Thick As Thieves

Dark, rich and complex. A bitter chocolate nose leads the palate to dark chocolate, cinnamon and spice flavors that are supported by classic European bitter herbs.

A distilled, highly alcoholic (45-75% ABV), anise-flavored beverage derived from botanicals like wormwood, green anise, fennel, hyssop, melissa and other herbs. Technically a spirit, as it is not bottled with sugar. The green fairy.

A syrup usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees; 67% sugar by mass. Super duper infamous in Canada. Most cocktails that use maple syrup specifically say to get 'A' grade, the downside is $$$$.

A sweet and rich banana flavored liqueur. You can make it yourself! Here is a recipe from Serious Eats: Combine 2 peeled and sliced bananas with 1 1/2 cups rum in a sealable glass jar. Let steep for 3 days. Strain the fruit out and filter through cheesecloth. Press the bananas down to extract liquid. Heat 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar until the sugar dissolves, add the syrup to the mixture. Seal and shake, then let rest for 1 day. Enjoy!

A dark brown or clear chocolate-flavored liqueur made from the cacao seed. Crème refers to the creamy texture, but actually contains no dairy. Usually 20-25% ABV.

A sweet dessert sherry made by adding a sweetener to Oloroso sherry or by blending Oloroso with Pedro Ximénez.

A variety of sherry characterized by being darker than fino but lighter than oloroso. It starts as a fino, fortified to approximately 13.5% alcohol with a cap of flor yeast limiting its exposure to the air, however becomes an amontillado when the flor fails to develop adequately or is killed by additional fortification. Without the layer of flor, amontillado must then be fortified to approximately 17.5% alcohol to slow oxidation. The drink is slowly exposed to oxygen through porous American or Canadian oak casks, gaining a darker colour and richer flavour. It is named after the Montilla region of Spanin where it originated in the 18th century, however the name is also used commercially as a simple measure of color to label any sherry lying between a fino and an oloroso.

In gaelic, uisce betha, or 'water of life' was used to describe such drinks in the Middle Ages. This malted grain whiskey must be produced on the island of Ireland.

In gaelic, uisce betha, or 'water of life' was used to describe such drinks in the Middle Ages. This malted grain whiskey must be produced on the island of Ireland.

A dark rum distilled in Guyana, with a more heavy bodied molasses flavor and darker color. This is a rare variety of rum, if a recipe calls for demerara rum it may only be referring to a dark colored rum, not specifically a Guyanan rum.