Appealing to the whiskey and Martini aficionados: Herbal liquors

Whiskey and Martini aficionados rarely order drinks made with fruity cordials. When I sense that such guests won't budge from their staid requests because of a perceived - almost moralistic - sense of drink superiority, I take a chance and challenge their taste buds with an herbal liqueur.

If you can get these fanatics to taste something they can't readily describe, they'll usually be intrigued enough to step down from their pulpit (without much talk of heresy) and try to classify whatever you've prepared. After a glass or two, they'll typically retreat to their old favorite, but only after they've thanked you for the experience.

Although herbal liqueurs and bitter spirits are more difficult to incorporate into cocktails than their confectionary counterparts, they do offer otherwise unattainable flavors. The labels of such sweet cordials as crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and crème de cassis tell you just what basic flavors are in store, while the packaging of herbal varieties reveals little, beyond providing long lists of obscure ingredients. Some of these labels list more than a hundred.

Monks were the first to succeed in making such worthy herbal distillations as Benedictine, Chartreuse, and Trappastine. The persistent appeal of these liqueurs after hundreds of years testifies to their quality. Many distillers have tried to copy the complex flavors of the originals, but most have failed. The Benedictine Museum and Distillery in Fecamp, France, proudly displays bottles of the liqueur's fallen impostors.

Today, most herbal liqueurs are made in France, Holland, Italy, and throughout Eastern Europe. Some of the most common flavors include yellow and green Chartreuse, Strega, Suze, Kümmel, anisette, Izarra, and the ever popular Jägermeister. A 375-milliliter bottle of one of these cordials will cost approximately US$12 to $18, but unless you develop a penchant for sipping them as digestifs, you'll never need a larger bottle.

The bittersweet

Closely related to the herbal liqueurs, but much less sweet, are bitter spirits like Campari, Fernet Branca, and Punt e Mes. The predominantly acrid flavor of these cordials derives from quinine, a bark extract from the South American cinchona tree. Roots and herbs are typically added for flavor and coloring.

Bitter spirits can be used as primary liquors, secondary liquors, or accents. As in the case of Campari, some people prefer them straight with soda; others like them with gin and sweet vermouth, as in the case of Negroni; and some want only a drop for a dry finish, as in the Jasmine.

Don't be put off by the acrid taste of straight bitters - when included in a cocktail, they work wonders. Their high acidity can mask flavors - for instance, a cheap whiskey in a Manhattan.

Bitters, like most liqueurs, have their roots in early medicine. Today, the only bitters on the market which still is considered medicinal is Angostura. Although its proof is as high as that of many gins, it is not classified as an alcoholic beverage because it is not considered fit to be consumed in large quantities. In some US states, Angostura can only be bought in fine cooking stores and pharmacies; stores that carry liquor cannot legally sell it.

After evenings when you've overindulged in rich food or drink, sip bitters straight to soothe your unsettled stomach. I've often come across the Sunday morning sight of a robust older man ordering a cappuccino with a shot of Fernet Branca in San Francisco's North Beach.