UFO Info Week-End

Cr? de M?blackberry is one of many berry cr?s and for many bartenders the best

Cr? de M?(blackberry) is one of many berry cr?s and, for many bartenders, the best.Cuarenta y Tres”Cuarenta y tres” means “43″, supposedly the number of botanical ingredients in this Spanish liqueur It instantly lends complexity to any drink it’s used in. It’s especially good with orange but its finest hour could be in Townhouse’s Tall & Dandy – Wyborowa orange vodka, loads of fruit, etc.BittersBitters are strong spirits, usually 40 per cent alcohol, with large quantities and numbers of herbs, fruits and spices. Shown here are classic Angostura and the equally wonderful (if slightly less versatile) orange bitters; there’s a good peach version too. Many sours and punches would be nothing without a few drops.Marie Brizard orange Cura?Once distilled from small oranges from the eponymous Caribbean island, the name Cura? is now used generically for this type of orange liqueur. Its sharp flavour works with rum, bourbon or other brown spirits – perhaps in a Mai Tai, instead of Triple Sec.

Also comes as clear (which seems to miss the point) or blue (naff).Patron XO CafeA velvety-smooth coffee liqueur of extraordinary quality, based on Patron tequila, which is among Mexico’s finest. With a rich coffee flavour, lightly touched with vanilla, it could be the product bartenders start using in new-fangled Martinis, or it could become a classic in its own right. Try it in a White Russian.MidoriA melon liqueur first made in Japan in 1978, Midori is one of the youngest products here. Hugely successful, much imitated and the likely source of any melon cocktail flavours.

The green hue has a lot to do with its success – if they’d made it clear, we might not even know about it But it’s good. Look for it in variations on rum- and tequila-based drinks.Infused Absolut vodkaCinderellas that bars dress up for themselves. This one contains a green chilli slightly smaller than a banana Townhouse also makes versions with lemon grass and rhubarb. Likely uses: any vodka-based drink where the bar wants to add complexity. A miracle or a menace, depending on who’s choosing the infusion.ChambordThis French raspberry liqueur is said to date back to the 18th century – but it’s only been a bar king for a decade or more. Colour and density make it perfect for layered shooters; intense sweetness attracts sugarholics; and just look at that bottle. Regard it as a dressed-up cr? (see left).Monin gommeGomme, aka simple syrup, is the bartender’s shortcut to sweetness – and it doesn’t bring with it the crunch of cubes or the molasses-notes of brown sugar.