Irish Liqueurs

From Baileys to Irish Mist, Ireland is famous for its liqueurs all over the world. Incorporating a variety of flavours, these popular drinks have deep roots in the country’s history and culture – with some recipes dating back hundreds of years.

A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that uses a spirit as its base and adds sugar, fruit, herbs, etc. Baileys is one of the most well-known and best-selling liqueurs globally, with more than 82 million bottles sold each year. This cream liqueur, which uses whiskey as its base, was launched in the 1970s and is made in Dublin and Mallusk.

Unsurprisingly, whiskey is commonly used in Irish liqueurs, with Irish Mist, a honey liqueur, Shanky’s Whip, a cream liqueur, and Coole Swan, another cream liqueur, being other examples of this. 

Perhaps the most storied liqueur in Ireland is poitin. Carrying the moniker of ‘Irish moonshine’, this was once banned as the government struggled to tax homemade drinks. Production of this unaged spirit, mostly made from barley or potatoes, was legalised in 1997 and is now made by a number of brands, including Teeling. It has an oily texture, and usually has notes of cereal, grain and toffee.