99 Liqueur Watermelon

99 Liqueur Watermelon is a fruit-flavored liqueur, and that sets what you should expect from it. The listing places it in the whiskey category, but nothing in the product details describes a bourbon, rye, Scotch or Irish whiskey, so there are no stated notes of grain, char, oak or smoke. Liqueurs of this type are usually sweet, bright and plainly fruit-forward. Expect a ripe watermelon aroma with a candied edge, a syrupy body, and a short, sweet finish. ABV and any production details aren't given here, so check the bottle label for those. Because of that sweetness, it works best cold. Serve it chilled straight from the fridge or freezer, or pour it over ice in a rocks glass if you want it slightly diluted. A Glencairn glass is meant for nosing aged spirits and adds little here, so use a small cordial glass or a shot glass for chilled pours. Neat sipping at room temperature tends to make liqueurs like this taste heavier and sweeter than they do cold. It is more useful as a mixer than as a sipper. Liqueurs like this combine easily with lemon or lime juice and soda water for a tall, light watermelon highball, and with vodka or white rum for a simple fruit cocktail. A small measure can also add fruit sweetness to a whiskey sour, in place of part of the simple syrup. In that drink, add the liqueur gradually and keep the lemon juice generous so the sugar doesn't take over. It isn't a natural fit for an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan, where the spirit's own oak and spice are the point and a sweet melon liqueur would work against them. For food, think of the same things you would pair with fresh watermelon: salty cheeses such as feta, grilled or cured meats, and spicy dishes, which the cold sweetness offsets well.