Liqueurs

Peach Liqueur

Peach liqueur here means crème de pêche, a French liqueur made by steeping peaches in spirit, generally bottled between 16 and 20% ABV. It is darker and more orchard-like than peach schnapps, the clear, sweeter bottle that the Oxford Companion ties to the cocktails of the 1970s and 1980s, which has its own page. We use it in small measures where old recipes name peach brandy: the Fish House Punch and the Missionary's Downfall.

Quick Facts

ABV20% ABVCrème de pêche runs about 16 to 20%; Giffard’s crème de pêche de vigne is 16% on its maker’s site.

Legal categoryLiqueur

OriginFrance, chiefly the Loire and Burgundy

Flavour Strengthlight medium

SeasonSpring / Summer

Our keeping timeYears unopened. Once opened, a year or more kept sealed and out of the light; the fruit and aromatics fade first.

Storage

Store upright in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. Reseal tightly after use.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens. Recipes vary by brand: check the bottle.

The ingredient

About Peach Liqueur

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

PeachStone fruitSweetLight floral

Tasting Notes

Cooked peach and apricot, sweet and rounded, with a faint stone note at the finish.

Peach liqueur is fruit steeped in spirit

Crème de pêche begins as ripe peaches macerating in spirit; the fruit is pressed and the liquid sugared. Giffard bottles its crème de pêche de vigne, an infusion of vineyard peaches, at 16%. The colour comes from the fruit, so it runs gold to amber.

Three bottles answer to the word peach

A recipe that says peach can mean any of three things, and they are not interchangeable. Peach schnapps is the clear, sweeter liqueur that the Oxford Companion ties to the cocktails of the 1970s and 1980s; peach brandy, in old recipes, is a dry fruit spirit.

Crème de pêche, peach schnapps and peach brandy (sugar and the flavouring rule from Regulation (EC) No 110/2008; Archers’ strength from its maker’s site; other strengths are typical, and the rest is ours)

What it is

Crème de pêche: Peaches steeped in spirit, sweetened
Peach schnapps: Neutral spirit flavoured with peach, sweetened
Peach brandy (fruit spirit): Spirit distilled from peaches

Sugar

Crème de pêche: At least 250 g a litre if sold as a crème
Peach schnapps: At least 100 g a litre (a liqueur)
Peach brandy (fruit spirit): Dry; the law forbids flavouring

Strength

Crème de pêche: Usually 16 to 20%
Peach schnapps: Usually 15 to 20%; Archers is 18%
Peach brandy (fruit spirit): Spirit strength

Colour

Crème de pêche: Gold to amber
Peach schnapps: Clear
Peach brandy (fruit spirit): Clear

Our drinks

Crème de pêche: Fish House Punch, Missionary’s Downfall
Peach schnapps: Sex on the Beach, Woo Woo
Peach brandy (fruit spirit): None; the old punches named it

	Crème de pêche	Peach schnapps	Peach brandy (fruit spirit)
What it is	Peaches steeped in spirit, sweetened	Neutral spirit flavoured with peach, sweetened	Spirit distilled from peaches
Sugar	At least 250 g a litre if sold as a crème	At least 100 g a litre (a liqueur)	Dry; the law forbids flavouring
Strength	Usually 16 to 20%	Usually 15 to 20%; Archers is 18%	Spirit strength
Colour	Gold to amber	Clear	Clear
Our drinks	Fish House Punch, Missionary’s Downfall	Sex on the Beach, Woo Woo	None; the old punches named it

The difference shows in the glass. Schnapps leaves a long drink clear and reads as tinned peach; crème de pêche turns it gold and reads as cooked fruit with a hint of stone. In a punch already built on rum and cognac, schnapps would add sugar and little else.

It stands in for peach brandy in two old drinks

The Fish House Punch is an old punch whose early recipes call for peach brandy. We pour 15ml of liqueur with dark rum and cognac at 45ml and 30ml, then lemon, demerara syrup and cold tea, and keep the measure small because the liqueur is sweet where the brandy was dry.

The Missionary's Downfall follows Jeff Berry's recipe, which also names peach brandy. Here 15ml goes into the blender with white rum, lime, honey syrup, pineapple and mint, and a thin, synthetic liqueur leaves the drink sweet and hollow.

Using it

Using Peach Liqueur

Usage

Every recipe of ours takes 15ml. In the Fish House Punch it stands in for the peach brandy of the old recipes, alongside dark rum and cognac; in the Missionary's Downfall it goes into the blender with rum, lime, honey syrup, pineapple and mint. It sweetens, so neither drink needs much syrup.

Pro Tip

In a Missionary's Downfall, add the pineapple first and the mint last, then blend at high speed for no more than 20 seconds, stopping as soon as the drink is smooth and pale green. Longer only warms it.

Top Tips

Check which bottle you have: a crème de pêche is darker and less sugary than a clear peach schnapps.
Keep the measure at 15ml. A larger pour turns a punch from fruit-led to sweet.
If an old recipe asks for peach brandy, a peach eau de vie is the dry spirit it meant; the liqueur adds sugar the recipe did not have.
Taste a punch after the liqueur goes in and before the syrup, then add syrup to taste.

Possible Substitutions

Apricot Brandy: A liqueur despite the name: stone fruit with an almond edge

Production Method

Peaches macerated in spirit, pressed, then sugared; labelled crème de pêche, it has 250g or more of sugar in each litre.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is peach liqueur?

A liqueur of peaches macerated in spirit, then sugared. The French style, crème de pêche, is golden to amber, at 16 to 20% ABV in most bottles, and tastes of cooked stone fruit. Giffard’s crème de pêche de vigne is 16% on its maker’s site. It usually goes into a drink at 15ml.

Is peach liqueur the same as peach schnapps?

They overlap under Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, since both are liqueurs, but they are made for different jobs. Peach schnapps is clear, sweeter and built from flavoured spirit for long drinks with juice. Crème de pêche is steeped from fruit and darker. Our Sex on the Beach wants schnapps; our Fish House Punch wants the crème.

What is peach brandy?

In old American recipes, a dry spirit distilled from peaches, now hard to find. Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 forbids flavouring a fruit spirit, so it is a different thing from a liqueur. Recipes that once named it, such as the Fish House Punch, now usually take a smaller measure of peach liqueur.

How strong is peach liqueur?

Most crème de pêche sits between 16 and 20%; our recipes reckon it at 20%. At 15ml in a Fish House Punch with 45ml of dark rum and 30ml of cognac, it adds little of the alcohol and most of the peach. A peach eau de vie at spirit strength is a different measure altogether.

What can I use instead of peach liqueur?

Apricot brandy, which in Britain is a liqueur despite its name, gives a similar stone-fruit note with an almond edge. Peach schnapps also works; pour a little less, as it is sweeter. Peach purée brings the fruit without alcohol, though it thickens the drink and needs more acid.

How long does peach liqueur keep once opened?

Well over a year in a cupboard with the cap on. Nothing in it spoils; the fresh peach aroma is what slowly fades, leaving it flatter and sweeter. A cool spot is enough, and the fridge does no harm.

What drinks use peach liqueur?

Among our recipes, the Fish House Punch, an old punch of dark rum, cognac, lemon, demerara syrup and cold black tea, and the Missionary's Downfall, a tiki drink made in the blender with white rum, lime, honey syrup, pineapple and mint. Both take 15ml.

Sources.

Checked between 16 October and 19 October 2026.

Giffard, “Crème de Pêche de vigne (Vineyard Peach)” (producer’s product page (16%; infusion of vineyard peaches)).
The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (Rosie Schaap), “schnapps” (secondary source: the artificial American style, sweetened and flavoured; peach schnapps in Sex on the Beach and the Woo Woo, cocktails of the 1970s and 1980s).
legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex II (retained)”.
Archers, “Archers” (producer’s product page (18%)).

Make something

Made with Peach Liqueur

Featured In These Cocktails

Fish House Punch Missionary’s Downfall

Often Used With

Updated 19 October 2026

Back to Ingredients Guide