Apricot brandy substitutes

This is the closest thing to real apricot you can get, and in a glaze it is often better than the bottle because the pectin in the jam helps it set to a shine.

Best for

cake glazes, Sachertorte-style apricot layers, fruit tart glaze, pastry brushing, sauces

Sieve it or the fruit shreds will show through a mirror glaze. It is much thicker than the liqueur, so it is not usable in a clear cocktail. Warm it before brushing or it will drag the cake crumb.

Peach reads as apricot's rounder, softer cousin, and peach schnapps has a similar sugar level and a similar stone-fruit aroma.

Best for

cocktails, tiki drinks, punches, cake soaks, fruit salads

Noticeably candy-sweet and less tart than apricot, so a drink comes out a little flabby. A squeeze of lemon juice, about a quarter teaspoon per ounce, restores the sharpness apricot naturally has.

Orange rather than stone fruit, but the same job: bright sweetness, a fruit aroma and enough alcohol to lift the other flavours.

Best for

tiki drinks, cocktails with citrus, cake soaks, cream fillings

The drink or dessert will taste clearly of orange peel instead of apricot. In a Fogcutter or a Pendennis Club style drink that already has lemon and gin in it, most people would not flag it. In an apricot tart glaze it is the wrong flavour.

A straight rebuild: spirit for the warmth, nectar for the fruit, sugar for the body a liqueur has and a spirit does not.

Best for

cocktails, baking, poaching liquids, marinades, sauces

The closest match on flavour of any option here, and it works in clear drinks as long as the nectar is a clear one. Dissolve the sugar into the nectar first or you will get grit at the bottom of the glass.

Amaretto's almond-and-marzipan flavour overlaps with apricot because apricot kernels carry the same bitter-almond note.

Best for

baking, almond and apricot tarts, whipped cream, glazes on dark cake

Much sweeter and much more almond-forward, hence the reduced measure. It works surprisingly well anywhere apricot and almond already appear together, such as a frangipane tart, and badly in a savoury glaze.

Simmer apricot nectar or thinned apricot preserves until it has reduced by about half, so it is concentrated and slightly syrupy.

Best for

alcohol-free baking, glazes, mocktails, sauces, cooking for children

Fruit flavour is excellent and it glazes well. What is missing is the alcohol, which normally carries aroma and keeps a glaze from tasting purely of jam. Add a quarter teaspoon of lemon juice per quarter cup to keep it from tasting flat and cloying.