Every Damn European Liqueur Tastes Like Every Other Damn One (To Me)

In My Humble Opinion
1

I am imbibing from a bottle of Unicum, the proprietary spirit of Budapest (where I recently sojourned).

It’s not bad. It’s a sweet, syrupy, herby-licorice flavored aperitif.

JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER OF THE 350 FREAKING “LOCAL” EUROPEAN LIQUEURS I’VE SAMPLED!

Of course, France and Italy and Germany and the Balkan states have their separate class of firewater drinks (Marc, grappa, kirsch). But am I wrong, or are there dozens of just about EXACTLY IDENTICAL “distinctive” national drinks (Ricard, Jaegermeister, Unicum, Pastis, Fernet Branca, etc., etc., etc.) that all taste the same – some sort of anise-based herbal formula, plus sugar, plus grain alcohol?

Where’s the creativity?

2

Try some Becharovka (spelling may be off), sort of a clove-based firewater of the Czech Republic.

3

Some people think that the few thousands types of beer on this planet also all taste the same. I used to for quite a while myself, not being a regular beer drinker or even an irregular one.

Anyway, I don’t like any Liqueurs at all. However, Cointreau is the exception. While I don’t really like drinking it, it makes the best flambé foods out there (when sprinkeled over, say, a pancake and then lit up - awesome).

4

Hey, the Spanish versions don’t use grain alcohol! All our local licors are some kind of herb plus distilled grape alcohol!

Grain alcohol… sheesh… Northerners…

5

Isn’t Goldschlager European?

6

If I recall, Aquavit is a grain-alcohol infusion of herbs and anise, only not sweetened. Completely different!

Daniel

7

Licor “43” Cuarenta y Tres doesn’t taste like most European liquers, although there is a bit of a similarity to Grand Marnier.

I’m probably going to buy myself a bottle of this for my 43rd birthday next week.

8

I think that is right. I left out raki and ouzo and sambucca as similar examples.

What is it with the anise and Europeans?

9

No anise in jenevers. . . Mmm. Jenevers. There’s also the slivovicz/ tuika family.

10

I’m suprised you didn’t get some Palinka, a fruit brandy that is very popular in Hungary. Usually it’s made from pears, peaches or plums, but there are other varieties.

On seeing capybyra’s post, Palinka is definitely in the slivovitz family.

11

Try grappa. It tastes like nothing else. It’s also absolutely horrible, IMO.

12

Oh, never mind. I see you’ve listed it but aren’t classifying it as a liqueur.