Liqueur Glossary: Key Terms and Definitions

The language surrounding liqueur is richer — and more technically specific — than most drinkers expect. A word like "cordial" carries different legal weight in the United States than it does in Britain. "Crème de" signals a sugar density, not a dairy ingredient. This glossary covers the essential vocabulary for navigating liqueur production, classification, regulation, and consumption, drawn from sources including the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) and established industry usage.

Definition and Scope

The TTB defines "cordials and liqueurs" under 27 CFR § 5.22(h) as products made by mixing or redistilling distilled spirits with or over fruits, flowers, plants, or pure juices, and sweetened with not less than 2.5% sugar by weight. That regulatory baseline — 2.5% minimum sugar — is the formal line separating a liqueur from a flavored spirit in American labeling law.

The scope of this glossary extends to production terms, flavor classification language, regulatory vocabulary, and the sensory descriptors used in professional tasting. Each term below reflects usage as established by the TTB, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), or longstanding European appellation practice.

The full picture of how these terms interact with American law is covered in Liqueur Legal Definition (US) and Liqueur Labeling Regulations (US).

How It Works

Core Glossary — Alphabetical Breakdown

  1. Abocado — Spanish term for a spirit that has been lightly sweetened; used in some liqueur-adjacent categories like certain Sherries and mezcals.

  2. Amaretto — A liqueur flavored primarily with bitter almonds or apricot kernels, originating in Italy. The word means "a little bitter" in Italian. Disaronno is the most widely distributed commercial example.

  3. Bitters — Technically distinct from liqueur; bitters are spirit-based preparations with a dominant bitter flavor profile, typically used as cocktail modifiers in small volumes (dashes, not pours). Angostura and Peychaud's are the two most recognized named brands in American bars.

  4. Cordial — In US regulatory language, cordial and liqueur are synonymous terms (27 CFR § 5.22(h)). In British usage, "cordial" often refers to a non-alcoholic fruit syrup — an important distinction when reading imported product materials.

  5. Crème de [X] — Indicates a liqueur with substantially elevated sugar content, typically above 250 grams per liter. Despite the "crème" prefix, no dairy is implied. Crème de cassis (blackcurrant) and crème de menthe (mint) are the textbook examples.

  6. Digestif — A broad category term for spirits consumed after a meal to aid digestion. Many liqueurs serve this function; the topic is explored in detail at Liqueur as a Digestif.

  7. Eau-de-vie — French for "water of life." A clear, un-aged fruit brandy. Not inherently a liqueur (no required sugar addition), but frequently serves as the base spirit in liqueur production.

  8. Infusion — The process of steeping botanicals, fruits, or other flavor ingredients in a neutral or base spirit to extract aromatic compounds. Infusion is one of the three primary production methods for liqueur; the others are maceration and percolation. See Liqueur Infusion Techniques.

  9. Maceration — Cold-soaking of raw ingredients in spirit over an extended period. Lower temperatures preserve more volatile aromatic compounds compared to heat-assisted infusion.

  10. Percolation — A method in which spirit is repeatedly cycled through flavoring material, similar in principle to drip coffee brewing. Produces a more intensely extracted result than static maceration.

  11. Proof — In US measurement, proof equals twice the alcohol-by-volume (ABV) percentage. A liqueur labeled 30% ABV is 60 proof. The TTB regulates proof labeling under 27 CFR Part 5.

  12. Schnapps — In German tradition, a dry, un-sweetened fruit or herbal spirit. In American commercial usage, the term has migrated to describe sweet, heavily flavored low-proof liqueurs — a usage that would make most German distillers visibly uncomfortable.

  13. Triple Sec — An orange-flavored liqueur style defined by triple distillation and dry-to-semi-dry sweetness. Cointreau and Grand Marnier both occupy this category, though Grand Marnier uses Cognac as its base rather than neutral spirit.

Common Scenarios

The terms above surface in predictable contexts: cocktail recipes, retail shelf labels, import documentation, and tasting room conversations. A bartender calling for "crème de violette" in an Aviation cocktail is specifying both a flavor type and a sugar density. A sommelier noting "macerated stone fruit" on a tasting sheet is describing a production method, not an ingredient list. The Liqueur Tasting Notes and Flavor Profiles section covers sensory vocabulary in greater depth.

Regulatory vocabulary appears most often at the point of purchase — on labels that must comply with TTB standards — and in import/export documentation governed by Liqueur Import and Export in the US.

Decision Boundaries

The sharpest vocabulary distinctions worth tracking:

Liqueur vs. Flavored Spirit — The 2.5% sugar threshold (by weight) under 27 CFR § 5.22(h) is the regulatory dividing line. Below that threshold, the product must be labeled as a flavored spirit, not a liqueur or cordial.

Crème de [X] vs. Standard Liqueur — Crème-style liqueurs carry significantly more residual sugar. Crème de cassis, for instance, typically contains between 350 and 400 grams of sugar per liter — well above the 100–150 g/L range typical of standard fruit liqueurs.

Cordial (US) vs. Cordial (UK) — Legally synonymous with liqueur under US law; non-alcoholic fruit syrup under British convention. The distinction matters when sourcing European recipes or reading imported label copy.

The liqueur authority home page provides an orientation to the full subject area, and Liqueur Types and Categories maps the broader classification landscape for readers navigating between production styles.

References

Read Next

The Legal Definition of Liqueur in the United States The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) defines the category in ways that determine how a product is taxed,... US Liqueur Labeling Regulations and TTB Standards These regulations touch distillers, importers, and retailers alike, and a single labeling error can hold up a product launch... Liqueur as a Digestif: Traditions and Best Choices That ritual, unremarkable in a tratttoria in Milan, captures something essential about the digestif tradition: it exists...