, sandalwood, and turmeric. With the vegetable colourings, a little alum is added to increase the permanency of the colour.

Ratafias are liqueurs prepared with the extracts of fruits, etc., not distilled. Thus raspberry ratafia demi-fine according to one formula is made by mixing the following: -

Absinthe contains oil of wormwood as its characteristic constituent, with other flavourings such as anise, fennel, coriander, and angelica. It is chiefly used in France and Switzerland.

Creme de Menthe is flavoured with essence of peppermint, and sometimes with other flavourings in addition, e.g., balm, cinnamon, orris, and ginger.

Chartreuse and Benedictine are highly sweetened liqueurs. Angelica, cinnamon, hyssop, mace, lemon balm, and peppermint are some of the constituents in recipes which are said to produce good imitations of the chartreuse actually made by the Carthusian monks.

Curagoa is flavoured with the peel of curacoa oranges and of ordinary oranges.

Kirsch or Kirschenwasser is a spirit distilled from the fermented juice of wild cherries, sometimes mixed with brandy, or flavoured with almonds and apricot.seeds.

Kummel is prepared from caraway seeds, with auxiliary flavourings such as cumin.

Maraschino is supposed to be prepared from the marasca cherry, grown in Dalmatia, but other cherries, raspberries, and auxiliary flavourings are now often used.

Noyau is flavoured with apricot or peach kernels.

Vermouth is essentially a sweetened wine of wormwood, made chiefly in Italy and France. Orange wine is often used in the cheaper qualities, and alcohol is also added. Various bitters and aromatics may be used as auxiliaries to the wormwood, such as angelica, gentian, elecampane, cinnamon, and nutmegs.