Alcohol Category

This elegant white varietal wine is crisp and dry, and great with seafood, poultry, ham, egg dishes, salads, and any dish with a rich cream sauce. California Chardonnays are often excellent.

This excellent herbal liqueur is said to contain over 125 ingredients. It comes in two colors: green Chartreuse and the sweeter and less potent yellow Chartreuse.

This is a village in Provence that's known for its excellent red wines, which are blended from as many as 13 grape varieties. These wines tend to be pricey.

This is a grape variety that's often blended with others to make inexpensive white jug wines and domestic Chablis. It's relatively inexpensive and goes well with salads, seafood, poultry, ham, and spicy foods.

This is a chocolate and cherry flavored liqueur. It's often mixed with milk.

There are many varieties of cherry liqueurs, including the chocolate-flavored Chéri Suisse, Cherry Heering = Peter Heering, crème de cerise, Cherry Rocher, Kirschenliqueur, Cherry Grand Marnier = Cherry Marnier, and Maraschino liqueur.

A lot of cheap domestic red wines go by this name, but the real thing comes from Tuscany and has a seal of authenticity on the neck. Italian Chianti is a hearty wine that's great with Italian food

There are many well-regarded brands of chocolate liqueur, including Godiva, Truffles, Mozart, and Hagen Daz. Some liqueurs combine chocolate with other flavors, like Cheri Suisse, Vandermint, and Tiramisu.

This is a Mexican orange liqueur.

This is white rum flavored with coconut. Malibu Rum and CocoRibe are well-known brands.

Coffee-flavored liqueurs are used to make Black and White Russians and other mixed drinks. Popular brands include Mexico's Kahlúa and the rum-based Tía Maria from Jamaica. See the (Substitute for) Kahlua recipe posting on SOAR, or the Tia Maria recipe posted by Bar-None.

The very best cognacs are labeled VVSOP, Napoleon, Vieille Reserve, Grand Reserve, Royal, or Vieux. Next in the rankings are cognacs labeled Extra Old (XO), Extra, or Hors D'Age. After that comes VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale), Reserve, or VO. Next come cognacs with VS or *** on their labels. Connoisseurs also check for the cru, or place where the cognac was made. The best crus are Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne.

This is an orange liqueur that’s not as well regarded as Grand Marnier, but considered a step above curaçao and triple sec.

This is a sweetened blend of sparkling wines. It's cheap and tastes like it.

You should never cook with a wine you wouldn't drink, but some "cooking wines" sold at stores violate this maxim. Avoid them and instead cook with inexpensive, but drinkable, table wines. Avoid putting wine in aluminum or iron pans for prolonged periods.

Like Bourbon, corn whiskey is made from corn, but it's not nearly as elegant and smooth as its pricier relative. It's a bit hard to find, but some brands--like Platte Valley, Virginia Lightning and Turkey Mountain--are still being produced. Whiskey should be served at room temperature.

Boggs is a well-regarded brand.

This is a crème liqueur that has an apricot flavor.

This is a crème liqueur that has an almond flavor

This is a crème liqueur that has a pineapple flavor.

This is a crème liqueur that has a banana flavor. It's often used to make banana daiquiris.

This is a crème liqueur that has a chocolate flavor. Buy either white (actually clear) or dark crème de cacao--they both taste the same.

This is a crème liqueur that has a coffee flavor.

This is a crème liqueur made with black currants and rum. It's very sweet, and often mixed with white wine to make kir.

This is a crème liqueur that has a cherry flavor.

This is a crème liqueur that has a chocolate flavor.

This is a crème liqueur that's flavored with caraway seeds

This is a crème liqueur that has a strawberry flavor.

This is a crème liqueur that has a raspberry flavor.

This is a crème liqueur that's flavored with sour Morello cherries

This is a crème liqueur that has a mandarin orange flavor.

This is a crème liqueur that has a peppermint flavor. It's used to make several mixed drinks, but many people like it all by itself as an after-dinner drink. Sometimes it's clear, but more often green, gold, or red food coloring is added.

This is a crème liqueur that's flavored with blackberries.

This is a crème liqueur that's flavored with blueberries.

This is a crème liqueur that has a walnut flavor.

This is a crème liqueur that has an almond flavor.

This is a crème liqueur that's flavored with peaches.

This is a crème liqueur that's flavored with sloe berries.

This is a crème liqueur that's flavored with roses.

This is a crème liqueur that has a vanilla flavor.

This is a crème liqueur that's flavored with violets. Crème d'Yvette = creme d'Yvette is a very sweet American brand.

Despite the name, crème liqueurs contain no cream. Instead, they're liqueurs that have been heavily sweetened and have a thick, syrupy consistency. Don't confuse them with Irish cream liqueurs, which really are made with cream.

Curaçao is an liqueur made from orange peels. It comes in blue, orange, red, green, and clear versions that all taste exactly the same. To make your own colored version, add one or two drops of food coloring to a cup of clear liqueur.

This is a syrupy Italian liqueur that's made with artichokes, giving it a bittersweet flavor. It's good mixed with club soda

Dark rum has a strong molasses flavor, and it's much heavier than white or amber rums. It's used to make Planter's Punch, but many people like to drink the expensive stuff neat. The best dark rum is made in Jamaica, but Martinique, Cuba, and Haiti are also important producers. Myers is a popular brand.

These aren't as flavorful as ordinary wine, but they're a good choice for people who want to drink wine without consuming alcohol. Sparkling wines are the most popular de-alcoholized wines, but other varieties are also available. Many brands contain small amounts of alcohol.

This dark, heavy rum comes from Demerara River region in Guyana. It's often used to make Zombies.

These are sweet wines that are served with (or instead of) dessert. Examples include fortified wines like port and sherry, and late harvest wines, which are made from grapes that have shriveled a bit, concentrating their sweetness. As a rule of thumb, a dessert wine should always be sweeter than the dessert it accompanies.