Liquor vs. Liqueur: What Makes Them Different?

Liquor and liqueur — two terms that often get mixed up, especially since they sound and look alike. While both are distilled spirits containing alcohol, they have distinct differences that set them apart.

Here’s where it gets tricky: liqueurs are a subtype of liquor, but liquor isn’t a liqueur. The main distinctions lie in alcohol content (ABV), flavor, and sugar content. Additionally, the fermentation process can help further differentiate these two categories of spirits.

What Is Liquor?

Liquor serves as the foundation for most cocktails. It’s a general term for hard alcohol, like gin in your martini or bourbon in your old fashioned. Liquors, also known as spirits, are produced by fermenting grains or other plants into a strong alcoholic beverage. They typically have a much higher ABV than liqueurs, ranging from 40% (80 proof) to 55% (110 proof), though some, especially cask-strength varieties, can exceed these levels. In essence, any alcohol with a higher ABV than wine or beer qualifies as liquor.

Liquor is not sweetened and contains little to no added sugar. Even with flavored vodkas trending, they still don't taste sweet since the flavor is infused post-distillation through steeping.

Liquor can be categorized into six main types: vodka, gin, tequila, rum, brandy, and whiskey. These spirits serve as the backbone of many cocktails but can also be enjoyed neat, sipped slowly, or consumed quickly in a shot.

What is Liqueur?

As mentioned, liqueurs are a subset of liquor, being distilled spirits themselves. However, unlike liquor, liqueurs are sweetened and infused with flavors, extracts, and other additions. They can be savored on their own—whether neat, chilled, or on the rocks—but they truly shine in cocktails, adding distinctive flavors that elevate the drink.

While liquor provides the foundation for cocktails, liqueurs bring complexity, depth, and balance. For instance, a Last Word cocktail (gin, maraschino, Green Chartreuse, and lime juice) without the liqueur would simply be gin and lime juice.

Liqueurs generally have a lower ABV than liquor, typically ranging from 15–35 percent (30-70 proof). They are sometimes called "cordials." Like liquor, liqueurs are divided into various categories, including fruit, herbal, cream, crème, coffee, nut, amaro, and schnapps.

Some of the most iconic bottles in each category include:

• Fruit: Maraschino, Chambord, Cointreau
• Herbal: Chartreuse, Herbsaint, Bénédictine, Jägermeister, Galliano
• Cream: Baileys, RumChata
• Crème: Crème de Violette, Crème Yvette, Crème de Cassis, Crème de Menthe, Crème de Cacao
• Coffee: Kahlúa, Mr. Black, St. George Spirits NOLA
• Nut: Amaretto, Frangelico
• Amaro: Campari, Cynar
• Schnapps: Peppermint, Peach
  

The Takeaway

Liquor and liqueurs complement each other to create fantastic cocktails and add balance to your home bar. Both can be enjoyed on their own, depending on your desired strength, and the possibilities for mixing drinks are endless. Understanding the distinctions and unique characteristics of each is fascinating, but having both in your collection is a must.