StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions
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and honey and a floral palate featuring layers of mango, rock candy and tangy grapefruit. Because St-Germain is light-bodied and well balanced, it's a natural mixed with aromatic spirits—such as gin, tequila, rum and pisco—as well as Champagne and brandies. • Ty Ku — Ty Ku is purportedly loaded with healthful benefits. The Chinese liqueur is made from shoshu and junmai-ginjo sake infused with a blend of 20+ Asian super-fruits, aphrodisiacs and oolong and green teas. It has a refined citrus and spice palate tailor-made for drink-making. That 40- proof Ty Ku is loaded with antioxi- dants is a bonus. • Xanté — This Swedish liqueur is made with sweet Belgian pears and a blend of well-aged cognacs. The brandies were sourced from select distillers and aged for a minimum of 4 years in Limousine oak. The 76-proof liqueur has a long, fruit-laced finish. • Zen Green Tea — Produced in Kyoto Japan, Zen is the first liqueur of its type. It is crafted from a blend of fresh green tea leaves, both whole and ground and a proprietary mix of botanicals that includes exotic herbs, lemongrass and spices. Zen is 40 proof. Established Classics iqueurs date back more than 400 years ago. At first the process was no more complicated than steeping spirits in a mash of fruit. Honey was often used as a sweet- ener to negate the biting edge of the alcohol. Gradually as the art of distillation became more precise, so did the methods used to make liqueurs. All world-class liqueurs have a story behind them, points of distinction years — sometimes generations —I n the making. Here's a quick who's who. L • Averna Amaro — Produced since 1868 by Fratelli Averna of Caltanissetta, Sicily, Averna Amaro is made according to a closely guarded recipe originated by the friars at near- by Convent of St. Spirito Abbey. It's produced by macerating grape spirits with an all-natural array of flowers, roots, herbs, spices and dried citrus rinds. The herbal liqueur, 64 proof, is renown for its delectably bitter flavor and prowess as a digestive and restorative. It intro- duced new packaging recently. 50 • Baileys Original Irish Cream — An instant suc- cess upon its 1979 introduction, Baileys is now the best- selling liqueur in the world. Made in Dublin, the liqueur is produced from fresh dairy cream infused with aged, triple distilled Irish whiskey and natural vanilla and chocolate flavorings. It is homogenized, pasteurized and bottled at 34 proof. • Benedictine — The grande dame of monastery liqueur has been produced at the Benedictine abbey in Fecamp, France since 1510. It is made from a secret recipe of 27 fragrant herbs, spices, plants, tea and fruits, each distilled individually and matured in oak barrels for 3 months before blending. The 80-proof liqueur is made on a base of aged cognac and rested in oak casks. • Campari — The Italian apéritif is still produced according to the original 1860 recipe created by Gaspare Campari in Novara, Italy. Campari is an infusion of 60 different herbs, spices, gentian and orris root, angostura and cascarilla bark, aromatic botanicals and fruit—pri- marily lemons and bitter oranges—and alcohol. Its trademark deep red hue was originally obtained using carmine dye, which is derived from cochineal insects. In 2006, the extract was replaced with an alternative color- ing. The brand has been creating excitement recently, promoting itself as an ingredient in the Negroni. • Cointreau — The brand was created in 1849 by Frenchman Edouard Cointreau, in Angers in the Loire Valley. Cointreau is crafted from a complex blend of sweet orange peels from Spain, France, and Brazil. They are then combined with bitter, unripe orange peels from South America. The peels are macerated in alcohol, and when the infusions have reached their peak flavor, they are double-distilled in copper alembic stills. The dis- tillery has nineteen stills, each of which were designed specifically to produce this liqueur. • Disaronno Originale Amaretto — One of grand dames of liqueurs, Disaronno Amaretto originated in Saronno, Italy in 1525. Its proprietary recipe calls for premium Italian grape spir- its and 17 herbs and fruits, including apri- cot kernel oil. Once fully infused with fla- vor, the liqueur is sweetened with caramelized sugar and bottled at 56 proof. • Drambuie — Ultra-premium Drambuie is made in Edinburgh, Scotland, from a base of single Highland malt and straight grain whiskies. The blend is then infused with a measured dose of spice, herbs and heather honey and bot- tled at 80 proof. Drambuie has an amber hue, satiny textured body and a bouquet laced with the prominent aromas of anise, dried herbs and subtle notes of peat. StateWays s www.stateways.com s September/October 2011