Cherry Berry Good
Cherry liqueur pops up in libations such as the Downtown Dane ($13), which is on the Heavy Pours menu at the 220-seat Devon Seafood + Steak in Hershey, PA. Bartenders make the drink by muddling a sugar cube and bitters and shaking with bourbon, Heering Cherry Liqueur and fresh lemon juice; it’s garnished with Amarena cherries and an orange peel.
The bar’s Sparkling Blackberry Martini ($10) gets topped with the classic raspberry-flavored Chambord. A splash of Chambord (or Midori, or St. Germain) may appear in guests’ Mimosas during Sunday brunch, expanding their palate as well as inspiring them to pick up a bottle and experiment at home.
The Winchester incorporates raspberry liqueur into its Cold Stare cocktail, which also includes mezcal, cold press coffee, amaro and walnut bitters.
Tanner Smith’s most popular cocktail is a Manhattan—with a cherry twist. Mayor Gaynor’s Tipple adds a sour cherry liqueur made in New York by Warwick Valley Wine Co. The cherry cordial also appears on a variation of the Moscow Mule called the Drop Kick Mule, which was the bar’s best-selling summer cocktail.
McNamee and Schulman like to riff on drinks in general, floating Disaronno Amaretto on top of the Whiskey Sour-esque, Templeton rye-based Hudson Duster, and subbing in Aperol for Campari in a Negroni, calling it the Marginal. Most cocktails at Tanner Smith’s cost $13.
Customers generally tend to relate more to and feel more comfortable with fruit-based liqueurs such as apricot, cherry and allspice dram, McNamee says.
Customers do want to know more about the different liqueurs—old and new, says Devon Seafood + Steak beverage manager Angela Marti. “We are in the age of information, and our guests are interested in being educated,” she notes. “They want to know the flavor profile [of a liqueur] and what else they could mix with it.”
Pappas has found that listing the more obscure ingredients on the cocktail menu helps educate guests at the Winchester. It also stirs conversation with the bartender, he adds.
The Winchester stocks a variety of styles and brands, including more common liqueurs such as Aperol and Campari, as well as lesser-known bottles including Letherbee Fernet, Salers and Pontarlier Anis. The Banksy cocktail ($10) mixes Banks 5 Island Rum, lime juice and sugar cane syrup with Art in the Age Rhuby, a bitter, sweet and herbal rhubarb liqueur made in Philadelphia.
“There are many distillers making great, artisanal products,” notes Pappas. “You can get elderflower liqueur from many different producers now—not just from the St. Germain people.”
Bols, Chases, St. Elder and Thatchers are other elderflower liqueur options, for instance, while Barrow’s Intense Ginger Liqueur, Stirrings and the Big O can stand in for the wildly popular Domaine de Canton brand. Companies like Fee Brothers and The Bitter Truth are producing some wonderful products with varying flavor profiles to keep up with demand, according to McNamee and Schulman.
The plethora of bartender-made amaros and cordial brands is “exciting,” says Kim. She cites brands like Don Ciccio & Figli, which produces liqueurs such as Nocino, flavored with walnuts, cinnamon and cloves, and Concerto, infused with espresso, barley, coffee and 15 spices as intriguing bottles to experiment with.