When it comes to cream liqueurs, there’s no doubt that Bailey’s is the most well known. It has dominated the market since cream liqueurs gained popularity in the 1970’s. However, there are several other brands that are serious competitors with Bailey’s, and a whole world of cream liqueurs outside of Irish cream!
The following is a list of the top brands of cream liqueurs, with a few fun recipes at the end to test out your newfound knowledge of cream liqueurs with!
Whiskey
Magnum
A Scottish twist on Irish cream, Magnum is made with Speyside Scotch whisky and Dutch cream. You’ll pick up notes of chocolate, toffee, and caramel that make for a wicked boozy coffee or a delectable milkshake.
Fennelly’s Irish Cream
Fennelly’s is basically chocolate milk for grown ups. Irish whiskey, cream, and chocolate blend perfectly together with just the right amount of both sweetness and kick. Serve it with coffee to create a boozy mocha.
Tolon Tolon Whisky Cream
A smooth mix of whisky, cream, and chocolate. What sets Tolon Tolon apart from other cream liqueurs is a distinct peanut butter note that’s impossible to ignore. It’s like a grown up Reese’s cup in a bottle!
Bourbon
Six and Twenty Carolina Cream
Six and Twenty started out as a bourbon distillery, and quickly tapped into the cream liqueur market when it realized how lucrative it could be. Using their own five grain bourbon blended with a rum-based cream and several spices, Carolina Cream became the distillery’s best seller.
Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream
Made with Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon and sweet, rich cream, this liqueur is a vanilla treat with a kick. Try it in a cup of coffee or make an “adult root beer float” – see the recipe below!
Prichard’s Sweet Lucy Cream
Handcrafted in small batches in one of two Tennessee distilleries, Prichard’s Sweet Lucy Cream is a smooth and flavorful combination of premium Wisconsin dairy cream and Prichard’s own Sweet Lucy Liqueur. The sweetness of apricot, peaches, and oranges offset the bite of the bourbon and pair perfectly with the smoothness of cream.
Rum
SomruS
SomruS is an Indian cream liqueur made with Wisconsin dairy cream and Caribbean rum. What makes this liqueur stand out from other rum creams, like RumChata, are the exotic spices such as rose, cardamom, and almond.
Sangster’s Jamaica Rum Cream
If you’re a lover of spiced rum, Sangster’s Jamaica Rum Cream is the way to go. Traditional Jamaican rum is mixed with cream and a mix of Caribbean fruits and spices. It has a hearty rum kick to it, so it’s not for the faint of heart!
Ricura Horchata Cream
Ricura literally translates to “delicious.” Similar to the horchata-inpsired RumChata, Ricura has a more prominent rum taste due to using a specific rum from Barbados, and is slightly less sweet with a cinnamon finish. If you’re looking to try something familiar but still out of the box, Ricura is the way to go.
Tequila
1921 Crema de Tequila
Though it may seem like an oxymoron, blending the sharpness of tequila with the smoothness of cream, notes of coffee, vanilla, and cinnamon makes for an excellent and distinctive drink.
Brandy
Guappa
Guappa is an Italian cream liqueur that is set apart not by the fact that it is brandy based, but because it uses DOP buffalo milk cream instead of traditional cows milk cream. This liqueur has a unique creaminess that comes from buffalo milk, similar to the particular texture of DOP buffalo mozzarella.
Butterscotch and Brandy Cream Liqueur
Whoever thought of combining butterscotch, brandy, and cream was a genius. This cream liqueur tastes like candy in a bottle. The most popular serving suggestion for this rich and buttery liqueur is over crushed ice.
Marula
Amarula
The marula tree grows only in subequatorial Africa, and the fruit of this tree is used to make the marula spirit, which is distilled in French oak barrels for at least two years. It is this spirit that is then blended with cream to make Amarula, a truly unique cream liqueur.
Recipes
Buffalo Float
- 2 oz. Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream Liqueur
- 4 oz. root beer
Combine in a glass and serve as is, or over a scoop of vanilla ice cream for added richness!
Boozy Coffee
- 8 oz strongly brewed, hot coffee
- 2 oz Fennelly’s Irish Cream
- 2 oz vodka
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 1 oz half and half cream
- Whip Cream to taste
Combine all ingredients by stirring vigorously or whipping with an immersion blender. Split between two glasses and top with whip cream!
Tequila Colada
- 1 and ½ cups of ice
- 2 oz 1921 Crema de Tequila
- 4 oz pina colada mix
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into a glass and serve garnished with pineapple or lime!
Amarula Sunset
- 1 oz Amarula Cream liqueur
- 1 oz vodka
- 3 tbsp strawberry puree
- ½ cup ice
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Serve in a glass garnished with a strawberry!
Sompresso
- 1 and ½ oz SomruS
- 1 oz vanilla vodka
- ¾ oz coffee liqueur
- 1 and ½ oz fresh espresso
- 3 cardamom seeds
Add all ingredients, plus a scoop of ice, to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously (you want it to be foamy!). Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with cardamom seeds.
Hummingbird
- 2oz vodka
- 1oz Sangster’s Jamaica Rum Cream Liqueur
- ½ oz Kahlua or Tia Maria
- 1 banana
- 4 oz milk
- Strawberry syrup to taste
Blend all ingredients together in a blender and serve over ice. Garnish with a strawberry and serve!
Cinnamon Toast Shot
- ¾ oz Ricura Horchata Cream
- ¼ oz cinnamon schnapps
Pour into a shot glass and let the night begin!