Liqueurs for a home bar: types, flavours, and what to mix them with
Quick answer: a liqueur is a sweetened spirit, 15–30% ABV, with a pronounced flavour (fruit, herbs, coffee, cream), rarely drunk on its own — more often added to cocktails for flavour and aroma. Unlike syrup, a liqueur contains alcohol and is a proper drink in its own right.
Bitter liqueurs (like Campari or BrandBar's bitter liqueur) are the backbone of aperitifs: Negroni, Americano, Aperol Spritz. Cream liqueurs (coffee, chocolate) suit digestifs and layered shots, and work well over ice or in hot drinks.
Fruit and berry liqueurs are versatile: they suit classic cocktails (a Cosmopolitan built on orange liqueur) as well as simple home mixes with soda or tonic. Herbal and spiced liqueurs (mint, wormwood) add depth to more elaborate signature cocktails.
The mixing rule: liqueur is usually the second-strongest flavour after the main spirit or syrup. Start with 20–30 ml per cocktail and adjust to taste — too much and the drink quickly turns cloying.