Whisky Liqueurs

Whisky liqueurs are made by blending herbs and honey with whisky to make a drink with various subtle flavors that reduces the sharp taste of the strong liquor. As with all liqueurs, whisky liqueurs are also sweetened by adding sugar and are very popular with whisky drinkers who have a sweet tooth.

Ingredients

A whisky liqueur can have as a base any kind of whisky. It can be Scotch whisky, Irish whisky, American Rye whisky, Bourbon, Canadian whisky, Single malt whisky or a rice based whisky. Various fruits like oranges, pears, prunes or citrus fruits can be used to make whisky liqueurs. Nuts like almonds, peanuts and walnuts are also used. Besides these berries such as strawberries and blackberries, various herbs, spices, vanilla and honey are also used to make whisky liqueurs.

Preparation

You can make a very good chocolate whisky liqueur at home in the following way. Take 1/2 cup of light corn syrup,1/4 cup of  water, scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean, 4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, one can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 cup half-and-half , 1/2 cup heavy cream and1 cup of Irish whisky. Add the corn syrup, water and vanilla seeds to a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the chocolate whisking it continuously till it is completely melted. Cool the resultant mixture for 5 minutes. Add the condensed milk, half-and-half and the cream to this mixture and blend it in a blender. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and pour in the whisky. Blend the mixture again and pour it into glass bottles with caps and store it in the refrigerator overnight.

Storage and Serving

 Like all liqueurs, whisky liqueurs should also be stored for at least a month after preparation in a cool dark and dry place. This is not applicable only to cream liqueurs as they do not have a very long shelf life. Whisky liqueurs can be served straight up on the rocks in a chilled glass over a generous amount of ice cubes. These liqueurs can be used to flavor various cocktails. They can be used to lace a hot cup of coffee or chocolate. A whisky liqueur can also be poured over ice cream. It can be used to marinade various meats like venison or chicken .

Types

There are various whisky liqueurs. Drambuie, Glavya, Bruadar, Famous Grouse liqueur, Glenfidich, Cock of the North, Irish Mist, Rock and Rye, Sundakanchi, Wild Turkey and Yukon Jack are some of the more well known whisky liqueurs.