Liqueur: sweetened spirit with fruit, nuts, herbs, or cream

Liqueur is a sweetened spirit with at least 15% vol alcohol that derives its flavor from fruits, nuts, herbs, coffee, cream, or egg. This is stipulated by the EU Spirit Drinks Regulation 2019/787, which also mandates a minimum of 100 g of sugar per liter. Our liqueurs come from distilleries and artisan producers between Bremen and the Chiemgau region – from raspberry liqueur from the Tuttlingen district to cream liqueur from the Münsterland.

Liqueur or spirit: where the line is drawn

The difference lies in sugar and alcohol. For liqueurs flavored only with gentian, wormwood, or similar plants, 80 g of sugar per liter is sufficient; for cherry liqueur based purely on cherry brandy, it is 70 g; for all others, the 100 g requirement applies. If the sugar content is below this, the beverage is simply called a spirit. Nutty spirits that are less sweet are therefore found on a different shelf. For egg liqueur (Advocaat), there are specific minimum values: 14% vol, 150 g of sugar or honey, and 140 g of pure egg yolk per liter. A liqueur with milk or cream may be called "cream," whereas a "crème de..." requires at least 250 g of sugar per liter, and milk is excluded in that case.

Types of liqueur in our assortment

Fruit liqueur and Limoncello

For a fruit liqueur, fruits or their juice are macerated in alcohol and sweetened. For the Garden Raspberry Fruit Liqueur from STILVOL., these are raspberries from Baden-Württemberg; for the No. 960 Limoncello from the Deutsche Spirituosen Manufaktur, it is the peels of organic lemons from the Amalfi Coast, extracted for several weeks in mild neutral alcohol. This is joined by quince, sour cherry, apricot with honey, and plum with cinnamon.

Nut liqueur, coffee liqueur, and herbal liqueur

Our bestseller is the Hazelnut Liqueur from Fang die Nuss: freshly roasted hazelnuts, macerated in alcohol and rounded off with caramel, velvety and nougat-like at 18% vol. Herbal liqueurs lean toward the tart side, such as the barrel-aged Amanero herbal liqueur from Mondino, made from over 30 herbal essences, or the organic herbal liqueur "Sechser" from Sasse with angelica, calamus, and bitter orange. Milder is the Grafschafter Herbal Juniper, a juniper liqueur based on grain spirit; the mulled wine herb elixir from Dr. Jaglas offers a wintry feel. Coffee is featured in the Arabica Coffee Natural Liqueur from Sasse and the Coffee-Licorice Liqueur from NORK, featuring cold brew from Hamburg.

Cream liqueur, dessert liqueur, and egg liqueur

Cream liqueurs combine alcohol with cream or milk and, in our range, hover between 15 and 17% vol. The Paula Pumpernickel Cream Liqueur from Sasse tastes of vanilla, chocolate, and rum, while the Franzbrötchen Liqueur from NORK tastes of cinnamon, caramel, and butter pastry. The Egg Liqueur from NORK is made from organic free-range eggs from Demeter farms and organic vanilla, completely without cream and therefore lactose-free.

Gin liqueur, bitter, and wine liqueur

The Yuzu Gin Liqueur from Kakuzo combines gin with yuzu and mandarin; the Pink Grapefruit Gin Liqueur from Hoos uses fresh grapefruit juice; and the Aperitivo from Windspiel is a bitter orange liqueur for Spritz and soda. At s guate Tröpfle, red wine forms the base: the Pinot Noir Liqueur matures for a year before being bottled.

Our liqueur producers

The largest selection comes from the Feinbrennerei Sasse from Schöppingen in the Münsterland: natural liqueurs from the "Naturtalente" series such as elderflower, chocolate mint, or winter plum, plus the cream liqueurs from Paula Pumpernickel and two miniature tasting sets, each with six 20 ml bottles. NORK from Bremen uses its own double grain spirit as a base for lemon-ginger and coffee-licorice liqueurs; the naturally cloudy Lemon-Ginger Liqueur with organic lemons and organic ginger is one of our most popular bottles.

s guate Tröpfle from Durchhausen macerates Pinot Noir, sour cherries, raspberries, hazelnuts, and oranges by hand. Wajos from Dohr on the Moselle brings winter liqueurs such as Grandmother's Baked Apple, spiced plum, and vanilla crescent cookies. From Berlin come the liqueurs of the Deutsche Spirituosen Manufaktur with ginger, raspberry, and lemon; the elixirs with apple and mallow or mulled wine herbs from Dr. Jaglas; as well as gin liqueur and cherry bitter from Kakuzo.

Nut liqueur is the specialty of Fang die Nuss from Munich, which, in addition to hazelnut, also bottles a tart walnut liqueur. Also from Munich is the ginger liqueur from inge Manufaktur with Cachaça, also available as a 4 cl tasting bottle. STILVOL. has raspberries and quinces from Baden-Württemberg processed by a small-batch distiller, and Mondino from Traunstein matures its herbal liqueur in wooden barrels. Gin liqueur is supplied by Hoos from Karlsruhe, the Aperitivo by Windspiel from the Vulkaneifel, and the rum liqueur made from eight-year-aged rum by Helmut Wermut from Hamburg.

Liqueur in the kitchen and at coffee time

You can pour cream or nut liqueur over vanilla ice cream or into an espresso, and add coffee liqueur to tiramisu or iced coffee. A tablespoon of walnut liqueur fits well in nut cake, spiced plum in game sauce, or raspberry or cherry liqueur over panna cotta. Fruit liqueurs like quince or garden raspberry become a spritz when mixed with dry sparkling wine, while gin liqueur and bitters turn into long drinks when mixed with tonic water. Cream liqueurs do not tolerate acidity or heat: lemon and fruit juice will cause the cream to curdle.

Buying and storing liqueur correctly

• For tasting: Bottles with 40, 50, or 200 ml and tasting sets allow you to compare several varieties side-by-side.
• Alcohol content: Our liqueurs range between 15 and 35% vol; cream liqueurs are milder, while herbal, nut, and some natural liqueurs are significantly stronger.
• Allergens: Cream liqueurs contain milk, egg liqueur contains eggs, and nut liqueurs contain nuts – please check the details for each specific product.
• Cream and egg liqueur: Store in a cool place after opening and consume promptly; the note on the label takes precedence.
• Fruit, herbal, and nut liqueur: Store upright, in a dark place, and at room temperature. Pollen in elderflower liqueur or cloudy sediments in naturally cloudy liqueur are intentional.

Neighbors in the home bar

Liqueurs are part of our Spirits category. Spiced rums and rum from the vermouth barrel can be found under Rum, while less sweet nut spirits, herbal bitters, and amaro are under Other Spirits.

Order liqueur online

Whether it's egg liqueur for advent coffee, limoncello for the summer, or a tasting set as a gift: at Leni & Hans, you can order liqueur online and your package will arrive in 1–3 days. Sales are restricted to persons aged 18 and over.