Cream liqueurs are back in vogue and these are the ones to drink
Just one sip and I was converted from cream liqueur snob to devotee. The new M&S Collection Millionaire’s Irish cream liqueur is an absolute joy – tasting note below – so much so that I was inspired to taste test a range of similar concoctions, alongside big brand leader Baileys.
Cream liqueurs are more popular than ever. A new survey from Currys found that 15 per cent of us will drink Baileys over Christmas – you can add onto that the myriad lookalike brands, including many supermarket own-label. Most are Irish cream liqueurs, a mix of cream, Irish whiskey and other flavourings, often chocolate.
Some say a version of this drink was made by monks centuries ago; Baileys, though, was invented by drinks wizard Tom Jago in the early 1970s in England. And it’s a decent drop, to be fair, balanced and moreish. The best prices on it I found this week are at £10 for 70cl at Asda (until January 3), Co-op (until January 2) and Tesco (for Clubcard holders until December 31), while Morrisons has a litre for £13 until December 17.
M&S’s lead product developer for spirits and cocktails, Jenny Rea, is the person behind the Millionaire’s take on the cream liqueur. As the name suggests, it echoes the flavours of the famous biscuit made with layers of crunchy shortbread, sticky caramel and chocolate. It’s made from Irish whiskey, Belgian chocolate and cream from Coleraine’s Ballyrashane dairy.
“It’s a festive twist on the usual cream liqueur, something different, and I wanted intensity of flavour and viscosity of texture to feature in it,” Rea says, adding that it’s versatile – you can drink it chilled or on the rocks, pour it over ice cream, or use it as an ingredient in desserts, especially cheesecakes. And don’t forget cream liqueurs in cocktails; the website for Coole Swan, below, has particularly appealing recipes.
My taste test of 20 cream liqueurs, all chilled lightly, was quite a rollercoaster. Some were badly unbalanced, mainly far too sweet and confected. A few more were plain bland; I wanted to taste the whiskey at the heart of the drink – ideally it adds a warming spicy kick that counters the sweetness and adds a long finish.
My five best buys below include a couple of true bargains (Aldi, take a bow…) and two more expensive versions that would make very welcome Christmas gifts.
Try these...
M&S Collection Millionaire’s Flavour Irish Cream Liqueur
17%, Marks & Spencer, £12 for 50cl
The one that finally turned me into a cream liqueur fan. The intense chocolateyness is irresistible as is the super-smooth texture and vanilla with a salted caramel hint. Really good poured over vanilla ice cream as well as on the rocks.
Specially Selected Luxury Edition Irish Cream Liqueur
17%, Aldi, £7.99 for 70cl
Aldi’s remarkably low-priced version is very creamy and rich and doesn’t hold back on the sweetness. There’s a distinct note of vanilla. Overall it’s appealing and rather similar in style to Baileys. Choose this one over the blander, lower alcohol Ballycastle range of cream liqueurs that Aldi also sells.
Finest Gingerbread Latte Cream Liqueur
17%, Tesco, £13 for 70cl, down to £11 for Clubcard holders until February 26
The bottle looks a bit garish and there could be a bit more gingerbread flavour but I like its sumptuous aroma, rich creaminess and slug of quality whiskey. Also made with cream from the Ballyrashane dairy in Coleraine and single malt Irish whiskey.
Coole Swan Superior Irish Cream Liqueur
16%, Tesco, £26 for 70cl, down to £22 for Clubcard holders until December 31; waitrosecellar.com, waitrose.com and selected branches of Waitrose, £27.25, down to £23.25 until January 1; kwmwine.com, £20.67; Amazon, £22.10
From a small family-run producer in County Cavan, Coole Swan is made from Irish whiskey, Belgian white chocolate and Irish cream. It’s more subtle than some and has a distinct fresh creaminess. There’s a light whiskey aroma and a surprisingly long finish given its relatively delicate character. My Irish, cream-liqueur-fan husband adores it.
Flyte Whisky Cream Liqueur, Northumberland
17%, adgefrin.co.uk, £21 for 70cl; northmenspirit.co.uk, £22.50
This English version is made at the new Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon museum and whisky distillery in Wooler, Northumberland and it’s a star. The base whisky – the distillery’s own Tacnbora – really shines through, with quite a punchy kick, and there are caramel, spicy vanilla and chocolate layers. Excellent.
