The special branch

The label 'speciality spirits and liqueurs' groups together a diverse range of drinks that don't quite fit in elsewhere. Ben McFarland reports.

If the usual suspects such as vodka, gin and whisky fail to raise your spirits then there is a legion of colourful concoctions to turn to. Loosely grouped together under the umbrella of speciality spirits and liqueurs, these are orphan-like tipples turned away from the door of other spirit categories.

But courtesy of the current cocktail culture, bottles of spirits that previously gathered dust on the back-bar are brushing themselves down and getting a new lease of marketing life.

Bailey's Irish Cream remains the biggest player thanks to sustained marketing support from Diageo while Allied Domecq is ploughing dosh into rival brand Tia Lusso to good effect.

Allied Domecq has stolen a march on Diageo for second place as Archers, the three-flavoured range of schnapps, has been usurped by a Malibu brand making the kind of comeback Dirty Den in Eastenders would be proud of.

Having kicked-off its white stilettos and made a break from its sweeter-than-sweet relationship with Coke, Malibu is now mixing it with cranberry juice and lighting the candle of female drinkers who don't remember its cliché-riddled image the first time round.

Southern Comfort, the whisky-based spirit with a secret recipe, is now under the stewardship of Bacardi Brown-Forman and is being heavily pushed as a tasty accompaniment to cola, cranberry juice or ginger ale - especially among the student fraternity.

While the big drinks companies are using simple long drinks as a vehicle for their speciality spirit brands in pubs, bartenders at top-end outlets are becoming increasingly innovative and using liqueurs and flavoured spirits to add a further dimension to cocktails.

Any style bar worth its salt resembles an over-stocked apothecary, home to a dazzling speciality spirit and liqueur selection in which mixologists can dabble to their heart's content.

An exhaustive list of all the spirits and liqueurs available is unfeasible, but here are some brands and styles that are currently proving popular in the style bar sector.

Anise-based spirits​

Anyone who's been on holiday in the Mediterranean will be fully aware of the joy, and potency, of anise. Each country has its own take on the star of anise-based spirit, but pastis from France is perhaps the best known.

• Pastis:​ Pernod and Ricard are the most recognised brands with the former being the sweeter and more established in the UK. Pernod was created in 1927 as a replacement for absinthe following its ban by the French government in 1915.

There are few drinks more misunderstood than Pernod. That said, its association with beret-wearers and the dreaded "Pernod and black" combination is being eroded through a number of cocktail initiatives designed to highlight its ingredients of mint, fennel and coriander.

For those who have not enjoyed drinking it with water and ice, try mixing it with orange, apple and cranberry juice - you'll be surprised.

Absinthe:​ The wild, green fairy liquid that once laid waste to the morals of 19th century France is back.

Although the hedonistic spirit famed for inspiring and ruining the lives of many an artist was banned all over Europe, it was never outlawed in the UK and, as such, there are many brands available. Most prefer traditional French absinthe from France as opposed to the bohemian versions sourced from the Czech Republic.

Traditional pre-ban absinthe from France is recognisable by its deep green colour and full-bodied aniseed flavour. It changes colour from dark green/yellow to a pale green/cloudy state (known as the louche) when served correctly with water and sugar.

How do you drink it? There are two ways:

• The bohemian way:​ Bohemian absinthe is known for its translucent green/blue colour with a subtler aniseed flavour but a sharper alcoholic kick. Absinthe from this region should not louche.

A shot of absinthe is poured into a glass, a teaspoonful of sugar is dipped into it. The alcohol-soaked sugar is lit with a match and allowed to burn until it bubbles and caramelises. The spoon of melted sugar is then plunged into the absinthe and stirred in. An equal measure of water is then poured in from a jug.

The French way:​ A measure of French absinthe is poured into a glass. A special pierced spoon is then balanced across the glass with a lump of sugar on it. Cool water is then poured over the sugar and into the glass.

Liqueurs​

Put simply, liqueurs are sweetened alcohols, flavoured with fruits, nuts or herbs. Before they gained notoriety as after-dinner tipples, aperitifs and important ingredients in cocktails, the role of liqueurs was a medicinal one.

• Fruit liqueurs:​ Licensees looking to source a wide selection of flavours need look no further than the Bols range which includes triple sec, blue curaçao, apricot brandy, cherry brandy, créme de cacao, créme de menthe, banana liqueur, peach brandy and more. There are also more than 1,000 recipes on at www.bolscocktails.com.

Cointreau, flavoured with orange peel, is a triple sec capable of more than just playing second fiddle in a Margarita. Always drink on ice either neat with a wedge of lime or with tonic water and lemonade with a slice of orange.

Other fruit flavoured players include Midori, a melon liqueur, and Tuaca, a brandy-based Italian tipple that is the second biggest selling spirit in its home town of Brighton (even outselling Jack Daniel's). Mix with ginger ale, a lime wedge and ice for a delicious tasting Tuscan Mule.

Herb liqueurs:​ The best know herb liqueur is Chartreuse from the French Alps, which is still made to an ancient recipe that not only states which herbs and roots to use, but also which phase of the moon they should be harvested.

Italian liqueur Galliano, famous for its towering bottle and yellow tint, contains 25 different herbs, plants, flowers, roots and seeds including star anise, lavender and a flourish of ginger.

Most famously used in a Harvey Wallbanger with vodka and orange juice, Galliano is also great as a long drink with cranberry or orange juice.

Nuts:​ Disarrano Amaretto, with its marzipan flavours created from crushed almond and apricot seeds, commands a strong following as an after dinner tipple in food-led pubs. A new kid on the block is Frangelico, from Inspirit brands. It is made with hazelnuts, herbs and berries and can be drunk in cocktails, straight, on the rocks as well as in or alongside an after dinner coffee.