Advocaat & Amarula

[eje]

I've always been a bit leery of dairy and egg based liqueurs.

This week's Cocktailian, however, features a cocktail from Rye here in San Francisco called the "Golden Flip" which features Advocaat.

There's more than one way to skin an advocaat, Gary Regan

I believe I read somewhere that Advocaat was created when Dutch returning from South Africa discovered they still had a taste for something similar to Amarula Cream liqueur.

Truth or fiction?

Any opinions on either liqueur?

edit - Timothy Leary's dead (sp.).

Edited May 25, 2006 by eje (log)

[Friend of the Farmer]

The Amurula South African website indicates that "Amarula Cream was first introduced to the South African Liquor market in September 1989". Maybe the US/Brown-Forman site suggests some other heritage or inspiration. To my knowledge the egg liqueurs in central Europe have a very long history that pre-dates the Irish Creams.

Aadvocaat and similar Eierlikör (egg liqueur) can make for some wonderfully rich drinks, neat and in cocktails. The typical base is with cream, eggs, spices and a neautral spirits base. Some have added spices. Two particularly good ones are the lebkuchenlikör (gingerbread/cardomon) and the surprisingly good Mohn-Eier Likör (poppy-seed and eggs).

I'm not a fan of the Amarula liqueur, largely because of a cloying taste (to me) and questionble level of actual cream content (it's no mystery that most cream liqueurs in fact have little to no cream and instead rely upon condensed milk and thickeners such as guar gum and/or maltodextrin). While I'm glad they're trying to promote this unique fruit beyond the 'Zud, its not the most approachable flavor, at least in cream. Perhaps its would be better enjoyed in an eau-de-vie. What's best - witnessing an elephant trying to pull the marula fruit and branches down with its trunk, then lavishing in all, including the bark!