The North Star

Also known as kirsch, this is a clear fruit brandy made from double distillation of morello cherries.

Crème de Cacao White is a clear liqueur with a milk chocolate flavor, underpinned by faint vanilla and apricot tones.

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.

The butterfat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization, contains more than 35% milk fat. Also called single/double cream and whipping cream, although these may also add thickening agents making them less useful for mixing in cocktails. This is used as a foaming agent and for fat-washing in cocktails.

A spice from an evergreen tree commonly called star anise, staranise, star anise seed, Chinese star anise, or badiane that closely resembles anise in flavor. Usually used as a floating garnish.

In cocktails, cherries are sweetened in a brine, like maraschino cherries (marr-ə-SKEE-noh) or in brandy, like brandied cherries. They are usually used as a garnish, muddled into the cocktail, or used simple for their sweetened brine.