The Only Cream Liqueur Worth Pouring This Holiday Season—And It Tastes Just Like Crème Brûlée

I’m a cream liqueur girly. I recall very early on seeing my mom and aunts sipping on their Baileys over ice. Something about them daintily swirling their ice cubes around seemed so sophisticated. And once I was finally old enough to try Baileys for myself, I was immediately hooked. It was like dessert in a glass, but it still had some serious bite to it. So I’ve always gone out of my way to try new cream liqueurs. Just a few months ago, I purchased a limoncello cream liqueur while at the airport in Milan, Italy. It was so good we demolished it in less than an hour. Seriously.

With so many new cream liqueur flavors on the market, there have been some absolute misses (no, I won’t name names). But every now and then you come across something special. I was already familiar with Licor 43 and their citrus-y Spanish liqueur, so I was pretty excited when I was sent over a bottle of their Crème Brûlée cream liqueur. Released in September 2023, the Crème Brûlée cream liqueur features bright citrus notes layered with rich flavors of vanilla, toasted sugar and a hint of salted caramel.

First, let’s get into the bottle. To me, it has an unexpected vintage feel. There’s something about the bottle’s tan, pearlescent color paired with hues of orange, yellow and brown that screams 70s and 80s. I love it though. My only complaint is that since the bottle is opaque it’s hard to tell how much liqueur is left.

Upon pouring Licor 43’s Crème Brûlée cream liqueur, you might notice that there’s a slight hint of orange color. It’s a bit reminiscent of crème brûlée with its golden orange and deep brown colors. Now, let’s get into the most important part: taste. So, do you guys remember those bright orange butterscotch candies you’d find at the bottom of your grandma’s purse? Well, there’s a butteryness to this cream liqueur that reminds me of those candies. It’s very warm and inviting. Also, there was no icky aftertaste that you can sometimes get with cream liqueurs.

I always serve my cream liqueurs on ice to cut down on how thick they can be. With the addition of ice, I found that the drink thinned out pretty well. One of my main critiques is that the Crème Brûlée lacked a little something extra. I know there typically isn’t any spice to crème brûlée, but that could have been a nice touch.

I feel like numeric ratings can be boring, so let’s just say I give Licor 43’s Crème Brûlée cream liqueur a “hiding this in my bedroom so I don’t have to share with anyone else” out of 10.