Liqueur · Explainer
How much sugar is in liqueur?
According to Regulation (EU) 2019/787, liqueur must contain at least 100 grams of sweetener per litre, calculated as invert sugar. For cherry liqueur the lower limit is 70 grams and for gentian and wormwood liqueur 80 grams. Crème de liqueurs start at 250 grams, crème de cassis at more than 400 grams. A legal maximum does not exist.
In brief
The key figures
| Minimum for liqueur | 100 grams per liter, as invert sugar |
|---|---|
| Cherry liqueur | 70 grams per litre |
| Gentian or wormwood liqueur | 80 grams per liter |
| Crème de with a fruit name | 250 grams per litre |
| Crème de cassis | More than 400 grams per litre |
| Sambuca | 350 grams per litre |
| Minimum alcohol content of liqueur | 15 percent by volume |
| Shot glass of 5 centilitres | 5 grams of sugar at the lower limit of 100 grams per litre |
How much sugar must liqueur contain at minimum?
Liqueur contains at least 100 grams of sweetener per litre, calculated as invert sugar; that is the lower limit from category 33 of Regulation (EU) 2019/787.
That limit applies to the product as it is in the bottle. If a spirit drink stays below it, it may not carry the legal name liqueur. The Dutch trade association SpiritsNL cites the same limit of 100 grams or more per litre as the point at which a product must be designated as liqueur on the label. The regulation sets no upper limit.
Which liqueurs may contain less sugar?
Cherry liqueur may stay at 70 grams of sweetener per litre, and liqueur flavoured exclusively with gentian, a related plant or wormwood at 80 grams.
For cherry liqueur that exception applies only when the alcohol consists entirely of cherry distillate. Outside these two cases, Regulation (EU) 2019/787 holds to 100 grams per litre. That makes them the only types of liqueur with their own, lower minimum.
How much sugar is there in a crème de liqueur?
A crème de liqueur contains at least 250 grams of sweetener per litre, calculated as invert sugar, and crème de cassis more than 400 grams.
Category 34 of Regulation (EU) 2019/787 governs the name crème de, followed by the name of a fruit or other raw material. The minimum alcohol content remains 15 percent, as with ordinary liqueur. Only the sweetness is two and a half to four times as high. The name crème de cassis is reserved for blackcurrant liqueur above that 400 grams per litre.
Is there a maximum on the sugar content of liqueur?
A legal maximum for the sugar content of liqueur is not in Regulation (EU) 2019/787.
The regulation works with minimum limits per category: 100 grams per litre for liqueur, 250 grams for crème de, 350 grams for sambuca and more than 400 grams for crème de cassis. Room has been left upwards. What a bottle really contains is therefore not fixed by law; only the minimum is fixed.
How much sugar is in a shot glass of liqueur?
At the legal minimum of 100 grams per liter there are 5 grams of sugar in a shot glass of 5 centiliters.
If you calculate with a crème liqueur of 250 grams per litre, the same glass comes to 12.5 grams. With crème de cassis at 400 grams per litre that is 20 grams. These are always minimum values, because the actual content may be higher. Anyone who wants to know exactly how much sugar a particular bottle contains should ask the producer.
How much alcohol must liqueur contain?
Liqueur contains at least 15 percent alcohol, according to category 33 of Regulation (EU) 2019/787.
That is low compared with vodka, for which 37.5 percent is the lower limit. Above 15 percent the regulation leaves a lot of room, and some types of liqueur have their own, higher minimum. Sambuca must contain at least 38 percent alcohol and at the same time at least 350 grams of sweetener per litre. Crème de cassis stays at 15 percent, with more than 400 grams of sweetener per litre.
From the shop in Bathmen
Which liqueurs are available in Bathmen?
The shop in Bathmen stocks 347 liqueurs from 135 different brands from 23 countries. Prices range from € 1.75 to € 79.99. The alcohol percentage ranges from 15% to 25%.
- Absacker Hazelnoot shot 20% · 2 cl · Germany
- Adriatico Amaretto Bianco Almonds 16% · 70 cl · Italy
- Afzakkertje Old Dutch Liqueur 24% · 70 cl · Netherlands
- AMARETTO Di Venezia 25% · 70 cl · Italy
- Amaretto Lazzaroni 24% · 70 cl · Italy
- Amarguinha 20% · 70 cl · Portugal
- Amarula Cream 17% · 70 cl · South Africa
- Amarula Cream 17% · 100 cl · South Africa
- Amarula Ethiopian Coffee 15.5% · 70 cl · South Africa
- Amarula Raspberry Chocolate 15.5% · 70 cl · South Africa
Related questions
What is amaretto?What is anise liqueur?What is blue curacao?
Short answer
Short answers to related questions
- What does expressed as invert sugar mean?
- Invert sugar is the unit of account in which the regulation expresses the content of sweetening products. It is a measure, not a prescribed ingredient.
- May a liqueur be sugar-free?
- No. Without at least 100 grams of sweetener per liter, a distilled spirit may not carry the legal name liqueur.
- Which liqueur has the highest legal sugar requirement?
- Crème de cassis, with more than 400 grams of sweetener per litre.
- How much sugar is in a 5-centilitre glass of crème de cassis?
- At least 20 grams, calculated with the lower limit of 400 grams per litre.
The reasoning
Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks, EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union (accessed 2026-09-06)
- Bijlage I, categorie 33: likeur, legislation.gov.uk (accessed 6 September 2026)
- Bijlage I, categorie 34: crème de, legislation.gov.uk (accessed 2026-09-06)
- Annex I, category 36: sambuca, legislation.gov.uk (accessed 2026-09-06)
- Eisen aan etiketten van gedistilleerde dranken, SpiritsNL (accessed 2026-09-06)
This page was written and checked by ’t Bockje Bathmen, wine and spirits shop at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Last updated on 7 September 2026.
Verkoop van alcohol onder de 18 jaar is verboden. NIX18.