Our Favourite Canadian-Made Cream Liqueurs

While we'll be the first to tell you that homemade Irish cream is both delicious and very easy to make, we also know that a bottle of something locally made, perhaps with a unique flavour twist, can also make a lovely gift or addition to your own nightcap entertaining lineup. For this holiday season, we tasted our way through a whole range of Canadian-made cream liqueurs to single out the cream of the crop, so to speak. Lucky us: they weren't that hard to find! Here are our favourites for every type of occasion.

Best for Coffee: Broken Oak Brûlée Bliss

A little on the sweeter side, this vanilla-forward liqueur, from Grande Prairie, Alta., pours like a dream into a cup of black coffee. $46, latitude55.ca.

Best for Sipping on the Rocks: JD Shore Rum Cream 

Halifax Distilling Co. makes one of the most delicious cream-based liqueurs we’ve tried, bar none. Boozy, extra creamy and tinged with a subtle spiciness from the rum base, it’s perfect for serving in a short glass with ice. $35, jdshore.ca. 

Best for Dessert Drizzle: Hansen Distillery Morning Glory

Thick, rich and laced with chocolate and hazelnut, this Edmonton, Alta.-brewed cream treat has a dessert-coffee kick that would make an excellent ice cream topping or affogato booster. $32, hansendistillery.com.

Best Signature Flavour: Cabot Trail Maple Cream

Sweet and subtle, this made-in-Quebec cream liqueur has maple syrup’s rich, full flavour without a cloying or artificial taste. $35, lcbo.com.

Best Dairy Taste: Vodkow Classic Vanilla Cream

This vodka-based cream sipper, made in Almonte, Ont., had the freshest dairy flavour of the roster we tried. Bonus: it’s lactose-free. $35, lcbo.com.

Best Crowd Pleaser: Forty Creek Original Cream

With its strong rye notes, this is the ideal analogue for lovers of traditional Irish whisky cream. Forty Creek—based in Niagara-on-the-Lake—was purchased by Campari Group in 2014, but it hasn’t lost its Ontario roots. $34, lcbo.com.

Best for a Sweet Tooth: PJ’s Original Cream

This Belleville, Ont.-made bottle is the sweetest option of the bunch—perfect for adding a touch of vanilla cream to a hot chocolate. $34, lcbo.com.