I do love a liqueur at the end of the day, just to take the edge off and I’ve finally found one that I love, that’s reasonably priced.
I’ve tried all sorts and makes of liqueurs and I have to say the De Kuyper Liqueurs are my absolute favourites. They are so creamy and silky smooth and go down an absolute treat. They are great either on their own or mixed in with other drinks to make cocktails or infused into a cake to make it lovely and moist and zingy. They are also reasonably priced which I love, there’s nothing worse than spending a lot on a bottle that looks amazing, only for it to not taste as nice as the bottle or the price suggests.
What is a liqueur?
A liqueur is a drink that is alcoholic and is made up of distilled spirits mixed with other flavours including fruits, sugar, herbs and spices. It is traditionally served with or after dessert. They are said to be descended from herbal medicines and were made in Italy way back to the 13th Century. They can be served neat, with ice, with coffee, in cocktails or can be used in cooking.
History of De Kuyper
The Dutch company of De Kuyper Royal Distillers have been in business since 1695 and have been distilling for nearly 325 years. They started off making and selling Casks in 1695 in a small village of Horst in the South of the Netherlands. In 1752 they purchased a Schiedam distillery and began to produce their own Gin and then became the biggest distillers in the City. They began exporting the Gin and soon became a regular import in the UK.
In 1920 they started to produce Liqueurs and by the 1930’s they were producing nearly 20 varieties of Liqueur including Apricot Brandy, Cherry Brandy and Creme de Menthe.
In 1934 they had opened another distillery in New Jersey in the USA and by 1984 they were the leading liqueur producers with Peachtree.
In 1995 as a celebration of their 300th Anniversary they were given a Royal Endorsement granted by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix.
After 325 years Koninklijke de Kuyper is still a family business and is famous around the world.
De Kuyper do many, many flavours of liqueurs and brandies but I thought I would have a look at 6 of them : Peach Liqueur, Wild Strawberry Liqueur, Banana Liqueur, Blue Curacao, Creme de Cassis and Creme de Menthe.
Peach Liqueur
This is one of my favourites. It’s just so smooth and thick and creamy. It’s a peachy, taste sensation and is the perfect pick me up after a long day. It’s great on its own for a little tipple or can be added to cakes or desserts to give them an extra twist. I used it in my Scrumptious, Boozy Peaches and Cream Loaf Cake which you can find under the recipe section of the Bald Hiker. It’s a great liqueur to add to cakes and puddings as it’s lovely and thick and won’t water down your mixture too much. Its fresh, peachy taste will remind you of the summer months, walking through orchards and feeling the fresh summer breeze on your face.
“A lot of juicy, lively white peaches are used to create De Kuyper peach liqueur. Sacrificing all these luscious fruits to the still enabled our beloved master distiller to develop a liqueur that’s peachier than peach.”
Blue Curacao
I love cocktails and there’s nothing better than one with a bit of colour. The vibrant blue colour will give you a tropical feel, reminding you of beautiful blue skies above golden beaches. It’s such a luxurious colour and has a wonderful tang of Curacao Oranges. It’s great for giving your tropical cocktails that extra zing of citrus fruits. We love to use this to make a Blue Hawaiian or a Blue Lagoon. Please find the ingredients for these below.
“Distilled extracts of oranges, lemons and curacao fruit (bitter orange), are harmoniously blended to compose this extremely versatile liqueur.”
Perfect to make a Blue Hawaiian cocktail.
Creme de Cassis
Another of my favourites, Creme de Cassis. It’s so thick and syrupy and totally packed full of blackcurrants. It absolutely lives up to the name “Creme”. It’s so dense that you want to smack your lips after taking a sip. It’s devine, decadent and so gorgeous, a real Friday night treat. We drink it neat but it’s also lovely added to Champagne or Prosecco to make a Kir Royal.
“Crème de Cassis is more French than fries. Invented in the 1800’s by the fluttering fairies of Burgundy’s chanteaux, where the potion became immensely popular with the local aristocracy. The deep red fairy drink is made by juicing natural blackcurrants, and blending them with a generous amount of sweets and alcohol. “
Wild Strawberry Liqueur
A fresh, fruity, taste sensation. A really delicious, smooth liqueur stacked full of strawberries. It really captures the essence of fresh, ripe strawberries. It reminds me of skipping through a summer meadow and carefree summer days. It is a great evening tipple. It’s delicious on its own, chilled or with ice or perfect in a Strawberry Daiquiri.
“This liqueur not only oozes sweet strawberry in every drop, but it also has hints of honey, cherry and fresh oranges.”
Banana liqueur
If you love the taste of bananas then this is the liqueur for you. It’s smooth, light and aromatic. It takes you to a tropical island with sunny shores and coconut trees. It’s so rich that it’s perfect for adding a little banana taste to cakes or puddings giving them an extra bananary zing.
“De Kuyper Crème De Bananes liqueur has a subdued banana aroma with notes of coconut and melon and tastes of ripe, fruity bananas with a mild hint of spice. “
Creme de Menthe
I’ve always loved cocktails with a hint of colour and there is nothing more refreshing looking than a green cocktail made with Creme de Menthe. It reminds me of the bygone era of cocktails and Charleston dresses. Its minty taste is so cool and refreshing. It’s aromatic, minty and fresh and spectacular looking.
“De Kuyper Creme De Menthe Green liqueur is created from oil extracts from mint leaves distilled into a cool, smooth, refreshing liqueur with intense aromas of fresh mint and peppermint, leaving a cool tingling freshness with a lingering mint flavour.”
Cocktails to make with De Kuyper Mixers
Blue Lagoon
Blue Curacao with Vodka, lime juice and Lemonade
Blue Hawiian
Blue Curacao, Rum, Pineapple Juice and Cream of Coconut
Grasshopper
Creme de Menthe, White Creme de Cacao and Fresh Cream
Kir Royal
Creme de Cassis with Champagne or Prosecco
Price
The average price is around £9 for a bottle of liqueur and around £14 for a flavoured brandy. You can purchase them from Amazon or any of the bigger supermarkets and off licences.
I’m so pleased to have discovered De Kuyper, it really does stand out to me as the perfect tipple. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. They are just so full of flavour and a real decadent, after dinner treat. I’m really looking forward to trying all the other flavours from De Kuyper including their cherry and Apricot Brandies. I’ve ordered a bottle of their dark chocolate liqueur to try next, so I am very excited about trying that.
Proost!