Advocaat
Advocaat is a Dutch egg liqueur made from egg yolks, sugar and brandy, 17.2% ABV for Warninks on Difford’s Guide’s listing, and Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, retained in UK law, requires at least 140g of egg yolk a litre. Difford’s Guide compares its texture to custard or eggnog. It contains egg, and it is the custard in the Snowball and the Fluffy Duck.
Quick Facts
We keep it refrigerated once opened, cap on. Unopened, cool and out of the light.
Contains: eggs. Some brands also contain milk: check the bottle.
About Advocaat
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Sweet vanilla custard with a brandy warmth.
An egg liqueur, defined by its yolk
UK spirit drinks law has a category for advocaat by name: an egg liqueur made from spirit, egg yolk, egg white and sugar or honey, at least 14% ABV, with at least 150g of sugar and 140g of egg yolk a litre. A looser “liqueur with egg” needs only 70g of yolk and 15% ABV. Difford’s Guide lists Warninks at 17.2% and Bols at 20%.
Rich as custard, and pourable
Difford’s Guide describes a rich, creamy liqueur with a texture reminiscent of custard or eggnog, and the Oxford Companion says Dutch advocaat for the export market is practically identical to German Eierlikör, a pourable drink taken chilled or mixed. Warninks and Bols are among the makers. Either way it contains egg, and some brands add milk.
Advocaat beside the drinks it is confused with (legal minimums from Regulation (EC) No 110/2008; the advocaat strength is Warninks’ on Difford’s Guide’s listing; Baileys figures from its own site; the other keeping notes are ours or the label’s)
Advocaat (egg liqueur)
- ABV
- At least 14%; Warninks 17.2%
- Egg yolk
- At least 140g a litre
- Allergens
- Egg; some add milk
- Keeping
- Fridge once opened
Liqueur with egg
- ABV
- At least 15%
- Egg yolk
- At least 70g a litre
- Allergens
- Egg
- Keeping
- As the label says
Irish cream
- ABV
- 17% (Baileys)
- Egg yolk
- None
- Allergens
- Milk
- Keeping
- Baileys: two years from bottling
Eggnog
- ABV
- Depends on the spirit
- Egg yolk
- Fresh egg
- Allergens
- Egg, milk
- Keeping
- Made to serve
| Bottle or drink | ABV | Egg yolk | Allergens | Keeping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advocaat (egg liqueur) | At least 14%; Warninks 17.2% | At least 140g a litre | Egg; some add milk | Fridge once opened |
| Liqueur with egg | At least 15% | At least 70g a litre | Egg | As the label says |
| Irish cream | 17% (Baileys) | None | Milk | Baileys: two years from bottling |
| Eggnog | Depends on the spirit | Fresh egg | Egg, milk | Made to serve |
The Snowball needs its lime
The Snowball shakes 50ml of advocaat hard with 10ml of fresh lime juice for 10 to 12 seconds, strains it over ice and tops it with sparkling lemonade. Advocaat brings every gram of the sugar and lemonade adds more, so the lime is what keeps it from cloying. The Fluffy Duck takes it towards orange, with gin, triple sec and juice under soda.
Two stories for one name
One account, Difford’s Guide says, has Dutch colonists in the Caribbean making a drink from avocado and rebuilding it at home with egg yolks, the Portuguese abacate becoming advocate and then advocaat. The other, which Difford’s Guide says the Oxford English Dictionary favours, takes the word at face value: advocaat is Dutch for lawyer, and the drink was first considered a lawyer’s drink, in the 1930s. Neither is proven.
Using Advocaat
Usage
Shaken hard at 50ml with 10ml of lime, then topped with sparkling lemonade, for a Snowball; shaken at 30ml with gin, triple sec and orange juice and lengthened with soda for a Fluffy Duck. Shake the bottle before measuring, and shake the drink hard to loosen it.
Pro Tip
Shake the advocaat with the lime before any lemonade goes near it. The hard shake loosens the custard, so it mixes with the soda instead of sitting in a band at the bottom.
Top Tips
- Shake the bottle before measuring. The emulsion settles as it stands.
- Scrape the jigger with a barspoon. Thick advocaat clings, and a short measure leaves the drink thin.
- We keep an opened bottle in the fridge and keep to the producer’s date.
- Buy the pourable style for drinks. The thick Dutch style needs a spoon.
Possible Substitutions
- Another pourable advocaat: the only close swap
- Eggnog: thinner, and made with milk or cream, so it adds dairy
Production Method
Egg yolks, sugar or honey and a spirit, usually brandy, worked into a smooth emulsion; some styles add vanilla or cream. The thick Dutch style uses yolks only; export styles use whole eggs and pour.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is advocaat?
How strong is advocaat?
Does advocaat need to be refrigerated once opened?
Can someone with an egg allergy drink advocaat?
Why is it called advocaat?
What goes in a Snowball?
Is advocaat the same as eggnog?
Sources.
Checked between 16 October and 19 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex II (retained)”.
- Difford’s Guide, “Advocaat (Eierlikör)” (secondary source: Warninks 17.2%, Bols 20%; the avocado and lawyer accounts of the name).
- Baileys, “Frequently Asked Questions” (producer’s FAQ (17% ABV; two years from bottling)).
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (Matthew Rowley), “egg liqueurs” (secondary source: Dutch advocaat for the export market is practically identical to German Eierlikör; the Snowball).
From the Guides
Made with Advocaat
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Updated 19 October 2026