liqueurs, including cordials and ratafias, represents a broad category of alcoholic beverages. Although they can be consumed neat or in cocktails, they are also called for in a range of cake and dessert recipes.
David A. Embury, in the 1958 third edition of his classic text The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, devoted an entire chapter to the different types of liqueurs available and how to use them. Today, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, liqueurs outsell several other major spirits in America, including single-malt Scotch, bourbon, gin, tequila, and cognac. Liqueurs encompass alcohol produced from a wide range of ingredients and made all over the world.
