Liquors for use in chocolate ganaches

I am needing to put a database together for all of us that don't have extensive knowledge of which liquor is the best flavor for it's kind, i.e., which one of all the orange liquors has the truest orange flavor, which of the raspberry, etc. I have found a list of all the liquors, from wikipedia. Their list is extensive. After looking at the list, is there a way to do a poll on which ones are the favorites of users? Perhaps this list is not all that there is out there, but, I would like to know the favorites from members who have knowledge in this area. If this could be moved to a more appropriate area, Clay, please change it's location. And, can we put a polling box with it somehow? Also, if there is a favorite that is not listed, please email me and I will include it.Thanks!Here is the list:Chocolate liqueurs* Afrikoko (coconut and chocolate)* Ashanti Gold* Cadbury Cream Liqueur* Creme de Cacao* Dwersteg's Organic Chocolate Cream Liqueur* Liqueur Fogg* Godiva Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate and Cappuccino liqueurs* Mozart Gold (milk chocolate), Mozart White (white chocolate),Mozart Black (dark chocolate), Amade ChocOrange (dark chocolatewith blood-orange distillate) liqueurs* Royal Mint-Chocolate Liqueur* Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur* VandermintCoffee liqueurs* Allen's Coffee Brandy* Vibe Robusta Coffee Liqueur* Bols Coffee Liqueur* Cafe Britt Coffee Liqueur* Cafe Oriental* Caffe Borghetti* Coloma* Copa De Oro* Duchalet Cafe Liqueur* Dwersteg's Organic Coffee Liqueur* The Evil Monk* Kahlea* Kamora* Keuck Terkisch Mokka* Kona Gold* Kosaken Kaffee* De Kuyper Creme de Cafe* Mokatika* Sabroso* Sheridan's* Starbucks Coffee Liqueur* Tia Maria* Toussaint Coffee LiqueurCream liqueurs* Amarula (sugar, cream, and the fruit of the African marula tree)* Baileys Irish Cream* Carolans* Dooley's* Drumgray Highland Cream Liqueur* Dulce de Leche Liqueur (Caribbean rum, caramel and cream)* Dwersteg's Organic Coffee Cream Liqueur* Hare Turkish Coffee Cream Liqueur* KeKe Beach (lime cream)* McCormick's Irish Cream* Merlyn Cream Liqueur* Mozart Gold Chocolate Cream* Mozart White Chocolate Cream* O'Leary's Irish Cream* Ponche Caribe* Ponche crema* Ponche Diva* Ponche Kuba* Sangster's* Saint Brendan's Irish Cream Liqueur* Spirit of Liberty America's Cream Liqueur (1/3 less caloriesthan Bailey's)* Starbucks Cream Liqueur* Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur* Voyant Chai Cream (a chai-flavoured liqueur containing oak-agedrum, cream, black tea, vanilla, and spices)* Kk Beach Key Lime Cream LiqueurCreme liqueurs* Creme de Banane* Creme de cacao* Creme de cassis* Creme de Cerise* Creme de menthe* Creme de Noyaux* Creme de Rose* Creme de violette* Parfait d'AmourFruit liqueurs* Amabilli (banana)* Aurum (rum, tea, and tangerines)* Bajtra e Maltese liqueur (prickly pear)* Cosa Gialla (citrus fruits)* Cointreau (orange)* Cuarenta Y Tres/Licor 43 (citrus, vanilla)* Curaeao (bitter orange)* DeKuyper Pomegranate (pomegranate)* Destinee (tropical fruit)* Dwersteg's Organic Orange Liqueur* Espiritu del Ecuador (20 Ecuadoran fruits, including peach,chocolate, cherry, and almond)* Grand Marnier (orange)* GRAPeRO (pink grapefruit)* Hideous (potato neutral spirit, with added natural flavorsderived from berries grown in the state of Washington, includingraspberries and other berries and citrus fruits)* Hpnotiq (tropical fruit)* KeKe Beach (lime cream)* Kruekovac (pear)* Kwai Feh (lychee)* Ly Shan (lychee)* Lichido (vodka, cognac, lychee and guava essences, and whitepeach juice)* Limoncello (lemon)* Mandarine Napoleon (mandarin)* Manzana verde (green apple)* Medronho (strawberry tree/arbutus)* Midori (melon)* 99 bananas (99-proof banana-flavored schnapps)* NUVO (fruit nectars and sparkling chardonnay and pinot noirwines)[16]* PAMA (pomegranate)* Passoe (passion fruit; also comes in mango, pineapple, andcoconut flavors)* Pisang Ambon ((banana)* Pucker (apple)* Triple sec (orange)* X-Rated Fusion Liqueur (blood orange, mango and passion fruit)Berry liqueurs* 99 Berries* Blueberry* Buckthorn* Cherry Heering (cherry)* Chambord (raspberry)* Cloudberry* Ginjinha (cherry)* Guavaberry (guavaberry)* Guignolet (wild cherry)* Hare Ahududu (raspberry)* Hare Vine (sour cherry)* Hideous (potato neutral spirit, with added natural flavorsderived from berries grown in the state of Washington [includingraspberries and other berries and citrus fruits)* Lakka (cloudberry)* Lillehammer (lingonberry)* Lingonberry* Maraschino (cherry)* Murtado (Ugni molinae berries)* Polar Cranberry* Prunelle (plum)* Razzmatazz (raspberry)* Sloe gin* Damson gin* Whidbeys (loganberry)Flower liqueurs* Creme de Rose (rose)* Creme de violette (violet)* Creme Yvette (violet, vanilla)* Fior d'Alpi (alpine flowers, herbs)* Lavender Liqueur (lavender)]* Liqueur de Rose (rose)* Liqueur de Violette (violet)* Meikueilu Chiew (Mey Kwei Loo Liqueur) (rose)* My Rose (rose, with a whole rose in the bottle)* Rosolio (rose)* St-Germain (elderflower)* Shan Hibiscus (hibiscus, coconut)* Shan Lotus (lotus, passion fruit)* Shan Rose (rose, lychee)* Xaica (Hibiscus)Herbal liqueursNote: the exact recipes of many herbal liqueurs (which may contain upto 50 or more different herbs) are often closely guarded tradesecrets. The primary herbal ingredients are listed where known.Anise-flavored liqueursNote: Absinthe, Arak, Rak, and similar anise-flavored beveragescontain no sugar and thus are flavored liquors rather than liqueurs.* Aguardiente/Aguardente e Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Portugal* Anes e Spain* Anisetta e Italy* Anisette e France* Alpestre - Italy* Cosa Nera - Italy* Arquebuse de l'Hermitage - France* Galliano e Italy* Hierbas de Mallorca e Majorca* Herbsaint e United States* Mastica e Bulgaria* Mistre - Italy* Oghi e Armenia* Ouzo e Greece* Pastis e France* Passione Nera - Italy* Patxaran e Spain* Pernod Fils* Pernod Ricard* Sambuca e Italy* Vespetre - Italy* Xtabenten e MexicoOther herbal liqueurs* Amaro* Becherovka (anise seeds, cinnamon, and other herbs)* Beireo (seeds and herbs from around the world)* Benedictine (cognac with 27 plants and spices)* Canton (spirits, brandy, six varieties of ginger, ginseng, andhoney)* Chartreuse (130 herbal extracts)* Demenovka (14 herbs and honey)* Everglo (tequila, vodka, caffeine, and ginseng)* Danzig Goldwasser (gold leaf, roots, and herbs)* Goldschleger (cinnamon, with gold leaf)* Jegermeister (56 herbs)* Krupnik (honey and up to 50 different herbs)* Kemmel (caraway seed, cumin, and fennel)* Mastichato (mastic resin)* Menta (peppermint liqueur)* Metaxa* Minttu (peppermint)* Paan (betel leaf, betel nuts, saffron, cardamom, sandalwood, andother herbs and spices)* Riga Black Balsam (Rigas Melnais Balzams)* Strega (70 herbs, including mint, fennel, and saffron)* Unicum (more than 40 herbs)* Zen (matcha green tea from Kyoto, Japan, with lemon grass andother herbs.Nut-flavored liqueurs* Amaretto (almonds, or the almond-like kernels from apricots,peaches, cherries, or similar stone fruits)* Dumante (pistachio)* Frangelico (hazelnuts and herbs)* Kahana Royale (macadamia nut)* Nocello (walnut and hazelnut)* Nocino (unripe green walnuts)* Ratafia (brandy flavored with almonds, fruit, or fruit kernels -also a flavored biscuit)Whisky liqueurs* Bruadar (Scotch whisky, honey, sloe)* Cock of the North (single malt, blaeberry)* Drambuie (Scotch, heather honey, herbs, and spices)* Eblana (Irish whiskey, coffee, honey, almond, peanut)* Famous Grouse liqueur (Scotch, bourbon, citrus, spicrs)* Glayva (Scotch, Seville oranges, herbs, and honey)* Glenfiddich Malt liqueur (Scotch, citrus, pear, brown sugar)* Glenturret Malt liqueur (Glenturret single malt, honey, spices)* Irish Mist (aged Irish whiskey, heather and clover honey,aromatic herbs, and other spirits)* Jeremiah Weed (Bourbon whiskey, orange, vanilla)* Lochan Ora (Chivas, honey, herbs and spices)* Murray Scottish Highland Liqueur (Scotch, honey, sloe)* Old Pulteney liqueur (Old Pulteney single malt, prune, spices)* Orangerie (Scotch, oranges, spices)* Rock and rye (American rye whiskey, citrus, rock candy)* Stag's Breath (Speyside malts and fermented comb honey)* Sundakanchi (rice-based)* Wallace Liqueur (Deanston single malt, Scottish berries, Frenchherbs)* Wild Turkey American Honey (Wild Turkey (bourbon, honey,spices)* Yukon Jack (Canadian whiskey, honey)Other liqueurs* Advocaat (egg yolks and vanilla)* Aftershock (several varieties, most popular of which is cinnamon)* Aurum (rum, tea, and tangerines)* Baczewski* Berenjeger (honey)* Campari (bitter and aromatic herbs, plants, and fruit)* Cynar (artichoke and other herbs and plants)* Damiana* Genepi* Izarra (numerous herbs and other flavorings)* Jumbie (rum liqueur)* Licor de oro (whey, saffron and lemon peel)* Kajmir (vanilla, brandy, and vodka)* Patxaran (sloe berries, coffee beans, and vanilla pod)* Pimento (not the peppers stuffed into olives, but Allspice.* Qi (lapsang souchong tea, fruits, spices, and Chardonnay brandy)* Qi White (orange, ginger, clove, other herbs and spices, and white tea)* Rumpleminze (peppermint)* Sabra liqueur (dark chocolate and Sabra oranges)* Salmiakki Koskenkorva (Salmiakkikossu, salmari) (salmiakki eOriginally Turkish Pepper salty licorice)* Southern Comfort (neutral grain spirits with whiskey, peach,orange and spice flavorings)* Tsipouro* St. Germain (elderflower)* Tuaca (brandy, vanilla, and citrus)* TY KU (Asian spirit base (sake and soju), with yuzu, honeydew,mangosteen, green tea, wolfberry, and ginseng)* Vana Tallinn (rum, citrus oil, vanilla, cinnamon, and other spices)* Voyant Chai Cream (a chai-flavoured liqueur containing oak-agedrum, cream, black tea, vanilla, and spices)* Y Chilli (cinnamon, chili peppers, and other ingredients)
updated by @annette-jimison: 04/09/15 11:47:58PM

I make my own liqueurs. Just finished off a Creme de Menthe, a Creme de Cocoa and a coffee liqueur. A friend kindly contributed a gallon of frozen, wild crafted blackberries from last summer, so now there is a blackberry liqueur brewing.Anybody else make their own?

Don't really go much for liqueurs, waaay too much sugar, not enough booze, (they usually run at about 22%) and the flavours are usually added. I do use Grand marnier and Kahluha, but that's about it. The run of the mill liqueurs don't have enough "power" to shine through the ganache, and the sugar in them is too much.That being said, I'm a big fan of eau de vies, or fruit brandies. These are the real thing: Pure booze, no sugar, and the flavour is real, not added, macerated, or blended (and no artificial colours that work themselves into many liqueurs). A fruit brandy is made just like regualr brandy: Appropriate fruit is harvested and made into wine, then the wine is destilled. These usally run at about 40-50% alc content (80-100 proof for the U.S.)They pack a wallop of flavour for the amount used, and the booze doesn't hurt the shelf life either....The usual ones include:Calvados--AppleKirsch--CherryWilliams-PearPlumMirabelleRaspberryBrandy of course--grape

I've always wanted to experiment with chocolate ganaches infused with sometime of citrus flavor. I've used Cointreau before and thought it was alright. And then I moved on to the Mandarin Napolean which was even better. Southern Comfort?? I would've never guessed! I'm even more interested in trying the Asian liqueur TY KU, though. With all those different flavors it sounds delicious. I've never heard of this spirit before, any ideas on where I can find it??This list is VERY useful, thank you!

If you want to infuse a citrus flavour into your ganache, why don't you just zest some oranges or other citrus fruits, and simmer the zest with the cream for a while?Here at Choklat, we peel thick skinned navel oranges with a potato peeler (keeps the pith away from the peel and is WAY quicker than using a zester, plus when it's strained, all of the pieces get caught in teh strainer), chop it into lengths, and then simmer the peels with the cream for about 10-15 minutes. The flavour is AMAZING, and 100% natural.Just make sure to use a milk chocolate with your ganache, or you risk overpowering the delicate orange flavour with the dark chocolate.Brad.