Liquors

A distilled, alcoholic beverage made from a fermented mash of various ingredients including grains or other plants. Whiskey, gin, vodka and rum are among the most popular. Alcoholic beverage most often distilled, rather than fermented.

BRANDY - Brandy is distilled from a fermented mash of grapes (such as Armagnac) or other fruit (such as the apple-based Calvados) and the aged in white oak casks at least two years and usually bottled at 80 proof. While grapes are used for traditional brandy, the liquor can be distilled from other fruits such as apples, apricots, cherries, and peaches. The name "brandy" comes from the Dutch brandewijn, meaning "burned (distilled) wine."

Brandy is often enjoyed on its own. It's popularly featured in several classic cocktails and tends to be used in drinks that include just a few ingredients. However, many modern brandy recipes break this mold and experiment with brandy in some unique flavor combinations.

Many varieties of brandies have their own specific names:

Applejack - An apple brandy produced principally in the United States and France. A version produced in Normandy, Calvados, is of very high quality. Also known as "Jersey lightning" and "hard cider". Made from winter apples, a great deal of applejack produced in the Unites States is of the homemade variety, and thus of widely varying quality.

Armagnac - grape brandy from the Pays de Gascogne in south-west France. Armagnac is similar to Cognac, but with a drier taste. It is the oldest brandy (and liquor) recorded to be still distilled in the world. In 1310, Prior Vital du Four, a cardinal, wrote of its 40 virtues. In the past it was consumed as other liquors for its therapeutic benefits. Armagnac can be consumed whenever the mood strikes, but it’s often preferred after a meal as a digestif.

Borouvicka - A Czechoslovakian juniper brandy which tastes similar to dry gin.

Calvados - One of the world's great brands of apple brandy. Produced in Normandy.

Cognac - Cognac is an exceptionally smooth brandy with a heady dry aroma. It is a type of brandy that is produced only in the Cognac region of western France and is universally recognized as the finest of all brandies and the most elegant liqueur in the world. Not a drop of any other wine or brandy is ever allowed to enter a bottle of Cognac. The Cognac region is divided into six districts, with the Cognac of Grand Champagne considered the best. Cognac is coded on the label by the following letters: V (very), S (superior), O (old), P (pale), E (extra or especial), F (fine), X (extra). French law states that Cognac with 3 stars be aged at least 1 years old to be rated VS & 4 years to be rated VSOP (although 7-10 years is pretty common). By French law the words Extra, Napoleon, Reserve and Vieille may not appear on the label unless the cognac has been aged at least 5 years.

Grappa - An Italian brandy distilled from the pulpy mass of skins, seed, stalks left in the wine press after the juice of the grapes have been extracted, the residue of wine-making. Young grappa is fairly fiery, but mellows with age.

Marc - made from grape skins, stems, seeds etc., the residue of wine-making (French)

Metaxa - A strong, sharp-tasting, aromatic Greek grape brandy.

Pisco - clear grape brandy from South America

Slivovitz - A brandy made from plums, fermented and distilled. Very high alcohol content.

Some useful brandy terms:

V.S. - stands for Very Special; minimum age of any brandy in the blend is 3 years, also known as three-star
V.S.O.P. - stands for Very Special Old Pale; five years old
X.O. - stands for Extra Old; six years and older
NAPOLEAN BRANDY: The term is related to age and usually means a cognac that is at least 5 years old.

GIN - Gin is basically grain alcohol, mostly corn (75%) with some malted barley (15%) and other grains (10%) thrown in. It is then redistilled with or through juniper berries and botanicals such as coriander seed, cassia bark, orange peels, fennel seeds, anise, caraway, angelica root, inis root, licorice, lemon peel, almonds, cassia bark, cardoman seeds, cinnamon bark, bergamot and cocoa. It is this secondary process that imparts to each gin its particular taste. Gin is typically unaged.

Most of the gin now produced is London dry, which is clean light, unsweet, (the majority of which is made in England and America) and perfect for making for martinis. The Dutch still produce a sweeter, more robust version of their own called Hollands gin, which, while is unsuitable for mixing purposes, is drunk neat and cold. Holland's gin, also known as genever or jenever gin, is a Dutch product that tastes very different from other gins because it's made with a large proportion of barley malt. Gin does not require aging. The first Dutch gin was used as medicine.

Gin is herbal and dry. The primary flavor that defines gin comes from juniper berries, which impart its signature "piney" aroma and taste. The older style of gins (e.g., genever, Old Tom, Plymouth) have a gentle sweetness. Gin's dry profile makes it a perfect candidate for dry (non-sweet) cocktails, including many classics and martinis. It is a nice base for cocktails with just a few ingredients and pairs well with lighter mixers and fruits and naturally works well with herbs.

Holland GI (Genievive) - The type of old-style gin still produced and favored by the Dutch. Hollands gin is hearty, robust, and sweet, not for mixing. The Dutch like it cold and neat, often with herring.

London Dry Gin - The type of clear dry gin popular in Britain and the United States, highly suited to mixing drinks in general and martinis in particular.

Steinhager - A German gin

RUM - Rum can be made from 2 different raw materials: it can be distilled directly from the fermented juice of crushed sugar cane, or, once the sugar is extracted, it can be made from the remaining molasses. Some rums contain dunder, which is a residue from the previous distillation and makes for a more pungent product.

Three main types of rum are made in the West Indies today. Very light (white or silver) rums hail from the Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico. These require little aging and are relatively tasteless and odorless. Golden rum, also known as anejo, though still of the light-bodied type, has more taste and pronounced character. Darker, aromatic, full bodied rums such as Myer's are produced in Jamaica. These are distilled by a slower and different fermentation process, which allows for a fuller richer, molasses like body to develop. All rum is colorless when first distilled, and those that are aged for only a year are often colored with caramel. Even heavy bodied rums that are aged in charred oak casks for as long as twenty years are subject to artificial coloring. Medium and heavy bodied rums are usually aged between two and twenty years.

Most of the world's rum comes from the Caribbean. Puerto Rico's white or silver rum is clear and light in body and flavor. The Puerto Rican golden and amber rums have a deeper color and a flavor to match. Dark, rich and full-bodied best describes Jamaican and Cuban rums. The sugarcane that grows along Guyana's Demerara River produces the darkest, strongest and richest of all, Demerara rum.

Rum has a sweet toasted sugar taste that varies by style and region. Rum's sweeter flavor makes it one of the more versatile spirits. It was among the first liquors to be mixed into drinks, so there are some excellent classic rum cocktails to choose from. It is the obvious base for tropical drinks and appears in several warm cocktails. This slightly sweet liquor is used in a variety of cocktails including the Cuba Libre, Mai Tai, Daiquiri and Piña Colada.

Bacardi - The single best selling brand of rum or any other liquor in the United States. A light bodied rum, Bacardi was formerly made in Cuba and is now Manufactured in the Puerto Rico and several other places. The original Bacardi plant in 1862 was a tin roof shed housing a cast iron still, a few fermenting tanks, a few aging barrels and a colony of fruit bats nesting in the rafters, hence the bat logo on every label.

Golden Rum - Also known as anejo, a light-bodied rum of golden color from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. This rum, though still of the light bodied type, has more taste and pronounced character than white rum.

Light Rum - Rums lighter in body though not necessarily in color than their dark, heavy-bodied Jamaican cousins. Light rums may be white, "silver", or golden in color. They usually hail from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Virgin Islands.

Jamaican Rum - Full-bodied, pungent rum, dark in color, and decidedly heavier and richer in taste than light bodied rums produced elsewhere in the Caribbean. High-quality Jamaican rums, such as Myer's, are usually drunk straight.

TEQUILA - A colorless or pale straw-colored liquor made by fermenting and distilling the sweet sap of the mezcal plant (specifically the blue agave). True tequila is produced in a very small region of Mexico, around the town of Tequila in the state of Jalisco, thus the name. Tequila must be distilled at least twice, and quality gold tequilas are aged in wood three years. Jose Cuervo, a high quality tequila is widely available in the United States and is usually drunk straight. Harsher, white tequilas are often treated with the "three pals" or los tres cuates treatment, in which the participant takes a good lick of salt from the back of his hand, knocks back a slug of tequila, and then quickly sucks on a lemon or lime slice.

The tequilas that have met the Mexican standard of quality are stamped DGN on the label. Mezcals are not regulated like tequila is and often harsher tasting, plus there's the worm in the bottom. Most tequilas imported to the United States range from 80 to 86 proof, although some versions are over 100 proof. Tequila can only be made in Mexico. Agave spirits produced outside of Mexico cannot be labeled "tequila."

Most tequila has a vegetal, earthy flavor with semi-sweet and spicy tones. Tequila has a great flavor profile that mixes well into a variety of cocktails. There are, of course, the margaritas and frozen cocktails in which tequila is mixed with any fruit imaginable. It also makes a perfect base for spicy cocktails and is very popular for party shots. Tequila is the base liquor in the popular Margarita cocktail.

Tequilas of various styles

The two basic categories of tequila are mixtos and 100% agave. Mixtos use no less than 51% agave, with other sugars making up the remainder. Mixtos use both glucose and fructose sugars.

Tequila is usually bottled in one of five categories:

Blanco [ˈblaŋko] ("white") or plata [ˈplata] ("silver"): also known as Silver or Plata, is the purest form of tequila. Unaged or aged for up to two months, Blanco tequila showcases the true essence of the blue agave plant. Its clear color and strong, pure agave flavor make it the ideal choice for tequila enthusiasts who appreciate the spirit's natural taste. Blanco tequila is perfect for use in cocktails, like the classic margarita, where its bold flavor shines through.

Joven [ˈxoβen] ("young") or oro [ˈoɾo] ("gold"): unaged silver tequila that may be flavored with caramel coloring, oak extract, glycerin, or sugar-based syrup. Could also be the result of blending silver tequila with aged or extra-aged

Reposado [repoˈsaðo] ("rested"): Reposado tequila strikes a balance between the pure agave flavor of Blanco and the more refined taste of Añejo. Aged in oak barrels for a period of two months to one year, Reposado tequila develops a light golden hue and a smoother taste with a subtle oak influence. The aging process imparts a delicate complexity to the spirit, making it suitable for both sipping and mixing in cocktails. Reposado tequila is an excellent choice for those looking to explore the nuanced flavors that aging can bring to tequila.

Añejo [aˈɲexo] ("aged" or "vintage"): aged for at least one year but less than three years in small oak barrels, offers a more refined and sophisticated flavor profile. The longer aging period results in a darker color, smoother taste, and more complex aroma compared to Blanco and Reposado tequilas. Añejo is often enjoyed neat or on the rocks, allowing the spirit's intricacies to be savored fully. For those seeking a more mature and elegant tequila experience, Añejo is an excellent choice. Like other aged spirits, añejos are an ideal drink for celebrations and special occasions, enjoyed by many for their smooth taste.

Extra Añejo ("extra aged" or "ultra aged"): also known as Ultra Aged, is considered the smoothest type of tequila due to its extended aging period of a minimum of three years in oak barrels. This lengthy aging process imparts a richer, more complex flavor and aroma to the spirit, resulting in a smoother and more enjoyable sipping experience. Extra Añejo tequila is ideal for those who appreciate the art of aged spirits and the intricate flavors that develop over time. This category was established in March 2006.

With 100% agave tequila, blanco or plata is harsher with the bold flavors of the distilled agave up front, while reposado and añejo are smoother, subtler, and more complex. As with other spirits aged in casks, tequila takes on the flavors of the wood, while the harshness of the alcohol mellows. The major flavor distinction with 100% agave tequila is the base ingredient, which is more vegetal than grain spirits (and often more complex).

VODKA - A clear, colorless, unaged liquor originally made in Russia from potatoes. Today's vodka, which is almost odorless and tasteless, is usually made from other ingredients such as corn, wheat or rye. The grain is crushed and mixed with water to produce the mash, which is then infused with yeast. Once fermentation takes place, it is then put through a continuous still to obtain the purest possible grain-nuetral spirit. Water is added to reduce its alcoholic content to 40 or 50% (80 or 100 proof). Vodka is rarely aged.

By United States law, vodka must be colorless, odorless, and tasteless, a combination that has made it the great universal mixer of our time and the most popular selling spirit today with 18% of the market. Vodka was unknown in the U.S. 40 years ago and yet it has been around since the 14th century in Russia when at one time there were 4000 brands available. That and the fact that it is less likely to induce a hangover or show up on ones breath than other varieties of alcoholic drinks have combined to make it the most popular spirit in the United States.

Vodka's neutral taste makes it the most versatile spirit available today. Vodka cocktails include almost every imaginable flavor profile, from sweet to savory, fruits to herbs, and spices to sparkling mixers. Martinis and shooters are popular vodka drinks as well. Vodka is integral to many cocktails such as the Screwdriver, Bloody Mary and Vodka Martini. If served straight, it should always be icy-cold. Flavored vodkas have become popular in the United States and may be flavored with anything from fruits to hot peppers. Some flavored vodkas are even sweetened slightly.

Absolut - A high quality vodka of Swedish manufacture, most commonly and appropriately taken unmixed. Now available flavored with lemon, blackberry, and peppers.

Aquavi (Akvavit) - Scandanavian Vodka flavored with caraway, dill and other herbs and spices.

Finlandia - a high-proof (94) popular vodka imported from Finland.

Stolichnaya - A high quality vodka produced in the Soviet Union and favored by many serious vodka drinkers on the other side of the iron curtain, where they enjoy vodka without mixers of any type. Some store their Stoli in the freezer, where it thickens up slightly, and serve it in chilled liqueur glasses.

WHISKEY - The Irish invented it and in Gaelic, it means "the water of life". An alcoholic distillate obtained from a fermented mash of malted grains such as barley, rye or corn. There are many varieties of whiskey-or whisky, as it's spelled in England, Scotland and Canada. The final result is affected by many factors including the water, type of grain, how the grain is treated and processed and the aging. Straight whiskeys are bottled from the casks in which they are aged, with water added to reduce their proof.

Whiskey is typically aged in charred oak. Some styles, such as bourbon, require new barrels while others use a mixture of new and previously used whiskey or wine barrels. Moonshine (also called white dog) is the primary exception to aging. Some whiskeys are blended, while others are single malts.

A single malt is made with malted barley in pot stills at a single distillery. The goal is to achieve very distinctive flavors and nuances that exemplify a single distillery’s style.

Blended whiskeys are of two types: Blended straight whiskeys are a blend or combination of different straight whiskeys of the same general type. Many Scotches and bourbons fit this description. In the United States, a blended straight whiskey is a blend of several mature rye or bourbon whiskeys, as opposed to a blended whiskey in which bourbon or rye whiskey is mixed with an inferior whiskey or a grain-neutral spirit. However, "blended whiskeys" as the term is used in the United States, refers to whiskeys in which a straight whiskey has been blended with grain neutral spirits. The basic varieties of whiskey are blended, bourbon, Canadian, corn, rye, Scotch and Tennessee. The grains used to make whiskey are corn, rye, wheat and barley.

Whiskey is another of the more versatile cocktail bases. Roasted, malted grain with oak undertones should be expected in any whiskey. There are also distinct characteristics in each style. With so many styles, there is the opportunity for great diversity in flavor profiles. It mixes well with other liquors to create complex drinks, and it pairs well with many fruits, particularly the darker fruits. Warm drinks are also very popular with whiskey.

Blended Whiskey - Blended whiskey came into prominence in the United States during World War II, when distillers made the most of their dwindling stocks of whiskey by mixing them with unaged grain-neutral spirits. By U.S. law, blended whiskey must contain at least 20% straight whiskey. The rest may be unaged grain neutral spirits, pure alcohol with little or no flavor-and that's exactly what the cheaper, inferior blends tend to be. Actually, there are two types of blended whiskey: the aforementioned cheaper brands in which straight whiskey is blended with grain neutral spirits, and those in which straight whiskeys of varying character and qualities are blended together to produce a distinctive product. Most Scotch, Bourbon, Canadian, rye, and Irish whiskeys currently on the market, including the very best available, are blended whiskeys and fall into this second category.

Among the more popular whiskies are Bourbon, Canadian Whisky, Irish Whiskey, Rye and Scotch.

Bourbon - Named for Bourbon County, Kentucky, this all-American liquor is distilled from fermented grain. Straight bourbon is distilled from a mash of at least 51 percent corn; blended bourbon must contain not less than 51 percent straight bourbon. Sour mash bourbon is made by adding a portion of the old mash to help ferment each new batch, in the same way that a portion of sourdough starter is the genesis of each new batch of sourdough bread. Bourbon is aged for at least two years in new charred oak barrels. Bourbon was created in the late 1880s. Even today, most bourbon distilleries in the United States are located in Kentucky.

Jack Daniel's - A whiskey of the bourbon type, made in Tennessee, which is perhaps the most famous whiskey made in America. The Jack Daniel's distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, dates from 1866 and is the oldest registered distillery in the United States. Jack Daniel's is made according to the sour-mash process, mellowed by a process of filtration through sugar maple charcoal.

Sour Mash - The term is usually applied to bourbon whiskey; this whiskey is made from a blended grain mash consisting of new mash and a portion of mash from a preceding mash.

Canadian Whiskey - Like American whiskeys, Canadian whiskey is made primarily from corn, rye, and malted barley, and is distilled by a process similar to that used in making bourbon, except that a sweet mash is used. Lighter bodied, smoother, and less assertive than its American counterpart, Canadian whiskey is excellent for mixing or for summer use. Canadian Club is a high quality, highly popular brand of Canadian whiskey.

Irish Whiskey - The Irish have been making whiskey for 700 years and are said to have invented the stuff. The main difference between Irish and Scotch whiskey is that Irish Whisky is entirely lacking in the smoky taste that characterizes Scotch. The reason for this is that the Scots use peat in the kilns in which they dry their malt, while the Irish use coal. Irish whiskey is distilled from a grain mixture that consists of malted as well as unmalted barley, along with small proportions of wheat, oats, and rye. Irish whiskey tends to be old (at least seven years) and more mature than Scotch, probably because it is not purchased at the same rate as Scotch. Full-bodied, unblended Irish whiskeys produced in pot stills have a very pronounced character, which makes them very unpopular with many American palates. There are many blended Irish whiskeys that are lighter and less strong in character. The distillery at Bushmills in County Antrim dates from 1608 and is believed to be the oldest in the world. Irish whiskey is unique in that it is the only whiskey distilled 3 times.

Rye - The oldest native American whiskey, originally manufactured in the 1600s by Scotch and Irish settlers in New York. Rye is a very full bodied drink with a pronounced character, and perhaps for that reason, it has faded in popularity in the land of its origin to the point where it lags behind all other varieties of whiskey in consumption. Many people confuse rye with blended whiskey, but the two are far from being the same. Rye must be made with at least 51% rye grain, the rest being corn and barley. Rye is aged in new charred oak barrels for at least 2 years.

Rock and Rye - A drink that combines rock candy, rye whiskey and citrus slices. By most accounts it was popularized in America's early saloons, where bartenders added rock candy, or rock candy syrup, to smooth out the spicy bite of a young rye.

Scotch Whisky - Made only in Scotland, this distinctive liquor uses barley for flavoring instead of the corn that's used for most American whiskies. The characteristic smoky flavor of Scotch comes from the fact that the sprouted malted barley is dried over peat fires. There are two main types of this liquor available: blended Scotches, which are a combination of 50 to 80 percent grain (unmalted) whisky and 20 to 50 percent malt whisky; and single-malt Scotches, which are made exclusively from malt, produced by a single distillery and have a richer smoky flavor. Blended whiskeys typically contain the products of fifty or more distilleries, with the better and more expensive brands containing more malt than grain. Some Scotches are blends of different malts and these are known as vatted malts. In recent years, unblended scotches or single malts like Glenfiddich have achieved a considerable popularity. Though blended Scotch is generally preferred in the United States, single-malts are rapidly gaining favor. Traditionally, whiskies made in Scotland are spelled without the "e."

Glenfiddich - A famous high-quality single malt brand of unblended Scotch whiskey made by William Grant of Glenfiddich in the Glenlivet region of the Scottish Highlands.

Glenlivet - The greatest name in Scotch whiskey. The ultra whiskey-producing area in Scotland is a 900 square mile chunk of territory on the river spey in the eastern portion of the Scottish highlands. It is there that the most famous whiskeys are produced in the Glenlivet style.

Tennessee Whiskey - Tennessee whiskey is made in the same way as a sour-mash bourbon whiskey except that the Tennessee whiskey is filtered through charcoal from hard Tennessee maple trees.

Light Whiskey - American whiskey, lighter in taste and body than its conventional whiskey predecessors. It is distilled at a much higher proof (161 to 189) than traditional whiskeys and aged in reused barrels rather than in new charred barrels.