Traditional Portuguese liqueurs: elderflower, juniper and craft brandies

By Luís Serra, co-founder of Ra-Ro · View profile

About a 5 minute read

Traditional Portuguese liqueurs are made by steeping flowers, berries, fruit or herbs in a spirit and then adding sugar. Elderflower liqueur uses the white blossom of the elder tree, picked in late spring; juniper liqueur uses the dark berries of a mountain shrub. They are sweeter and lighter than brandy and are sipped from a small glass after a meal.

Traditional liqueurs at a glance

• What they are: a spirit flavoured by maceration, sweetened and filtered.
• Best known: ginja (sour cherry), pennyroyal liqueur, bitter almond, milk liqueur and, in the mountains, elderflower and juniper.
• Liqueur or brandy: brandy is distilled and dry; liqueur starts from a spirit, adds sugar and has less alcohol.
• How to drink: in a small glass after eating, at room temperature or lightly chilled.
• At Ra-Ro: Elderflower Liqueur, Traditional Mead and the DOC brandies from Lourinhã.

How a traditional liqueur is made

1. Harvest: the flower, berry or fruit is picked at the right moment. Elderflower can only be gathered for a few weeks a year.
2. Maceration: the ingredient sits in the spirit for weeks or months, away from light, while the alcohol draws out colour and aroma.
3. Syrup: a sugar syrup is made and added to the flavoured spirit.
4. Resting and filtering: the liqueur rests so the flavours come together, then it is filtered and bottled.

Every household had its own recipe, which is why two liqueurs with the same name can taste so different.

Elderflower liqueur: the white flower of the hills

Elder is a common shrub along paths and streams. In late spring it is covered in clusters of small white flowers with a sweet, almost honeyed scent. That blossom is what goes into the liqueur: fresh, floral, with a slightly citrus edge.

The Elderflower Liqueur (€22.20) we carry at Ra-Ro is made by Artur Aleixo at Zimbro Licores Serrano, with flowers picked at 800 metres above sea level. It is lovely on its own in a small glass, or with tonic water and ice on a summer evening.

Juniper liqueur: the berry that gives gin its scent

Juniper is a mountain shrub with small bluish berries that turn almost black when ripe. It is the berry that gives gin its fresh, resinous aroma, and in the kitchen it goes into game dishes and marinades. In Portugal it grows on the high ground of the mountains, such as the Serra da Estrela.

Juniper liqueur follows the same logic: lightly crushed berries rest in the spirit until it takes on their aroma, then the syrup is added. The result is less sweet than a fruit liqueur, with notes of pine and a dry finish, traditionally taken as a digestif. We do not have a juniper liqueur in the shop right now. For lovers of the plant there is the Juniper Berry Frame (€40.90), a wooden herbarium piece by Jacky Cavallari.

What is the difference between liqueur and brandy

• Brandy (aguardente): made by distilling a fermented liquid (wine, grape pomace, fruit). It is dry, with no sugar, and usually around 40% alcohol. Examples: the wine brandy of Lourinhã and medronho brandy from the Algarve.
• Liqueur: starts from a spirit, takes on flavour by maceration and contains sugar. In the European Union it must have at least 15% alcohol and a minimum sugar content.
• Mead: is neither. It is fermented honey and water, not distilled. We explain it in Mead: what it is.

The brandies of Lourinhã

Lourinhã is one of the world's three demarcated brandy regions, alongside Cognac and Armagnac. Lourinhã Matriz Brandy (€51.10) is young, with citrus and vanilla notes and wood from French oak, Portuguese oak and chestnut. Lourinhã Clássica Brandy (€70.90) is a denser XO with dried fruit, best served at 18 to 20 °C in a balloon glass. The story of the winery is in Lourinhã DOC Brandy.

How to drink liqueurs and brandies

• Glass: a small glass for liqueurs; a balloon glass for aged brandies.
• Temperature: floral liqueurs lightly chilled; brandies at room temperature.
• When: after a meal, with coffee, almond desserts or cheese.
• Storage: bottle upright, out of the sun. Once opened, a liqueur slowly loses aroma over the months.

Which liqueur to give

For someone who likes sweet, floral flavours, elderflower is the safest choice. For someone who prefers dry drinks with age, an aged brandy. To put the mountains in one box, the Mountain Nights Pack (€79.20) has two bottles of mead and two of elderflower liqueur. The Lourinhã Pack: Matriz and Clássica (€109.80) lets you taste both brandies side by side. More ideas in A different gift and on our packs page.

Frequently asked questions

What is elderflower liqueur?

It is a liqueur made by steeping the white blossom of the elder tree in a spirit and sweetening it with sugar syrup. It tastes floral, fresh and slightly citrusy.

How is juniper liqueur made?

Lightly crushed juniper berries rest in a spirit for several weeks, a sugar syrup is added, and the liqueur is left to settle and then filtered. It has a resinous aroma and a dry finish.

What is the difference between liqueur and brandy?

Brandy is distilled, dry and stronger. Liqueur starts from a spirit, is flavoured by maceration and contains sugar, so it is sweeter and lower in alcohol.

What are the best known traditional Portuguese liqueurs?

Ginja, pennyroyal liqueur, bitter almond and milk liqueur are among the best known; in the mountains, elderflower and juniper liqueurs are also made.

How do you drink elderflower liqueur?

In a small glass, lightly chilled, after a meal. It also works with tonic water and ice as a long drink.

Where can I buy Portuguese craft liqueurs?

At Ra-Ro, with Elderflower Liqueur and Traditional Mead from Zimbro Licores Serrano and DOC brandies from Lourinhã, shipping to Portugal, Europe, the USA, Canada and Brazil.