What is nut liqueur?

Nut liqueur is a liqueur whose main flavour comes from nuts, and so falls under category 33 of Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2019/787. That category describes liqueur as a spirit drink made from agricultural ethyl alcohol, a distillate or another spirit drink, that is sweetened and to which flavourings, agricultural products or foodstuffs have been added.

The regulation permits the legal name liqueur to be supplemented with the name of the flavouring or foodstuff that gives the main taste. That is how you come across names such as hazelnut liqueur, walnut liqueur or almond liqueur. The nut liqueur group in the shop in Bathmen counts 23 bottles from 17 brands from five countries: Italy 14, the Netherlands 4, Germany 3, Portugal 1 and France 1.

According to the European rules, liqueur must contain at least 15 percent alcohol and at least 100 grams of sugar per litre, expressed as invert sugar. Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2019/787 names two exceptions to that sugar minimum: 70 grams per litre for cherry liqueur whose alcohol consists exclusively of cherry distillate, and 80 grams per litre for liqueur flavoured only with gentian, a comparable plant or wormwood.

For nut liqueur the general lower limit of 100 grams of sugar per litre therefore applies. The alcohol percentage varies considerably in practice: the 23 nut liqueurs in Bathmen range between 17 and 40 percent. That percentage is mandatory on the label, so you can check it per bottle before you choose.

Nuts are listed in Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 and must therefore be declared as an allergen on the label. Annex II lists almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios and macadamia nuts, with an exception for nuts used to make alcoholic distillates.

Drinks with more than 1.2 percent alcohol do not need to have an ingredient list. If the list is missing, Article 21 requires the word contains followed by the name of the substance to appear on the label; if there is a list, the name is emphasised with different typography. If you have a nut allergy, always read the label and, if in doubt, consult the producer.

The designation crème de, followed by the name of the raw material used, may only be used for a liqueur with at least 250 grams of sugar per litre, expressed as invert sugar. Category 34 of Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2019/787 sets that requirement and excludes dairy products as a raw material.

The raw material named in the designation must also give the drink its main flavour. The sugar minimum for crème de is therefore two and a half times higher than the 100 grams per litre that applies to ordinary liqueur. The designation thus says something about the lower limit of the sugar content, not about the precise content in the bottle.

A standard glass contains, according to the Trimbos Institute, about 10 grams of pure alcohol; for spirits at 35 percent that comes to 35 millilitres. For beer at 5 percent the institute counts 250 millilitres and for wine at 12 percent 100 millilitres.

De lijst met standaardglazen noemt bier, wijn en sterke drank, en geen aparte maat voor likeur. Omdat de notenlikeuren in Bathmen tussen 17 en 40 procent alcohol zitten, verschilt de hoeveelheid die bij ongeveer 10 gram pure alcohol hoort per fles. Het alcoholpercentage op het etiket is daarvoor het vertrekpunt. NIX18: geen alcohol onder de 18 jaar.