Silverton, Oregon · An Oregon Original
Üla Changes
Everything
Oregon craft orange liqueur. Three oranges layered over Northwest local sugar.
Sweet orange. Bitter Seville. Tangerine. The orange you would lean across the bar for, made bright and brave on the wrong side of a Pacific Northwest winter.
The Three Oranges
Three peels.
One bottle.
Most orange liqueurs are an idea of orange. Üla is three of them, layered, each doing a different job in the glass.
No. 01
Sweet Orange
the bodyRound. Full. Generous. The base note that carries the rest of the bottle without ever feeling thin.
No. 02
Bitter Seville
the argumentThe edge. The complexity. The bitter peel that keeps the sweet honest and gives Üla the structural backbone a real cocktail demands.
No. 03
Tangerine
the liftBright. Fragrant. The high note on the nose, the thing that pulls you in before you have even tasted anything.
Three oranges where you would expect one. The combination is the entire point.
The Liqueur
An Oregon craft orange liqueur,
built on local sugar.
Üla is a small-batch orange liqueur from Abiqua Spirit Distillery in Silverton, Oregon. It is bottled at 80 proof, which is stronger than most orange liqueurs on an Oregon shelf, and it has body to match. The body is most of what we set out to get right. An orange liqueur that thins out the moment it meets ice is not an orange liqueur we want to pour.
Sweet orange peel, bitter Seville, and tangerine, layered over Northwest local sugar. Brighter and braver than the orange you know. Bottled by hand in Silverton, every release.
80
Proof
40%
ABV
750ml
Bottle
Ag
SFWSC Silver 2019
The Ingredient
Built around Üla.
Not the other way.
"Every cocktail in our book that calls for orange liqueur is a cocktail we designed around Üla. The three oranges, the body, the bright finish. If you swap the bottle, you are making a different drink."
Orange liqueur is usually a utility ingredient. A splash of this, a float of that. Something to round out a drink that was really about the gin or the tequila. We love those drinks. That is not what Üla is for.
Üla is the bottle our book is built around. The Cosmo we write, the NW Bespoke Bliss a friend built at our counter, the Willamette Sunrise Martini a chef put on his menu, they only work because Üla is doing the work it does. Three oranges where you would expect one. Brightness where you would expect a syrup. Body where you would expect thin.
If you want to see how Üla compares to triple sec, curaçao, Cointreau, and Grand Marnier in plain English, read our Orange Liqueur vs Triple Sec vs Curaçao guide.
Tasting Notes
How Üla reads in the glass.
Orange liqueur tasting notes from a bottle built on three real oranges. Sweet up front, bitter Seville in the middle, tangerine on the lift.
Nose
Sweet orange, tangerine, dried peel
Palate
Bitter Seville, clean sweetness
Finish
Long, soft, bright, never cloying
Body
Carries a cocktail, pours neat
Recognition
A fair second opinion.
Silver Medal
San Francisco World
Spirits Competition 2019
"Medals aren't the point. But when a panel in San Francisco sits with the pour and says the body and the peel are doing what you built them to do, you pay attention." — From the Distillery
In the Glass
Cocktails built around Üla.
Seventeen cocktails in our book feature Üla. Here are five that show what the bottle can actually do.
Where to Buy
Find a bottle of Üla.
We do not sell direct. Üla is carried at Oregon liquor stores statewide.
Oregon Liquor Search
The fastest way to find Üla at a store near you. Search by city, zip, or store name and confirm availability before you drive out.
Find a BottleSilverton Liquor
Our hometown store, a few blocks from where Üla came together. They carry every release and most of the time they know us by name.
Visit Silverton LiquorQuestions
Orange Liqueur, briefly.
What is orange liqueur?
Orange liqueur is a spirit flavored with the peel of bitter or sweet oranges, sweetened, and bottled between 30% and 40% ABV. It is a core building block in a huge share of classic cocktails, from the Margarita and the Cosmopolitan to the Sidecar and the Kamikaze. Üla is an Oregon-made orange liqueur at 40% ABV, built on three oranges (sweet, bitter Seville, and tangerine) layered over Northwest local sugar.
What makes Üla distinctive?
Üla layers three oranges over Northwest local sugar: sweet, bitter Seville, and tangerine. Brighter and braver than the orange you know, with body to carry a cocktail rather than sit behind the spirit in it. Every recipe we publish that calls for orange liqueur is a recipe we designed around Üla specifically.
Is Üla a substitute for Cointreau or triple sec?
No. Üla is its own ingredient. We do not position it as a substitute for triple sec or Cointreau. Every cocktail in our book that calls for orange liqueur is a recipe built around Üla: three layered oranges, body that carries the drink, and a finish that holds. Pour it where a recipe asks for orange liqueur and the cocktail will be brighter and more complete. For a side-by-side breakdown, read our Orange Liqueur vs Triple Sec vs Curaçao guide.
What cocktails can I make with Üla Orange Liqueur?
Üla works in any cocktail that calls for orange liqueur. In our book that includes the Cosmopolitan, the Kamikaze, the Lemon Drop, the Pink Martini, the Bronx Cocktail, Damn the Weather, the Blue Angel, and house originals like the NW Bespoke Bliss and the Willamette Sunrise Martini. Seventeen recipes in total, all in our full cocktail book.
Where can I buy Üla Orange Liqueur?
Üla is carried at Oregon liquor stores statewide. Use Oregon Liquor Search to locate a bottle near you. In Silverton, find us at Silverton Liquor. We do not currently sell direct to consumers.
What does Üla taste like?
The nose lifts bright with sweet orange and tangerine. The palate carries the bitter edge of Seville orange through clean sweetness. The finish is long, soft, and never cloying. Üla has body that a lot of orange liqueurs do not, which is most of why it reads so well in a cocktail.
What is good to mix with orange liqueur?
Vodka and fresh lime for a Cosmopolitan. Tequila and fresh lime for a Margarita. Cognac and lemon for a Sidecar. Whiskey and bitters for a complex twist. Orange liqueur sits at the center of more classic cocktails than almost any other ingredient, and Üla holds its own in every one. For a low-key pour, try Üla over a single large rock with a wide curl of orange peel.
How do you make a cocktail with orange liqueur?
Most orange liqueur cocktails follow one of two patterns. Pattern one: shake with citrus and a base spirit, strain into a chilled coupe (Cosmopolitan, Margarita, Sidecar, Kamikaze). Pattern two: stir with a heavier spirit and bitters, strain over a rock (Bronx Cocktail, Pink Martini twist). With Üla you do not need to compensate with extra sugar or extra citrus, the three-orange layering already carries the drink.