Madame Laveau

A concentrated aromatic bitters made in Trinidad from water, ethanol, gentian and other herbs and spices; used in many classic cocktails like the Manhattan.

An Italian herbal liqueur produced since 1890 in Benevento, Campania, Italy. The yellow color comes from the addition of saffron, other herbs include mint and fennel. Strega is considered a digestif and is also used in cocktails; 40% 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.

Also called akvavit this 'water of life; is a flavored spirit that is mostly produced in Scandinavia, since the 15th century. It is a grain or potato spirit base, and can be flavored with many herbs and spices. EU laws dictate it must be mostly flavored by caraway or dill. A common brand of caraway aquavit is Linie. You can actually make this yourself (or something very similar) here is a recipe from the book 'Akvavit' by Rasmus Risum-Urth: Toast in a pan: 2g cardamom, 8g pine nuts, 10g caraway, 1.5g cinnamon bark, 0.5g star anise, 2g pink peppercorns. Add spices to 500ml of vodka and sous vide for 2 hours at 60C (or just let steep for a week). Strain off solids and add 1.5L gin.

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.

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.

An orange colored citrus fruit. Many types of orange make an appearance in cocktails. The peel and juice are equally valuable to diverse cocktails.