What base spirit is commonly used for making liqueurs?

The base spirit that is commonly used for making liqueurs is neutral spirit. Neutral spirits, such as vodka or grain alcohol, are high in alcohol content and have little to no flavor, which allows the flavors of the liqueur’s additional ingredients—such as fruits, herbs, spices, or other flavoring agents—to shine through without being masked by the base.

This versatility makes neutral spirit an ideal foundation for liqueurs across a wide range of flavor profiles. The process usually involves infusing the neutral spirit with the desired flavor components and then often sweetening the final product, resulting in the diverse selection of liqueurs available in the market.

Other spirits like Cognac, brandy, and whiskey can indeed be used to make specific types of liqueurs; however, they are more characteristic of flavored variants that retain their own inherent flavors. Therefore, while they can certainly serve as bases for particular liqueurs, they are not as universally applied as neutral spirits, which is why neutral spirit is regarded as the most common choice in the production of liqueurs.