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liqueur

The healthiest liqueur, ranked.

Liqueurs are dessert with ethanol attached. The sugar load (minimum 100g/L by EU definition) is the primary driver of hangover symptoms, dwarfing whatever congener load the base spirit carries. Cream liqueurs add dairy emulsifiers; bitter liqueurs add caramel coloring.

Full Liqueur category profile →

What is the healthiest liqueur?

Cointreau is one of the cleanest mainstream liqueurs: real orange peel distillation, no artificial flavoring, no coloring. Other "honest" options include kirschwasser and high-proof real-fruit eau-de-vies.

See the full ranking Calories and sugar Every metric compared
Category baseline chemistry
Congeners
Moderate
Histamines
Low
Polyphenols
Low
Sulfites
Low
Tannins
Low
Sugar
Very High
Additives
High

Liqueur brands, lightest first

Tap any brand for full chemistry breakdown.

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Showing all 16 liqueur brands.

  1. 1

    Aperol

    Bitter orange aperitivo
    11%
    Italy
    5/10
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  2. 2

    Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur

    Raspberry liqueur
    16.5%
    Loire Valley, France
    5/10
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  3. 3

    St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur

    Elderflower liqueur
    20%
    France
    5/10
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  4. 4

    Malibu Original

    Coconut rum liqueur
    21%
    Barbados
    5/10
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  5. 5

    Campari

    Bitter aperitivo
    25%
    Milan, Italy
    5/10
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  6. 6

    Southern Comfort Original

    Whiskey liqueur
    35%
    New Orleans, Louisiana
    5/10
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  7. 7

    Cointreau

    Triple sec orange liqueur
    40%
    Angers, France
    5/10
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  8. 8

    Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge

    Cognac and orange liqueur
    40%
    France
    5/10
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  9. 9

    RumChata

    Cream liqueur
    13.75%
    Wisconsin, USA
    6/10
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  10. 10

    Kahlúa Original

    Coffee liqueur
    16%
    Veracruz, Mexico
    6/10
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  11. 11

    Frangelico

    Hazelnut liqueur
    20%
    Piedmont, Italy
    6/10
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  12. 12

    Disaronno Originale

    Amaretto
    28%
    Saronno, Italy
    6/10
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  13. 13

    Licor 43

    Citrus and vanilla liqueur
    31%
    Cartagena, Spain
    6/10
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  14. 14

    Fireball Cinnamon Whisky

    Cinnamon whisky liqueur
    33%
    Canada
    6/10
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  15. 15

    Baileys Irish Cream

    Cream liqueur
    17%
    Ireland
    7/10
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  16. 16

    Jägermeister

    Herbal digestif
    35%
    Wolfenbüttel, Germany
    7/10
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Liqueur calories and sugar, by brand

Per 1.5oz serving, lightest first. Sugar is what separates these; ethanol calories track ABV alone.

Brand ABV Sugar Cal
Aperol 11% 11.1g 71
Malibu Original 21% 7.5g 81
Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur 16.5% 12.4g 90
Frangelico 20% 11.2g 94
Campari 25% 11.1g 106
Southern Comfort Original 35% 5g 106
Kahlúa Original 16% 17.3g 108
Fireball Cinnamon Whisky 33% 10.6g 123
Cointreau 40% 10.4g 140
Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge 40% 10.4g 140
Licor 43 31% 18.3g 149

What makes one liqueur healthier than another

  • ▸Real-fruit redistillation (triple sec, kirsch) beats artificial flavoring
  • ▸Higher ABV liqueurs have lower sugar-to-alcohol ratio
  • ▸Avoid cream liqueurs if you're lactose-sensitive
  • ▸Botanicals in bitter liqueurs can be histamine triggers
  • ▸Always shaken, not stirred. Liqueurs are not for sipping

Every liqueur scored on all of it

The criteria above are only useful if you can check them, so each one that varies between brands has its own column here. Lower is lighter in every column.

Swipe to compare one measure at a time

Hangover

Hangover index

1 / 10

Congener load and ethanol dose, scored 1 to 10.

  1. 1Aperol5/10
  2. 1Campari5/10
  3. 1Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur5/10
  4. 1Cointreau5/10
  5. 1Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge5/10
  6. 1Malibu Original5/10
  7. 1Southern Comfort Original5/10
  8. 1St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur5/10
  9. 9Disaronno Originale6/10
  10. 9Fireball Cinnamon Whisky6/10
  11. 9Frangelico6/10
  12. 9Kahlúa Original6/10
  13. 9Licor 436/10
  14. 9RumChata6/10
  15. 15Baileys Irish Cream7/10
  16. 15Jägermeister7/10

Mean chemistry load

2 / 10

Mean of the seven chemistry scores.

  1. 1Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur2.3/5
  2. 1Cointreau2.3/5
  3. 3Aperol2.4/5
  4. 3Campari2.4/5
  5. 3Frangelico2.4/5
  6. 3Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge2.4/5
  7. 3Malibu Original2.4/5
  8. 3RumChata2.4/5
  9. 3Southern Comfort Original2.4/5
  10. 3St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur2.4/5
  11. 11Fireball Cinnamon Whisky2.6/5
  12. 11Kahlúa Original2.6/5
  13. 11Licor 432.6/5
  14. 14Disaronno Originale2.7/5
  15. 15Baileys Irish Cream2.9/5
  16. 16Jägermeister3.1/5

Strength

3 / 10

Alcohol by volume as bottled.

  1. 1Aperol11%
  2. 2RumChata13.75%
  3. 3Kahlúa Original16%
  4. 4Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur16.5%
  5. 5Baileys Irish Cream17%
  6. 6Frangelico20%
  7. 6St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur20%
  8. 8Malibu Original21%
  9. 9Campari25%
  10. 10Disaronno Originale28%
  11. 11Licor 4331%
  12. 12Fireball Cinnamon Whisky33%
  13. 13Jägermeister35%
  14. 13Southern Comfort Original35%
  15. 15Cointreau40%
  16. 15Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge40%

Calories per 1.5oz

4 / 10

Calculated for a 1.5oz pour, mixers excluded.

  1. 1Aperol71
  2. 2Malibu Original81
  3. 3Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur90
  4. 4Frangelico94
  5. 5Campari106
  6. 5Southern Comfort Original106
  7. 7Kahlúa Original108
  8. 8Fireball Cinnamon Whisky123
  9. 9Cointreau140
  10. 9Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge140
  11. 11Licor 43149
  12. St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur–
  13. RumChata–
  14. Disaronno Originale–
  15. Baileys Irish Cream–
  16. Jägermeister–

Grain-free at source

5 / 10

Grain-free at source, or distilled from grain.

  1. CointreauGrain-free
  2. Disaronno OriginaleGrain-free
  3. JägermeisterGrain-free
  4. Baileys Irish CreamFrom grain
  5. Southern Comfort OriginalFrom grain
  6. Aperol–
  7. Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur–
  8. St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur–
  9. Malibu Original–
  10. Campari–
  11. Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge–
  12. RumChata–
  13. Kahlúa Original–
  14. Frangelico–
  15. Licor 43–
  16. Fireball Cinnamon Whisky–

Congeners

6 / 10

Fermentation byproducts, tied to hangover severity.

  1. 1AperolLow
  2. 1Baileys Irish CreamLow
  3. 1CampariLow
  4. 1Chambord Black Raspberry LiqueurLow
  5. 1CointreauLow
  6. 1Disaronno OriginaleLow
  7. 1Fireball Cinnamon WhiskyLow
  8. 1FrangelicoLow
  9. 1Kahlúa OriginalLow
  10. 1Licor 43Low
  11. 1Malibu OriginalLow
  12. 1RumChataLow
  13. 1Southern Comfort OriginalLow
  14. 1St-Germain Elderflower LiqueurLow
  15. 15Grand Marnier Cordon RougeModerate
  16. 15JägermeisterModerate

Histamines

7 / 10

Bacterial byproduct: flushing, headaches, congestion.

  1. 1AperolLow
  2. 1Baileys Irish CreamLow
  3. 1CampariLow
  4. 1Chambord Black Raspberry LiqueurLow
  5. 1CointreauLow
  6. 1Disaronno OriginaleLow
  7. 1Fireball Cinnamon WhiskyLow
  8. 1FrangelicoLow
  9. 1Grand Marnier Cordon RougeLow
  10. 1Kahlúa OriginalLow
  11. 1Licor 43Low
  12. 1Malibu OriginalLow
  13. 1RumChataLow
  14. 1Southern Comfort OriginalLow
  15. 1St-Germain Elderflower LiqueurLow
  16. 16JägermeisterModerate

Polyphenols

8 / 10

Antioxidant plant compounds, protective in small doses.

  1. 1AperolLow
  2. 1Baileys Irish CreamLow
  3. 1CampariLow
  4. 1Chambord Black Raspberry LiqueurLow
  5. 1CointreauLow
  6. 1Disaronno OriginaleLow
  7. 1Fireball Cinnamon WhiskyLow
  8. 1FrangelicoLow
  9. 1Grand Marnier Cordon RougeLow
  10. 1Kahlúa OriginalLow
  11. 1Licor 43Low
  12. 1Malibu OriginalLow
  13. 1RumChataLow
  14. 1Southern Comfort OriginalLow
  15. 1St-Germain Elderflower LiqueurLow
  16. 16JägermeisterModerate

Sugar

9 / 10

Residual sugar: blood-sugar swings and dehydration.

  1. 1Malibu OriginalModerate
  2. 1Southern Comfort OriginalModerate
  3. 3AperolHigh
  4. 3CampariHigh
  5. 3Chambord Black Raspberry LiqueurHigh
  6. 3CointreauHigh
  7. 3Fireball Cinnamon WhiskyHigh
  8. 3FrangelicoHigh
  9. 3Grand Marnier Cordon RougeHigh
  10. 3RumChataHigh
  11. 11Baileys Irish CreamVery High
  12. 11Disaronno OriginaleVery High
  13. 11JägermeisterVery High
  14. 11Kahlúa OriginalVery High
  15. 11Licor 43Very High
  16. 11St-Germain Elderflower LiqueurVery High

Additives

10 / 10

Colorants, flavorings, glycerin, sorbates.

  1. 1Chambord Black Raspberry LiqueurLow
  2. 1CointreauLow
  3. 1Grand Marnier Cordon RougeLow
  4. 1St-Germain Elderflower LiqueurLow
  5. 5AperolModerate
  6. 5CampariModerate
  7. 5FrangelicoModerate
  8. 5Kahlúa OriginalModerate
  9. 5Licor 43Moderate
  10. 5RumChataModerate
  11. 11Disaronno OriginaleHigh
  12. 11Fireball Cinnamon WhiskyHigh
  13. 11JägermeisterHigh
  14. 11Malibu OriginalHigh
  15. 11Southern Comfort OriginalHigh
  16. 16Baileys Irish CreamVery High

Every liqueur here scores the same on sulfites (low) and tannins (low), so those have no panel of their own.

Base ingredient

The raw material fermented before distilling.

Factors are scored 1 (very low) to 5 (very high). Load is the mean of all seven. Hang is the overall hangover index, which weights congeners and ethanol dose more heavily than a flat mean does, which is why the two columns do not always agree.

Calories are calculated, not copied: 7 kcal per gram of ethanol and 4 per gram of carbohydrate, with ethanol mass taken from the bottling ABV across a 1.5oz pour at a density of 0.789 g/mL. Mixers are not included; a tonic adds roughly 80 calories of sugar, soda water adds none.

FAQ

Which liqueur is the healthiest? ▾

Cointreau is one of the cleanest mainstream liqueurs: real orange peel distillation, no artificial flavoring, no coloring. Other "honest" options include kirschwasser and high-proof real-fruit eau-de-vies.

Does Baileys have a lot of sugar? ▾

About 10g of sugar per 50ml shot: Vinmonopolet measures 202 g/L in Baileys Original, close to the 208 g/L USDA lists for 34 proof cream liqueur. The dairy fat slows absorption slightly, which masks the sugar impact. But it doesn't change the underlying glycemic load.

Compare across categories

How liqueur stacks up against other categories.

Overall ranking Brand comparison tool Chemistry glossary What helps a hangover How long a hangover lasts Strongest alcohol Thanksgiving cocktails Christmas cocktails