Bartenders ManualBartenders Manual

Tools, techniques and guidelines to become a realTools, techniques and guidelines to become a real professional Bartender professional Bartender

Cocktail Conceptions © 2008Cocktail Conceptions © 2008

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IntroductionIntroduction

Before we begin we would like you to ask yourself the following question. Why would anyone go out of their way to come and visit YOU at the bar you are working?

Prior to responding please take a moment to think about what this question really means. Does it have to do with your mixology skills? Has it something to do with your personality? Is it maybe because of your hospitality and knowledge about the products you are serving? Maybe it’s your ability to recognize your place within your establishment and blend into its atmosphere?

Once you start thinking about all those questions it becomes obvious that bartending is a very complex and demanding trade. It is certainly not easy to endure the physical challenges of nightly work combined with the psychological tasks and difficulties that occur when working with people whose judgment and mood get impaired more and more with every round of drinks.

Like every good craftsman and salesperson you have to acquire knowledge – knowledge about what you are doing, the products you are serving and knowledge about yourself and fellow human beings. You have to find that spark within that flashes up with inspiration and translate it into the magic of mixed drinks. Experience will give you an insight into this world of gastronomy of which, you’ll find out, you are as a bartender an integral part.

Finally there has to be an understanding of the fact that while you are employed as a bartender you are a professional, which means this is what you do to earn your daily bread and therefore it is wise to try to bring out the best of yourself in that respect.

To achieve this is by no means an easy task. It requires certain amount of passion as well as focus, dedication and maturity. It is also a conscious choice, an aim that should be remembered as long as you stand behind the bar. Once you set out down that road of becoming a real, professional bartender you will find out that simply you have less and less competition. Fellow bartenders just do not know as much as you do. They are less skilled, less interested and less capable of running their bars successfully. That fact leaves you more than enough space to stretch out and play. People will react differently to you and your work and you’ll be more and more able to gradually influence what your customers choose to drink and eat. You will become the real host of the Establishment where you work, like a Captain of a Cruise Ship that sails his passengers and crew through the Ocean of Gastronomy.

In order to become a fully developed bartender you will have to spend much time practicing your trade and eventually you will earn exactly what to do, what not to do and how to put it all together.

If we take a look back at the questions we asked at the beginning we can break down the term bartending into two major categories which are then divided into subcategories. The two main categories include:

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• Mixology - which includes mastering the techniques of drink making, understanding and proper use of tools, deep and profound expertise in use of distilled spirits and fermented beverages such as beer and wine in other words your ingredients or raw materials, recognition of the place of beverages and mixed drinks in gastronomy itself, awareness of the changing drinking habits of your patrons, alcohol consumption and it’s effects and finally familiarity with the history of distilled spirits, beer, wine and the cocktail itself.

• Developing the “personality”- which includes consciously building a working character who takes your place when you step behind the bar, learning how to maintain emotional and intellectual distance (non-identifying), work on the psychological skills, reading the customers, balancing the exchange of energies at the bar and influencing the taste and drinking habits of your customers.

We will try in this material to give you our experience and knowledge about the job you are preparing to do in the hope that tomorrow you will be the one to carry on and give it back to others like you are receiving it now.

Dushan & JasonNovember 2008New York City

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Commentary on Current State of Affairs

Let’s take a look at the position the drinking world finds itself at the beginning of the 21st century. According to MarketResearch.com (a specialized market research web service linked to the US Department of Commerce) - "Americans spent more than $17.2 billion in 2002 on packaged white and dark distilled spirits for off-premise consumption, and sales are expected to continue to increase throughout 2003 to over $18 billion. Although people consume less alcohol today than they did in the 1970s and 1980s, the robust economy of the 1990s encouraged the purchase of premium beverages with higher price tags. Line extensions, such as flavored vodkas, have piqued the interest of consumers who might not otherwise be interested in distilled spirits. Among the challenges facing the distilled spirits industry is the fact that distilled spirits companies are subject to greater advertising and distribution limitations than are beer and wine marketers. They also have heavier tax burden-alcohol beverages and distilled spirits in particular, carry the highest tax rate of any consumer product. These differences make it difficult for spirits to compete on an even footing with other alcoholic beverages. Overall sales of distilled spirits increased by 43% between 1997 and 2002 (26% after adjusting for inflation), but the white and dark spirits segments did not share equally in the increase. While overall sales grew by 43%, white spirits sales rose by 48% in that period, while sales of dark spirits showed a 39% increase."

These few sentences mirror exactly what we at the front lines have been witnessing for the last 4-5 years. Basically, the trends in drinking are set by the Liquor Companies and their Marketing agencies whose goal is to “move cases”. The two major challenges are to adapt the liquor industry to changing lifestyles and to recruit new generations of drinkers.

Since, as mentioned above, the liquor companies have strict limitations on advertising, they reach out to the consumers by promoting their product as an integral part of the “lifestyle” their indented target market is embracing. Very often they hire professional mixologists and bartenders to help them create specialized cocktail menus, which will push the spirit in question and make it the next hot thing. The market is large and they all want as big a piece of it as they can get. Now that’s understandable, we are, after all, living in a free market society and producers should compete for their market share. The battle for the liquor dollar is however a very tough one and it gets more difficult every year. The late 90s have brought surging sales to the premium vodka market – a trend that continues today. The “Urban Market” – this is the term the suburban corporate executives and marketing people use for Latin and African American drinkers – embraced flavored blends of “Cognac” or “Rum” and other spirits such as famously artificial Alizé, Hyponotic, Remy Red, Malibu and even Bacardi - Flavors. College students are lured into consuming alcohol in the form of malt beverages which all taste like something between Sprite and Ginger Ale, preparing their pallets for more and more artificial flavors that are yet to be presented to them. Most of the famous spirit brands, that have in many cases hundreds of years of tradition, are now part of multinational corporations who operate a multitude of other businesses ranging from clothing to worldwide doughnut franchises. Of course they are all represented on various stock exchanges, providing the investors with a chance to be a part of this great game.

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In a setting like this it is natural that some things will fall short. Mostly the accent on presenting their products for what they really are is lost, leaving the customer in the dark at best and boosting imaginary qualities about those spirits at worst.

What happened to the fact that alcoholic beverages – spirits, cocktails, beer and wine – are part of the gastronomical experience? That fact has been distorted and replaced by an illusion that enjoying a certain beverage is now a status symbol, a lifestyle and a personal statement.

The lifestyle is, of course, an ever-evolving organism within society that marks the difference between people who are In the Know and others who are not. Through movies, TV Shows and commercials the lifestyle is imported nationally and exported globally.

It seems to us, and the sales reflect that, that the major trend of the last decade, is to provide the consumer with the 2 imaginary scenarios programmed to provoke the following attitudes:

* I wish to drink – but I don’t want to taste any liquor!* I want to get drunk – but I don’t want to suffer any inconvenience during or after drinking!

What does this mean? Well, let’s break this mental cocktail into its constituent ingredients.

2 parts – Ignorance… …about consumption of distilled spirits and mixed drinks, their place in the overall dining experience, their characteristics and effects.

1 1/4 parts – Various PrejudgmentsWidespread belief that Premium Vodkas and other premium spirits will give you no hangover, or that “Gin makes me crazy”.

3/4 part – Role DisplacementAccepting drinking advice from your personal trainer instead from your bartender.

A short while ago I had a strange experience at my bar. A beautiful lady sat down at the bar with a friend. I approached and asked how I could help them. Looking at my cocktail menu they said that they are on the Hollywood Diet and that their personal trainer told them to drink Gin since it has the least calories. And they hate Gin. What to do?

I took a good look at them and couldn’t help but think, “Why don’t you ask me how to get fit?” but I said nothing and proceeded to serve them to the best of my abilities…

splash of – Denial……of the true nature of the social interaction and personal aims when people go out.

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In “Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica” published in 1687 Sir Isaac Newton described the laws of motion of bodies and among them the, so called, Third Newton Law which says that For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. People seem to forget this law easily and somehow get tricked by their minds that “it won’t happen to them”…so due to this amnesia they act very surprised when they actually discover that – yep, it happened…

Directions: Now pour all above-mentioned ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake vigorously for 8 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini glass and you are ready to taste your New York City nightlife cocktail as seen from our side of the bar.

What is it that is so wrong with accepting these worldviews?

First off is the fact that they are created by external sources, they are suggested- if you hate the term programmed by the Lifestyle factories – meaning they are put in place to make it easy for the consumer to make a choice. Second that they take the same consumer away from the true experience, making the journey through the night as bland as possible and focusing on the ultimate goal – to get high!

One might at this point ask the following question – Do all the alcohol consumers have to be aware of this in order to enjoy their drinking?

No, they are not and they will never be – but you, their bartender should and must be aware of all of the aforementioned analysis in order to do your job better. It is precisely because of the lack of awareness, interest and knowledge on the part of the bartenders that the public is victimized in such a way. If we would know more about what we are doing we would naturally be much better at it and thus be more influential.

Let us at this point, focus on the reasons why people choose to socialize in Bars and Restaurants. While researching the facts for this training material we asked our customers, both regulars and first timers at our bars - Why do people go out?These are the answers that were given to us.

To relax – 37%To meet somebody – 13%To drink (get high) – 15 %To try the food (not to eat but to try) – 5%To check out “what’s going on” – 27 %Miscellaneous – 3 %

So here we have it. They have actually no idea why they go out and what is happening to them when they make a decision to do so. But they all seem to have a very subjective opinion why “they” are doing it. It is very much like when a

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person is constantly blaming someone else for their misfortunes but is unable to see the real reasons for their suffering due to the existence of specific buffers within the personality that justify every action on their part. Let’s face it, people like things to happen in a way that provides them with the fantasy that they are in control. If this really would be the case, a vast majority of people would perceive their lives to be extremely boring. There would be no surprises, no unexpected developments and certainly no excitement. Restaurants could be reduced to an Orwellian image of a high school cafeteria, where you get in line with your tray, get your daily values of nourishment and energy and off you go. Like in the army sort of.

Is that fun? Of course not. We do not spend billions of dollars annually on products that improve our looks and our self-confidence just to eat out in a cafeteria.There is something, almost esoteric, that is happening here. Various traditions describe this chase after the carrot as outmost, very cyclical suffering that will bring about only more of the same. We choose to call it the Hunting the Possibility. Imagine a force, immeasurable yet very influential and potent. It works everywhere on everyone and everybody by creating an illusion that something might happen. Naturally, the Possibility is stronger and more active in places that are described by night lifers as places with good atmosphere. Imagine yourself making a decision to go out to a popular, hot place. What happens?

First you get dressed in a certain way – trying to bring out something about your personality that you at that point believe will get you noticed. If you do a good job – the possibilities will increase for you that something might happen. Of course you can always say that you do that in order to feel more comfortable or more yourself but as you see you are actually doing it with a specific result in mind. You might team up with a friend or your partner in order to feel more confident and that fact alone should be grounds for psycho therapy but that’s entirely a different story.You approach the “place”. You feel a slight nervousness, you are not really comfortable but you say to yourself that a drink will do you good and get you more relaxed. Relaxed from what? Yourself? The way you are? …Let’s give you a break – you can’t be who you want to be without substances and that’s fine. Guess what, you are not alone – actually almost nobody can.You enter the “place”. Immediately you are feeling the almost electric charge and currents of energy exchanging in the “place”. The light, music and décor – everything is just right and inviting. The Possibility – is riding you. You look around and approach the bar. At this point you might meet up with your friend who is waiting and you order your first drink. You look at the bartender who is preparing your potion and finally the world starts to make sense. You take your first sip and feel the warmth of the spirits flowing through your body. Every part of your being is relaxing. You are letting go of various concerns, thoughts and worries that were with you just a few moments ago in the cab and you open up – to the Possibility. Here we are – at the point where things might start happening

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to you – you might meet someone, go somewhere unexpected, make a connection with someone that will influence your immediate or distant future, get yourself in a situation to witness a dramatic emotional development, take part in a binge, get into a steamy sexual encounter or watch others getting there, you name it - it goes on and on. One thing is certain – you lost control of your night. You never had it to begin with even as you deluded yourself that it is so…My dear bartenders – this is what we are selling. Not the drinks that we need to learn and master with such patience. Not the food that the small army of cooks in the back of the house is working on the whole day, no. We are selling the Possibility. And you as a Bartender are directly responsible for the creation and equal distribution of Possibility. Obviously it is your job to be aware of this and not fall victim to the same illusion that Possibility is real for you. This is a huge trap and many inexperienced barkeeps become victims of it. There are two mistakes you can make if you do not pay attention.

1) You become the “Possibility”Flirting and encouraging people to relax is a part of your job. However there has to be a clear understanding of the rules of engagement and how far you can go. Be aware that your customers do not think about all these things. They think that they are out to have a good time so give it to them. Support the Possibility. Play along but do not slip into it – it is called “acting as if”… Always remember what your goal is – to fill the register and the tip bucket. Please keep a cordial distance and emotional detachment at all times.

2) “Possibility” becomes real for youThe force of the Possibility is so strong that sometimes even experienced Bartenders forget about it and start to believe that it doesn’t apply to them. Be cautious, last thing you want is women or men you engaged with in emotional or sexual activities hanging out at your bar waiting for you to finish your shift. Many a bartender had to exit through the back door because there was more than one girl he was “dating” waiting for him at the end of the night.

These mistakes are made so often and are so common that many emotional relationships with partners outside the service business have failed because people could not deal with them.We found out that it helps a lot to quiet your mind before you start your shift, mentally preparing for what is to come. Every night is different and the force of the Possibility will fluctuate according to many various influences. We will go more into detail about techniques of preparation in the Developing the Personality chapter.

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Beyond what we just discussed, the modern bartender faces one more obstacle, which is probably the hardest one. Due to our social history and the way alcohol was and is perceived in the United States, society tends to look at alcohol consumption more like a disease or deviance than a gastronomical experience. Just the fact that that we had in our country a National Prohibition that lasted for 13 years (1920-1933) and that up to this day there are counties that are still “dry” (best example of it are the states of Kentucky –where of 121 counties 75 are completely dry and further 24 prohibit sales of spirits but allow wine and beer and Tennessee where the in the Moore County the most famous American whiskey Jack Daniel’s is distilled and where it is illegal to purchase alcohol) shows how much ignorance about alcohol consumption we as bartenders have to deal with. Translated to the common experience on a regular night behind bar – you encounter this ignorance all the time. How else can you explain the beer and shot crowd (beer and shot combination – better know as furniture), overwhelming popularity of tailored French vodkas (products from a country that has virtually no vodka tradition), disastrous combo of vodka and energy drink highballs or our favorite – the Espresso Martini? What to do?

It helps to remember that the public image of the drinker has changed throughout time from saints to sinners, from outlaws to successful businesspeople and trendsetters. In the United States, attitudes related to drinking are much different than in other parts of the world. While the rest of the world, apart from the Islamic countries, enjoys a relatively relaxed approach to drinking, we here in the US have a far different reality. We are sure that everyone reading these lines will have their own ideas why that is, and we will in later chapters focus on the history of spirits and drinking in the US, but it is undeniable that there is a certain kind of paranoia that is following the distilled spirit here. Some reasons for this paranoia are definitely clear and understandable. We live in country that is geographically enormous, cities and towns are connected with a web of highways and a lot of people commute every day in their cars to their place of work. Except for a few big cities where public transportation works as an efficient means of commute, the rest of the country drives to the Post Office, Dry Cleaners, Schools and Universities, Grocery stores and of course Restaurants and Bars. It is obvious that such circumstances do lead to a lot of alcohol related traffic accidents, injuries and deaths. Therefore the awareness about alcohol consumption is very high and the Driving While Influenced (DWI) Law is strictly enforced. It has been proven that alcohol abuse has destructive consequences on ones physical and mental health, social and professional performance and family relations. This aspect of course relates to every human being - regardless of where they live and it is in our opinion very important to really grasp these negative possibilities.

Given the aforementioned facts one should conclude that they are more than enough proof that Americans should be more informed about Alcoholic beverages, their effects and their place in Gastronomy as a whole. But they are not! It is a paradox that in today’s Information age when the Internet engulfs the

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Globe and Information needs a few seconds to travel around the world we still do not really know much about what we are drinking, how is it sold to us, how much we are paying and where all of it comes from.

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MIXOLOGYIntroduction to Mixology and its history

Before going into detail of the different kinds of techniques and recipes in modern mixology, it is important to reveal the groundwork upon which these recipes and techniques are built. The style of bartending described here is based on an earlier generation of formulas and ingredients not often seen in today’s bars.

Your average bar these days uses cheap well liquors, pre-made sour mix and preserved lime syrups. And although these ingredients are cost effective, they do not make great cocktails. They are an unfortunate result of the commercialization of life and lifestyles. Our recipes and techniques are derived from the Classic American Bar set up – an approach that is almost forgotten and which we managed with lots of help and inspiration from older bartenders to keep fresh and alive. We use fresh juices, quality liquors, and a vigorous shake to produce fresh tasting, complex concoctions that marvel our guests and their taste buds. Please take note that The Cocktail is the only thing that America ever contributed to the culinary world. It is as American as Jazz or Baseball.

What we are preaching in a sense is a bar method similar to gourmet cooking. Most of our premier chefs use the French style of cooking in creating marvelous masterpieces. The top restaurants do not use prepackaged gravy and canned hams to dazzle you. Instead they use only the finest and freshest ingredients. We at Cocktail Conceptions do the same. Also nearly all chefs put these dishes together by using time tested techniques and in many cases age old recipes. Bartending and cooking are very similar in this manner; only the quality offered in most bars presently is comparable to that of the fast food restaurants.

There is much more to bartending today. If you want to be noted for your drinks and your style of bartending you have to know quite a lot. If necessary - you have to produce some ingredients yourself – cordials, syrups, blends, infusions and bitters. The leading trend in today’s bar is the return of the cocktail. Martinis and cosmopolitans are sweeping the nation as well as many funky Latin cocktails. The Classic American style of bartending lends itself so easily to making these drinks that they far surpass anything that could be made in your average bar or restaurant. What we intend to show you is an art that was almost lost to us.

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Most of the methods explained in the text were passed on from bartender to bartender in regal hotels and gourmet restaurants. These were older bartenders making drinks for and older well to-do crowd. We are at the beginning of a new era of bartenders. Thanks to the attention that the Lifestyle factories are giving to modern cocktails we have a chance to really influence what the public is going to drink, how they will consume it and what the new trends are going to be. The choices are getting wider and better and we find ourselves at the front of the battle for the liquor dollar. We are a younger more sophisticated drinker than our previous generation. The public is becoming slowly more educated in fancy and exotic drinks and bartenders have to keep up.

The new frontier in bartending is classic bartending, but with modern cocktails. The methods we will show you will not only make bartending fun, but it will also instill a degree of pride into your work. Now we are not saying that our methods are absolutely true to the classic art, for the drinking public on whole is not prepared to drink in this manner. We evolved our techniques and recipes so they can target the modern pallet and got to a point where mixology is recognized as an important part of gastronomy. The experience begins with the aperitif, sets its pace with the Martini, accompanies him with wine or beer during the meal and finally fulfills the voyage with a desert wine or after dinner drink or cocktail. We at Cocktail Conceptions pride ourselves as one of the best mixologists and we wish to provide our patrons with a Martini-Cocktail experience that is unique and memorable.

… a little history …

In 1806, The Balance and Columbian repository, a New York newspaper, defined the cocktail as “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters … vulgarly called bittered sling and supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion insomuch as it renders the heart stout and bold, at the same time that it fuddles the head. It is said also, to be of great use to a democratic candidate: because, a person having swallowed a glass of it is ready to swallow anything else”.

What a beautiful an exact explanation this was. The Editor hit the nail on the head because if you look at any, and we mean any cocktail recipe - we can recognize all those constituent ingredients to one degree or another. Let’s take the Manhattan Cocktail – first described in the famous “Bon Vivants Companion – or How to mix drinks” from 1847 by “Professor” Jerry Thomas – the father of our profession.

1 3/4 parts of Whiskey (spirit)2 parts of Italian Vermouth (sugar and fortified wine)1/2 part of Orange Curaçao (again sugar and orange brandy)dashes of bitters (bitters)

Stir the ingredients with ice (water) and pour into a wine goblet. Garnish with a Lemon twist.

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Of course the Editor of Balance back in 1806 couldn’t factor in ice since it was not commercially available but water was used back then in the few known cocktails like the Sazerac or the Mint Julep.

What about the origin of the word Cocktail? Many enthusiasts tried to find out the roots of the word cocktail and there are many versions to this story. One is certainly not true; many historians have been misled by the word “cocktail” explaining its origin with the plumage of the domestic rooster. William Grimes in his book “Straight up or on the rocks” and Garry Reagan in his “ The Joy of Mixology” go really into detail researching many stories and legends like the one that is taking us back to the days of the war between American Army of the Southern States and Mexico. Several skirmishes and one or two battles took place, but eventually a truce was called and the King Axolotl VIII of Mexico agreed to meet the American general and to discuss terms of peace with him. Before opening negotiations, however, His Majesty asked the general, as one man to another, if he would like a drink, and being an American general of course he said yes. The King gave the command and a few moments later a lady of overwhelming beauty entered the room with a drink in her hands. The General asked who the lady was, and the King proudly said: “That is my daughter Coctel.” The American general replied: “I will see that her name is honored for evermore by my Army.” Coctel, of course became Cocktail, and here we are. Another more believable story talks about Antoine Peychaud, a New Orleans pharmacist, the inventor of the famous Peychaud Bitters. It is said that the name Cocktail acctualy comes from the mispronunciation of the French word “coquetier”. The word means egg cup in which the famous pharmacist was serving his first Sazeracs. Be it how it was, we do not know for sure where it came from but Cocktail became a household name worldwide and stayed a true American invention like Jazz, Baseball or Apple Pie. Cocktail is recognized globally as the only thing that America contributed to the culinary world. Moreover it symbolizes exactly what American Society is – the sum of its ingredients being greater that any of the ingredients itself.

Back in the early days of Saloons and taverns across the country there were no fancy ingredients available that we are so used of having around us nowadays. The early predecessors of our profession were true mixologists, creating in their basements cordials, fortified wines, Sherries, maturing whiskey, infusing and blending. One of them was the previously mentioned Professor Jerry Thomas, father of mixology. Of course the golden age of the cocktail came almost 100 years after it’s birth reaching the peak from 1890-1930. Almost all classic cocktails we know today were created and mastered in that period. The Negroni, Old-Fashioned, Tom Collins, Ramos Gin Fizz, Manhattan, Rob Roy, Mint Julep, The Gimlet and of course the Crown Jewel of them all - the Dry Gin Martini all got their fame during that period and were glorified by movies, books, articles and trendsetters. Notice how there were virtually no Vodka Cocktails? We’ll go more into the history of vodka and vodka cocktails in the US in later chapters.

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During the Noble Experiment, we now know as The Prohibition the Cocktail became something more than a drink – it became a status symbol. At fancy “speakeasies” (and those were in reality only few and spread out in big cities on both coasts) cocktails were downed with extreme pleasure and fun, and the cocktail became a household word globally. In Cuba and Europe, many famous American Bartenders of that era were working at bars and hotels promoting the cocktails, inventing new ones and revolutionizing the way we perceive drinking in general. One of them was Harry Craddock, American Mixologist, at the Savoy Hotel in London, who once said that the best way to drink a cocktail is “quickly … while it’s laughing at you” and we agree with that.

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Bar Set-UpWhen we started to learn how to bartend, the older and more experienced

bartenders, who we were bar backing for, used to say - Set-Up, Set-Up, Set-Up …The Importance of the Set-Up is so great that if you don’t do it right and on time, your service and performance will suffer greatly. It is very useful to take the right amount of time to get prepared and ready. In every restaurant the kitchen spends most of its time preparing for the time of heavy business. The preparation cooks work full shifts cutting, stewing, peeling, marinating and so on. A good bar is like we said so many times no different. Assign your bar back his part of the set up, but the most important parts you have to do yourself.

In order to better explain and define the Set up, we will break it down into four parts:

• Cleaning• Restocking• Preparation • General appearance

Cleaning

The condition of your bar mirrors the establishment where you work like your house portraits you. It goes without saying that a clean and well-maintained bar is far more inviting than a neglected one. Let’s not forget that a bar is a place where people consume drinks and food and it just has to be clean and spotless. Clean your bar thoroughly and in detail. A zinc, brass or stainless steel bar is best maintained with fresh squeezed lemon juice. Pour the juice on the bar; apply it evenly on the surface. Take a soft linen cloth and rub it in. Continue rubbing until the zinc gets shiny and clean. Remember even water leaves stains on zinc and brass so you have to perform the cleaning ritual on daily basis. If not treated the right way, the zinc and brass will age and develop a patina that would be very hard to clean at that point. The draft beer and beer tap system: clean handles, towers and make sure you let every tap run for a few seconds allowing it to get rid of the air in the system. Soak your soda gun at the end of every night to remove the sugars and clogs. Clean your condiment containers and replace your Store & Pour Containers.

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Take a look at your glassware and tools. Clean them properly or they will look unpleasant for service.Fruit flies are a big nuisance and will definitely show up at your bar if you don’t take preventive measures. The best way to do it is to keep the speedwells, shelves, cabinets and back bar clean. Further it helps to bleach the bar floor, sinks, drains and ice wells to prevent the flies from nesting and feeding on pieces of fruit that are left in the hard to reach corners of the bar. With the approach of warmer weather you might want to switch all your speed pourers to the screen pourers. These are plastic pourers and usually come in different colors but the beautiful thing about them is that they have a tiny mesh on the top of the spout thereby preventing the flies of getting into their favorite spirit or fortified wine of choice.The New York State Health Department regulates that every food service establishment should keep a bucket with bleach solution available for cleaning.

Restocking

The importance of the Restock is great. Too much and it will crowd your bar, not enough and you might find yourself in a desperate position in the middle of a busy night. Start with restocking glassware, dry goods (olives, cherries, sugar, salt, toothpicks, straws, stirrers, caned juices, coffee, espresso, etc.), juices and mise en place items. Then start with restock of well liquor and most popular spirits and mixers you usually go through a night. Place the Restock accordingly with you Bar’s layout and space. Do not leave full bottles of liquor all over the floor, it will slow you down and you might eventually break them. We believe in replacing every bottle on the shelving or displays that has been used, meaning not being full, before we start. It looks much better and gives an impression of care and lushness.

Preparation

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Again the analogy with the kitchen is the point we would like to stress out in this part of the Set up. You need to cut your garnishes, squeeze your juices, store them properly, prepare garbage bins, glass racks, bus tubs and waste buckets.Take your time with the preparation, but do it with discipline and care. How many times was your gin-tonic served with a brown lime?

Cutting Citrus Fruit – Limes, Lemons and Oranges:Please use common sense. When cutting Limes & Lemons for garnish first cut of the ends of the fruits – the so-called “nipples”. Then cut the fruit lengthwise in half and cut a slit in a 90-degree angle to the vertical line. Then cut each half in three equal wedges. You’ll get 6 half moon shaped wedges to a fruit each with a prepared slit so it can fit on the rim of a glass. When cutting citrus fruit for muddling cut the fruit in half and then each half into quarters.

Orange half-wheels: Again cut the ends of the orange. Then cut it lengthwise in half. Cut a shallow slit lengthwise in the orange. Now turn it around and cut the half orange in 5 half wheels.

Twists are short ribbons of peel stripped from a lemon or orange. The aromatic oils that lie within add a hint of bitterness and flavor to a cocktail. The first step in making twists is to take the lemon (or orange), cut the ends off. Next for lemons, using your paring knife, score the peel of the fruit from top to bottom. For oranges using your knife cut circle shaped peels. You want to keep as close to the peel as possible, leaving most of the pith (white part of the peel) behind. Like its namesake you must twist it. So many bartenders simply drop it into a drink without twisting it. Twisting it is what really releases the oils that will accent your cocktail.

Squeezing Juice – When squeezing juice please make sure that you strain it afterwards to remove the excess pulp. Juice should always be used fresh and kept refrigerated. It is important to label every batch of juice with the date when it was squeezed.

General appearance

Finally take a moment to inspect your bar from the outside. Look at it like a customer would see it when they come through the door. Pay attention to the detail: beverage napkins, glassware, tools…etc. Are the barstools all clean? Is the bar surface in order and inviting? This is your final check and the most important part of the Set-Up.

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Tools & TechniquesLike every craftsman to complete the task, you’ll need the right tools.

Boston Shaker Boston shaker consists of a 16 oz. glass shaker, which can and should be used as a mixing glass, and a 22 oz. metal tin or can. Since the mixing glass is smaller than the shaker, and in orderto make the drinks correctly, never fill the mixing glass up to the rim. Although we will never advice you to do so, that means that the maximum of cocktails you prepare in that kind of shaker, is three.

16 oz. Mixing glassThe mixing glass is a very important tool since most of the cocktails are build in it. It is a part of the Boston Shaker and it is used for stirred cocktails in combination with the julep strainer.

Hawthorne or Spring StrainerHawthorne or Spring Strainer is a strainer fitted with a spring around it that fits perfectly on the 22 oz. metal part of the Boston shaker. It’s used to strain shaken cocktails or martinis that are poured form the aforementioned shaker. Please use it only in combination with the 22 oz. Metal part.

Julep StrainerJulep strainer is a large perforated spoon that fits the other part of the Boston Shaker – the 16 oz. Mixing glass. It is used to strain stirred Cocktails or martinis and like its namesake juleps-cocktails containing mint.

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Bar Spoon with red knobBar Spoon is a 12-inch long spoon with a twisted handle in a spiral that is used as a tool for stirring. This tool is also used to handle garnishes at the bar and could be used as measuring device. We recommend this spoon for stirring since its spiraled handle can be slightly curved by hand thus enabling it to move the whole amount of ice at once through the mixing glass.

Bar spoon with diskThis bar spoon is used for same techniques like the previous one but it is not so handy or fast for stirring in our opinion. Because of the disk at the end of the handle it is particularly good for layered drinks where the liquid is poured on the spiraled handle over the disk thus achieving perfect layering.

Bar Spoon with steel knobEssentially just a glorified bar spoon. Some cocktalian bartenders swear by it. Not as effective or useful like the other bar spoons.

MuddlerA bar tool used to crush fruits, herbs and sugar. It should be at least 8 inches long to reach the bottom of the mixing glass.

Paring KnifeParing knife is a short blade knife that should be kept very, very sharp. It’s used to cut garnishes (fruits and twists) for your bar.

Citrus ZesterCitrus zester is a tool used to cut long stripes of zest from oranges or lemons. It has a unique shape that helps to perfectly extract the desired length of the zest.

Jiggers

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Jiggers are tools used for measuring the amount of liquid that is about to be poured into a cocktail or martini. They look like two cones joined together on their points and come in different sizes from ¼ oz. –2 ½ oz. In classic bartending jiggers are the only measuring tools.

GraterGrater is used to grate predominately nutmeg and other spices such as lemon and orange peels over a poured cocktail.

Can Opener & Church KeyThis is tool that on one end has a can opener and on the other ends a bottle opener. Hence the name since it looks like an old-fashioned key.

Wine OpenerWine openers come in a lot of different shapes and looks but we suggest you acquire one that has a two stage opening process. It is more efficient behind the bar and helps in many cases preserve the corks since especially French wines tend to have longer corks.

Fine SieveThis tool is used for double straining some cocktails notably martinis and cocktails that are muddled but served straight up and who therefore contain too much pulp and fruit residue. A sieve is also very handy when making home made ingredients, infusions and syrups.

FunnelThere should be a at least one funnel behind every bar. Its use is obvious.

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TongsThis tool is used predominantly for handling ice, garnish and fruits. Although many bartenders need not, or are not used to using them, The Health Department requires handling fruit and ice with a medium (gloves or Thongs). It also looks more professional when a bartender is handling items using this tool.

Champagne Stopper or CapVery important tool for trying to save some sparkling wine for next day service, which will be very, very difficult if not impossible if the level of liquid in the bottle you are trying to save is below the half mark line. Unfortunately even if you manage to save some wine for the next day it will probably be good for only one serving before it completely dies. Give it a try though – it won’t hurt.

Ice as a tool and an ingredient

Your ice is a tool. It is simply put the most important tool you have. The size, shape and temperature of your ice will directly influence the quality and outcome of your cocktails and mixed drinks. A good bar should have at least 2 different kinds of ice. Unfortunately restaurant and bar owners have recognized that with smaller ice they get a greater dilatation and thus can pour less liquor, which increases their profits. Because of that reason you’ll find yourself often in a position where it will be quite impossible for you to influence that. But, you as a professional should be aware of that and should by any means try to change those circumstances.

So what is exactly this big fuss about ice? The bigger and colder the ice cubes (like the ones from your home freezer) the slower they will melt. Such ice is ideal for all cocktail families and is closest in size and temperature to the ice classically used and described in recipes. We recommend this ice for all shaken and stirred cocktails alike. Remember that smaller ice cubes that most restaurants have will melt faster and tend to add more then sufficient amount of water (dilution) to the cocktail. By any means try to avoid ice machines that produce the half-moon shaped ice chips. That ice is terrible – it melts on the touch of the hand and makes really bad drinks. Remember that most commercial ice machines can be altered with a different grid and can be made to produce more or less decent ice. Talk to your boss about it, even if they refuse to change it at least they will note the fact that you are engaged and are taking care of properly executing your job.

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Ice is a critical component to a well made cocktail. Here is a few guidlines regarding ice and it’s part in cocktails.

• Always use fresh ice. When mixing drink sat home – do not use th eice that has been sitting in your freezer from last year. Ice has th eability to conserve smells and aromas so ifyou don’t want your Manhattan cocktail to smell of pork ribs make your uice at the most 2 days ahead.

• The best ice is so cold that it is dry. If the surface of the ice cubes is wet then the ability of that ice to chill the cockatil to the right temperature is diminished.

• Prepare always a lot, lots of ice. Don’t forget No Ice-No party.• Bigger ice cubes are almost always better then the smaller ones. • Finaly remember that besides chilling the cocktail to the right temperature

ice also provides the mixture with the right amount of water or“dilution” which serves as a balancing ingredient. However if you overshake or overstir a cocktail it could become over diluted and loose its character.

Pouring and Building a drink

When mixing or building a cocktail, pour first the ingredients in the mixing glass. Some bartending guides and experts choose to pour the flavoring agents first, than the modifiers and at last the basis. In our opinion it is of no importance. We prefer to pour the basis first, the modifier second, and the flavoring agent at the end. You should develop your own technique and should not be bounded to somebody else directives in this matter. One thing, however, is extremely important: memorize the size of your cocktail glasses and the amount of liquid you need to pour. In other words, when preparing a cocktail in the mixing glass, try to memorize the imaginary mark on the side of the glass that marks the amount of liquid (before shaking) it takes in order to create a cocktail with the right amount of ingredients. Remember that the “meltage” or dilution (amount of water added to the cocktail, as a result of shaking or stirring) plays a significant role in the taste of the final product. This matter is more so important if we imagine how many thousands of dollars go monthly down the drain because of Bartenders neglect and over pour. Certain Cocktails and cocktail families are build directly in the glass in which they are served. These are Highballs, Collinses, Fizzes and a few cocktails that are previously muddled like the Mojito, Caipirinha, etc.

Learning how to pour is learning how to walk. In modern bartending we work with what is better known as the “free pour” style. That means that the Bartender pours the dose freely without any help of tools like jiggers or dozers. This technique helps the Bartenders to be more efficient and to produce more revenue for the bar. How does one learn correctly to “free pour”?

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A good exercise to practice poring is to take an empty one-liter bottle (1 liter = 33.8 fluid ounces) fill it with water and try to get 17 equal shots out of it. It seems easy but it will take you some time to master pouring and get your “hand”. Since a fair New York shot is between 1.5 oz and 2 oz if you practice enough soon you’ll be able to pour exactly the amount that you need.Stay away from “counts”. Instant Bartending schools talk in their curriculums constantly about “counts”. What is a “count”? It is simply the amount of liquid that exits the bottle in a certain amount of time. This amount is affected by numerous conditions. Example: Under same conditions you will be able to pour an ounce of vodka much faster than an ounce of Crème de Cassis. This happens as a result of a much greater density of the Cassis. What if your pourer is cloaked? Of has sugar deposits on it? That will also influence the “count”. That’s why we suggest that you rely in this case on your eyes. Soon you will discover how many “counts” in your own rhythm it takes to pour the basis, how many for the modifier, etc. Experience will give you an additional touch to it, regarding the amount of each ingredient and the final color. Use all your senses while preparing a cocktail. Your sense of taste can distinguish five different tastes: sweet, salty, tart, bitter and astringent. On the other hand your sense of smell can differentiate anywhere from 2000 to 2500 different aromas. The final product of your mixing will have a certain smell and taste combination. Learn how to get there. Try to smell every cocktail before shaking and smell it afterwards. Smell the basis alone, smell it when you add the modifier, smell it all the time. This will result in your knowledge and experience so that you’ll be able to tell by the smell if you added adequate amounts of ingredients. The customers in front of who you are preparing the cocktail also enjoy seeing its preparation so always use the mixing glass.

Balance

As was mentioned before a cocktail should be a balance of flavors which are contained in it. This is by far the most important characteristic of a cocktail.

Simply put your ability to achieve balance in cocktail making will define you as a bartender. Just as every musician has his or her unique „sound“ so will you as a trained bartender „taste“ uniquely. This will come after a lot of practice and work on self since every change in your psycological makeup will reflect itself in the wat you“taste“ and more so – your personal taste and prefrences wil change and evolve as you grow.

It is important to note as well that blance is a very subjective thing and is an attribute of the taste of the person mixing the drink. What is too sour or too sweet for someone could be pleasantley balanced for someone else. Therefore it helps to remember that nothing in the trade of Bartending is fixed – all recipes should be taken as a general guideline but the final outcome will generaly be

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dependent on your personal taste and technique. Besides that one must also recall that ingredients are changing all the time. Their flavor and sugar level fluctuates as well as their ABV or Alcochol By Volume so much in some cases that some brands are sold under different ABV on different continets (Beefeater London Dry Gin sold in the USA is 47% ABV while in the EU it is sold at a mere 40%).

A very imortant part is the power of suggestion that is at your disposal when you work behind the bar. You are percieved by the patrons to be an authority, remember that they trust you to make good choices for them. Inforce that image consciously and play on it whenever possible.

That beeing said it is clear why a bartender who masters the art of balance is awlays able to make a great cocktail. To get there a lot of practice is needed and of course a great deal of tasting. Taste everything all the time. Taste how ingredients behave in cold temperatures, room temperatures and how when warm. Know your fresh juices. Taste them before every shift – the citrus jucies taste very differently in different seasons. The more you taste and experiment the better you will get. And someday you will get it down just like a pro. Your hand and eye will be in the right place and your drinks will touch the sky.

Fresh and high quality Ingredients

Like in cooking the right choice of ingredients will greatly influence the quality of the final product. Lime Juice, Lemon Juice and other juices should be fresh squeezed and strained from pulp and zest. Since they are free of conservatives they should be maintained on ice during the shift or kept in the refrigerator. After the shift is over it is not usually recommended to store them overnight for tomorrow. Hence it is important to work out a “Par” or an average quantity of juice one goes thru during one shift. Squeezing too much is a waste and squeezing too little will leave you dry when you most need it. Please stay clear from commercially available ingredients and mixers (e.g. Margarita mix, Piña Colada mix, Bloody Mary mix, etc) since they are not worthy of your abilities and skill level. Think about it – would any decent chef ever use canned gravy? Or would he or she make it from scratch? It is further recommended that you explore the way how fresh ingredients “play” along with spirits and other mixers. Finally all fruits taste best when they are in season implying that regardless of the fact that some fruits are imported year around their highest quality will be when they would naturally be ripe.

Sours

The most difficult thing about sours is to always make them consistently and things get even more complicated when we observe the different recipes we

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have for sours. It is clear therefore that a sour will showcase the difference between a professional and an amateur bartender.

The final judgment about a sour will of course come from the patron to whom the drink is served and in that case we could assume that the taste will also dictate the style and presentation of the cocktail, however there is one rule when making sours that we can hold on to:

- Almost everyone drinking a cocktail will tolerate a little sweeter sour but a very few people will go for a sour that is distinctly tart.

One should therefore keep in mind to be very careful while mixing fresh squeezed lime and lemon juice because if not handled properly they could easy sent the whole cocktail into the tart valley.

“Cherry on Top”

Don’t ever underestimate the importance and visual importance that the garnish provides for the cocktail. It completes the circle, gives everything a culinary note and signals the guest that it is time to begin enjoying his/her cocktail. Some garnishes are just a decoration while others are used to give everything a final flavor accent. In any case stay away from using too many olives, cocktail onions or other garnishes in a cocktail since they can radically change its flavor and raise its temperature. Lemon peel should be ideally cut above the surface of the cocktail and then “twisted” so that all the essential oils from the peel end up on the surface providing the cocktail with an appropriate sent. The same is true for orange peels (twists). However some modern bars go through so many cocktails that require some fresh garnishes that it pays to prepare them before hand and store them properly so that they retain all their attributes.

Some modern cocktails use edible flowers or dry rose buds that provide the cocktail with another sensory experience. Finally to demonstrate what all garnishes could do let’s take a look at the Mediterra cocktail, that consists of vodka, honey syrup infused with orange peel and vanilla, fresh squeezed lemon juice and black fig puree. It is garnished with a side serving of spicy roasted pistachio nuts:

Mediterra cocktail with garnish and ingredients

Story

Almost every cocktail has its own story. Story about where it comes from, who made it first, what inspired its name, what is so special about the ingredients used in it etc…If you know most of these stories you are increasing your chances to make a sale and with time you will master your general sales techniques. It

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helps to remember that the consumers just need to be given a reason why to choose a product – if you tell them for example a version of the story on how the Manhattan Cocktail came to be where it is said that the Manhattan Cocktail was created first for the innaguration of Govenrer Samuel J. Tiden at the famous Manahttan Club in New York around 1874 and that the party was hostd by Jenny Jerome, later to be mother of famous british politician Winston Churchill – you are sure to sell the cocktail.

Not only that – the consumer will from that moment on feel very special, like some kind of a member of a secret brotherhood. They will identify with this drink, and it will become „their“ cocktail from that moment on. Stories are very, very important and they fulfill the experience the guests are having at the bar. We would even go as far to claim that because of stories that follow them cocktails tend to „taste“ better.That being said it is imperative for you to always research, read and educate yourself about all the facts that will enable you to sell better and be a more personal server. The suggested literature will be listed at the end of this chapter.

Shaking

Shaking is a technique used to chill a cocktail or martini by adding water

and air in it. Water is a very, very important balancing ingredient in every cocktail-

martini and the right amount of it makes all the difference. Too much and the cocktail-martini will be to “watery” – too little and you’ll have an unbalanced cocktail that will be almost undrinkable.

When you are done with pouring, add ice to the mixing glass, or if there is no space for the right amount just scoop the ice with the metal shaker and close in a quick move the two parts together. Remember that your ice is in this case an ingredient. The colder and bigger the ice cubes are the longer you need to shake the cocktail in order to achieve the right balance.

It is very important to shake every cocktail as hard as you only can. Hold the mixing glass with your left hand, close the mixing glass with the metal shaker that you hold in your right hand and hit the bottom of the metal shaker so the seal is tight. Than flip the shaker around so that the metal part is standing on the working level. Hold the metal shaker with your left hand and with your right hand hold the mixing glass so that the middle finger is filling up the gap between the metal part and the glass.

Remember, a good shake is possible only when using both hands. Lift the shaker; place it parallel to the line going straight from your right ear to your right eye.

Start shaking in a steady rhythm but very aggressive. A cocktail should be shaken no longer than 8 seconds depending on the size of your ice. Please note that the quality of ice is extremely important – larger ice cubes the ones that we tend to make at home are colder and melt slower so you will need to shake them

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longer and harder to add the same amount of water as with smaller ice cubes that we usually find in restaurant bars.

When done with shaking, remove the mixing glass from the metal shaker, put the strainer on top of it and pour the cocktail in the prepared martini-cocktail glass.There are cocktails that require the pour out of the mixing glass. In that case you need to use the julep strainer.

Opening the Seal

The Boston shaker closes rightly under a certain angle of approximately 15-20 degrees. It creates a very tight seal that holds the shaker closed. The metal part of the shaker will shrink more since it is an excellent heat conductor and the ice will make the metal colder and therefore tighter. So it’s sometimes very hard to open the seal even to an experienced bartender. There is a very easy way how to break open any seal and it just needs a little practice.

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View of the seal from above

As you can see from the diagram above the seal is easily opened when it’s lightly hit with the heel of your palm on the spot of the metal part of the shaker where the gap between the glass and the metal is in the middle. Practice to open the seal and in a few attempts you’ll get your own feel on how to handle and open a seal. Please be patient, it will take some time but whatever you do – do not try to open the seal by banging the whole contraption on the bar top, refrigeration equipment or back bar in order to open it. If you really, really can’t do it, ask your fellow bartender or bar back for help.

Stirring

Stirring is used for cocktails and martinis that require a gentler chilling method. Same rules apply to stirring as far as ice is concerned. Larger-colder ice should be stirred longer and smaller ice shorter. Gin Martinis, Manhattans, Negronis etc. like old classics definitely should be stirred. Vodka martinis, however taste better shaken in our opinion. Prepare the cocktail for stirring the same way you would prepare it for shaking, but remember that stirring will ad less water into the cocktail. When done with pouring add ice into the mixing glass, fill it up to app.

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Mixing Glass Hit here to open sealwhere the Gap is in between

Metal part of Boston Shaker Largest Gap

No Gap

1/5 from the top. Now take your bar spoon. It should be slightly curved, so when you place it into the mixing glass and start stirring it moves the whole amount of ice through the cocktail. Stir for about 40 revolutions. Remove your bar spoon and take the julep strainer. Strain into your prepared cocktail glass and garnish.

Layering & Floating

Layering and floating are techniques not frequently used in modern bartending but they have their place and are definitely an important part of your craftsmanship. These techniques involve slow poring of liquids over the back of the bar spoon thus layering “lighter” or less dense liquids on top of denser ones. We find examples of that in cocktails like B-52, Black & Tan or the Pousse Caffee an awful drink that no one ever makes but can be found in every bar book. There are some cocktails that require floating on top of a finished cocktail like the New York Sour or the Smoky martini where a layer of single malt scotch is floated on top of a shaken vodka martini.

Muddling

Muddling is a cocktail building process used to crush fruits, herbs and sugar – extracting aromatic and essential oils from the peels and skins of citrus fruits and blending all of the aforementioned ingredients together. Muddling is done in the bottom of a mixing glass, since it is made from tempered glass and it’s sturdy enough to sustain the pressure from muddling or can be performed in a certain type of rocks or old-fashioned glass in which the cocktail will be served afterwards.

Fresh squeezed juices, syrups, flavoring agents, bitters, tonics and their importance

Why do we in Classic American Bartending emphasize so strongly on the freshest and best possible ingredients? Because a good bar is no different from a gourmet kitchen and a good bartender is in many ways as important as the Chef. Fresh squeezed juices are an essential part of mixology and an absolute must. The quality difference of Cocktails that are made with fresh squeezed juices in comparison to prefabricated and juices made from concentrate is astonishing. However, fresh squeezed juices need careful handling and will if unchecked turn bad very quickly. When squeezing batches of fresh juices, please label every

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gallon with the date when the juice was squeezed and use them appropriately. Taste the juices before every shift to make sure they are still ok. There is nothing more repelling then getting a screwdriver with bad orange juice.

Simple Syrup

Simple syrup is a basic ingredient in classic and modern bartending. It’s used as a sweetener and a balancing agent. Since we use fresh squeezed juices – we have to use simple syrup. They go hand in hand. Simple syrup is simply put – sugar water. There are two ways of preparing Simple syrup:Hot and cold method. Both use instant dissolving or superfine sugar.

Hot method requires a pan that fits at least a quart of liquid. For a quart of Simple Syrup just heat up equal parts of sugar and water and bring the water to boil while stirring. Let the syrup cool of and pour it in a bottle.

Cold method is essentially the same except that you mix equal parts of sugar and cold water in a bottle until all the sugar has dissolved and the water gets a very pale amber color.

How sweet is it?

Let’s talk simple syrup which is our basic sweetener in cocktails and serves just like salt and pepper in cooking to carry on its back all the flavors in a given mixed drink. There are two usual recipes for simple syrup:

• Regular Simple Syrup = where the ratio between water and sugar is 1:1• Enriched Simple Syrup = where the ratio is 1, 5 : 1 in favor of sugar.

Your recipes will change dramatically due to the choice of which simple syrup you are planning to use. Modern bars usually choose the regular simple syrup so they can make a bigger volume cocktails which are demanded by their patrons in comparison with glassware and volumes that were used at the end of nineteen and the beginning of the twentieth century. Take a look how the proportions for making a sour are changing with the different choice of simple syrup:

Sour made with Enriched Simple Syrup

• ½ oz. (15ml) Enriched Simple Syrup • ¾ oz. (25ml) Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice• 1 to 2 oz. (30-60ml) Distilled spirit

Sour made with regular Simple Syrup

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• 1 oz. (30ml) Enriched Simple Syrup • ¾ oz. (25ml) Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice• 1 do 2 oz. (30-60ml) Distilled spirit

As mentioned the recipes will vary and that is good – we recommend the use of the Enriched Simple Syrup, which when made correctly is a syrup and not some sugar water. In other words it has to be dense, thick, sweet and light golden-amber in color.

Other sweeteners used in modern mixology today are superfine bar sugar, unrefined yellow or brown sugar cubes, honey and honey syrups (honey & water with the addition of spices), maple syrup and agave nectar. The last one has gained a lot in popularity lately mainly because of a lower glycemic index that makes it easier to break down within the body since it is based on fructose or fruit sugars. Please avoid the use of artificial sweeteners like sweet & low, Splenda or similar stuff in cocktails. If someone because of health condition or dietary restrictions is not allowed to have sugar it helps to remind that person that alcohol is made from sugar and that it is best for such a person to abstain from drinking in general.

Grenadine

Grenadine is a sweetener once flavored with pomegranate essence. Nowadays is made with artificial ingredients and flavorings. It is used in cocktails as a sweetener and balancing ingredient. You can make your own grenadine. It is much simpler then people think. Buy some fresh pomegranate juice, add some sugar and reduce it over small flame until it turns into syrup. Let it cool off and the real grenadine is ready for use.

Rose’s Lime Cordial

Unlike common perception – Rose’s Lime is not a juice but a non-alcoholic cordial. It is also used as a flavoring agent and sweetener although it is as artificial as Grenadine. Some Cocktails, especially classics, do call for the use of Rose’s Lime and no matter how much you want to try to exchange it with the combination of fresh lime juice and simple syrup it just isn’t the same. A Gimlet drinker will never accept a Gimlet made without Rose’s.

Bitters

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Bitters are for a cocktail what salt is for a soup. Maybe nowadays bitters are not a required ingredient in every cocktail but that does not mean that they are less important. Bitters provide depth and complexity to the taste of the cocktail. Besides that they also give the right spark to a cocktail that without them would be monotonous and lifeless. When correctly used bitter subtly influence the cocktail and when they are omitted one notices that „something is missing“.

Bitters are an important ingredient since the first days of cocktail. Once made for medicinal purposes they quickly found their way into cocktails, mainly because of the rough rums and whiskeys in the past. They masked the harshness and balanced the cocktails. Most bitters contain alcohol and many of them are over 90 proof. In the old days of saloons and taverns the barkeepers used to make their own bitters and guarded the recipes like gold. There are several different kinds of bitters used in mixology today of which we’ll mention

Angostura Bitters 90 Proof – made originally in the town of Angostura, Bolivia and made today at Port of Spain – Trinidad. Most predominant flavors are cinnamon, cloves and allspice.

Peychaud Bitters – created by a New Orleans apothecary Antione Peychaud in 1793 as a all purpose flavoring and health Tonic. Combining bitters, sugars and Cognac he created the first Sazeracs.

Orange Bitters, Peach Bitters, Mint Bitters – Bitters made using essential oils from fruit skins and rinds or leaves. Important ingredient in the early cocktail days.

Glassware & Garnishes

Since the birth of Cocktail, when the first Sazeracs were made in New Orleans, bartenders have tried to garnish their creations with an additional flavor, leaving the guest the freedom to give his desired drink the final touch.From the early days, up to the present cocktail has evolved and so did its garnish. A garnish is the element that brings the cocktail together, thus completing it. Not only does it add color and decoration to the drink, but it should also add an accent to flavor of that drink. From Angostura bitters, maraschino liqueur and simple syrup, used in addition to Gin and Vermouth to flavor the Martinis in the

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recipes from 1887, we today have a wide selection of garnishes and flavors available in form of fruits, vegetables, bitters and sweeteners. The garnish has become an equal important part of the recipe and its ignoring would certainly interfere with the final result. The glassware however, gets chosen at the time a certain cocktail is created and barely changes. There are firm rules about the use of glassware and only occasionally they can be bend. We try to maintain a classical style of creating, serving and enjoying cocktails making sure that every cocktail sold to our guests is remarkable in its appearance and taste.

Glassware

Brandy Snifter – Snifters can vary in size and volume from 3 –18 oz. We use the 9 oz. size and serve in them any Brandy (Cognac, Calvados, Armagnac, Sambuca, Anisette, etc). The snifter is designed

to enable the connoisseur to enjoy the brandy’s bouquet, aroma, color and beauty.

Champagne Flute – We recommend the use of the 8 oz. Champagne flute for serving champagne, sparkling wines and champagne cocktails. The shape of the champagne flute helps to preserve the carbonation of

the sparkling wine better then the traditional Champagne cup that was used more in the past. Before serving please chill champagne flutes.

Cocktail-Martini Glass – 5-7 oz. Any cocktail and martini called straight up is served in this type of glass. Please chill martini-cocktail glasses before serving.

Collins Glass – 9-10 oz. We serve any Collins (Tom Collins, Vodka Collins, etc) as well as a variety of punches, rum drinks, sodas, classic cocktails and some of our Cocktails (Kempinsky Fizz and Ginger Fizz)

in this type of glass.

Hi-Ball Glass – 8-9 oz. In Hi-Ball glasses we serve any hi-ball (a shot of straight spirit with a mixer e.g. Vodka-Tonic), fizz, rickey, buck, water and double shots of straight spirits on the rocks in this glass.

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Pilsner (Beer) Glass – 10-23 oz. Any bottled and draft beer should be served in this type of glass. Please remember to offer it to your guest even if they did not ask for it. Beer served in a glass just tastes

completely different then in the bottle and you should give the customer that choice. Beer Glassware should preferably be chilled before serving.

Pony Glass – 3.75 oz. Also known as Sherry or Cordial glass. We serve any Cordial, Port, Sherry, Grappa, Eaux de Vie and Desert wine in this type of glass.

Rocks Glass – 6-8 oz. Also known as Old-fashioned Glass. In this glass we serve any straight spirit on the rocks, as well as sours, juleps and a number of classic cocktails and martinis called on the rocks e.g. Negroni

or Vodka Martini “On the rocks”.

Shot Glass- 2 oz. Often called also the spirit glass. We serve any shot of straight spirit, mainly Vodka form the freezer, in this type of glass. This glass is often used for shooters and shots e.g. B-52, Lemon Drop,

Kamikaze... etc. Please chill shot glasses before serving.

Wine Goblet – 6-9 oz. All the wines red and white, spritzers, vermouths and fresh squeezed juices are served in this type of glass.

Garnishes

There is a wide variety of garnishes we use in modern bartending for our cocktails. Garnishes are the finishing touch to a cocktail often adding both flavor and decoration to the finished drink.

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Olives - Green pitted, Spanish pimento stuffed olives are the classic olives used in Martinis, Bloody Maries, etc. Superstition says that you must always put an odd number of olives into a drink 1, 3, etc.

Cocktail Onions – Small cocktail onions or pearl onions used in Gibsons

Twists - Twists are short ribbons of peel stripped from a lemon or orange. By twisting it you release the aromatic oils that lie within the outside of the peel. If you swipe the glass with a twist, be sure not to use the white part (the pip), it is quite bitter and can spoil a cocktail.

Lemon, Lime and Orange wedges, wheels and half wheels– used as garnish in a lot of Highball, Collins and Sour Cocktails.

Maraschino Cherries or Brandied Cherries – Cherries from Adriatic coast of Croatia & Montenegro. Traditionally used to garnish Manhattans, Sours, Old-Fashioneds, etc.

Celery Stalks, Fresh Mint Leaves, Green Apple Wheels, Sliced Ginger Root, Blood Orange Wheels, Cucumbers, Espresso Beans, Fresh pineapple, and Strawberries – are the rest of the garnishes that are commonly used and should be available at any time (except for the seasonal fruit like blood oranges or fresh cranberries) at the bar.

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Cocktail Components

A cocktail consists of three major parts:Basis, Modifier and Flavoring agent

BasisA basis is always the predominant ingredient or the basic spirit of the drink. That ingredient also determines the type of the cocktail. In a Cosmopolitan the basis is Lemon flavored Vodka, in a Manhattan- Whiskey, in a Flamingo -Rum, and in a Tom Collins- Gin. There are cocktails which basis are two or three harmonious liquors, but these cases are rare and related to more old fashion and old-timer drinks, such as Stinger, Godfather, and so on. The most common basis spirits are 80 proof (the legal minimum) but may be much higher. Remember the best and finest spirits -–Cognacs, Armagnacs, Single-malt scotches- should never find their way in to a cocktail (except for a very, few exceptions) or any other mixed drink where their key qualities would be wasted.

ModifierModifiers are primarily spirits blended with wines, juices, water or sodas. This is the second most important part of the cocktail and must be used in that order! It must never be used to dominate the basis. Be always very careful with the modifier because to little or too much of it would certainly ruin the mix. Its task is to determine together with the basis the direction of the flavor of the cocktail. Without modifier we can’t have a cocktail. Improvisation is here NOT ALOWED!

Flavoring agentThe flavoring agent is the smallest element in terms of amount. A cocktail can have one, two or rarely three or more flavoring agents. Despite its small amount it brings the sophistication and the balance to the cocktail. It often determines the color, and the flavor from sweet to tart, from dry to bitter. Be careful with the flavoring agent. Too much can ruin the cocktail completely. The flavoring agents we mention here are liquors, liqueurs, syrups, bitters and juices.

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Overview of Cocktails

It is impossible to remember every single cocktail recipe, its garnish and proper glassware. That is why cocktails can be grouped into families.We have 7 main groups and 11 marginal groups. In the main group are HI-Balls, Collinses, Juleps, Martinis, Fizzes, Sours, Champagne Cocktails. In the “less important” group are Egg Noggs, Punches, Toddies, Bucks, Daisies, Coladas, Daiquiris, Flips, Rickeys, Slings and Shooters. By grouping the cocktails into families we can easier determine proper garnish and glassware. We will concentrate on the main cocktail families because they are generally the most called for nowadays, but with no disrespect to the later or less important cocktail families who are a major part of classical bartending.

Four key characteristics

• A cocktail is never larger than 6oz. and smaller than 3oz.• A cocktail must be well chilled• A cocktail is never only sweet• A cocktail is elegant, decadent and beautiful

Martinis & Cocktails

Martinis and Cocktails are the most famous mixed drink group today. The true original martini is Gin, Dry Vermouth and a dash of orange bitters-stirred (not shaken) served up in a martini glass with a lemon twist. Olives came much later as did the vodka martini. It is important to realize that to a martini aficionado none are true martinis, but in fact martini variations. Other classic

variations of the martini include Gimlets (Gin or Vodka with Lime Cordial), Gibson (Gin or Vodka Martini with Cocktail Onions), and Dirty Martini (Gin or Vodka with Dry Vermouth, Olive Brine and Olives).

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Specifying Dryness for Martinis:

When ordering a straight gin or vodka martini it is important to specify the dryness to the customer’s liking just as you would put a temperature on a steak.

Modifier Amount of Dry Vermouth

Wet 1 ounce Regular ¾ ounceDry ½ ounceVery Dry splashVery Very Dry orExtra Dry no Dry VermouthIn and Out coat the mixing glass with

Vermouth then strainPerfect Equal parts of Dry and Sweet

Vermouth.

Dry Gin Martini Lemon TwistPerfect Martini Lemon TwistCitrus Martini Lemon TwistDirty Martini 3 olivesFrench Martini NO GARNISHGibson 3 onionsGimlet Lime wedgeSake Martini 3 thin cucumber slicesSmokey Martini Lemon twistVesper Martini Lemon twist

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GarnishMartinis

Aviation Maraschino CherryBetween the Sheets NO GARNISHBlood & Sand NO GARNISHCalvados Sidecar sugar rim and orange twistCosmopolitan Orange twistDaiquiri Lime wedgeFloradita (Hemingway Daiquiri) Lime wheel and cherry flag“Call” Manhattan Maraschino cherryPerfect Manhattan Lemon TwistClassic Manhattan Lemon TwistMargarita Lime wedge & salt (if desired)Millionaire Cocktail Lemon WheelNegroni Orange TwistNerina Orange twistRob Roy Maraschino cherrySidecar Sugar rimWhite Lady Lemon WheelMatahari 3 dry rose budsProvencal Orange twistMartinez Cocktail Lemon Twist (and sugar rim in our case)Manhattan Cocktail Lemon TwistRuby Tuesday Lemon TwistRoselle NO GARNISHFernando Mint LeafAmelia Mint LeafFraise Savage Half a StrawberryBillionaire Cocktail Lemon WheelYellow Jacket Lemon TwistMartini Lemon Twist or 3 olives

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Cocktails

Hi-BallsHi-Balls

Hi-Balls are the most popular drinks called for at any bar. A hi-ball is any straight spirit over ice with a desired mixer (soda or juice) and is served in this type of glass. Hi-ball drinks are very tolerant and are open to a lot of variations. However, certain rules for garnishing must be followed.

Any Hi-ball drink that calls for Tonic, Cranberry juice, Ginger Ale or Cola (except Scotch-, Brandy-, Tequila- or Whiskey Coke) are garnished with a Lime wedge, clear stirrer and short straw.All Hi-Balls mixed with soda (Vodka soda) are garnished with a Lemon wedge, clear stirrer and short straw with the exception of whiskey-soda.

CollinsCollins

Collinses are mixed drinks that contain a shot of straight spirit, fresh squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup (sugar water) and club soda.There are as many different Collinses as there are basic spirits. They are served with no exemption in the 11.5 oz. Collins glass and are always garnished with a Lemon wedge and a stemmed

maraschino cherry. If your bar doesn’t carry long stirrers, it is always suitable and necessary to add a long straw to be used as one.

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Hi-Balls

Spirit & Juice

MADRASSEABREEZE NO GARNISH !!!BAYBREEZE GREYHOUNDSKREWDRIVER – Orange wedgeCAPE CODDER – Lime wedge

Spirit & SodaVODKA or GIN TONIK – Lime wedgeVODKA or GIN SODA – Lemon wedgeVODKA, WHISKEY or GIN 7 UP – Lemon wedgeWHISKEY, SCOTCH, VODKA or GIN w. Ginger Ale – Lime wedgeWHISKEY, SCOTCH, VODKA or GIN w.Coke – NO GARNISH !!!

JulepsJuleps

Juleps are cocktails prepared with a shot of straight spirit, muddled sugar and fresh mint leaves served over ice with a splash of soda. One very popular variation of the Rum Julep is the MOJITO. Juleps are served in a 9 oz. rocks glass, with no garnish and with a clear stirrer and a short straw. Besides the MOJITO, popular juleps are Bourbon Julep or better

known as the MINT JULEP, BRANDY JULEP and of course the famous CHAMPAGNE JULEP.

FizzesFizzes

Fizzes are a major part of the classic bar. In the past they were very popular and desired. Nowadays, however, the classic Fizz has almost vanished and can be found only in few bars. Unfortunately today we won’t get a lot of calls for a classic Gin Fizz, Ramos Fizz or Morning Glory Fizz, but we certainly love to make them. The Fizz

is made with a shot of straight spirit, fresh squeezed lemon juice, powdered sugar, simple syrup and egg white. Those ingredients are shaken well, poured into Collins glass over ice and a splash of Club Soda. There are no garnishes for fizzes determined so you can let your creativity add the final touch to a Fizz cocktail.

SoursSours

Sours are as old as the first cocktails. In the beginning Sours also had egg white as an important ingredient, but the taste of the drinking public changed and only few sours are nowadays made with egg whites. Sours contain a shot of straight spirit or liqueur, with fresh squeezed lemon juice and simple syrup. It is very

common to add a dash of fresh squeezed orange juice into sours. It enhances the taste and gives balance to the sour. We make all sour drinks we have the ingredients for, even the Pisco sour. Sours are shaken and served over ice in rocks glass. Garnish is always a flag - orange half wheel and a stemmed maraschino cherry.

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Most common sours are:AMARETTO SOUR PISCO SOURWHISKEY SOUR BRANDY SOURVODKA SOUR RUM SOURMIDORI SOUR

Champagne CocktailsChampagne Cocktails

Champagne cocktails are all served in a Champagne Flute. In general champagne cocktails have no garnish, except for a few examples (e.g. Americana). Here are some of the most popular champagne cocktails that are made today:

Bellini NoneChampagne Cocktail Lemon twistMimosa NoneKir Royale NoneAmericana Orange wedgeFrench 75 Orange Wedge

Other famous cocktails and their garnishesOther famous cocktails and their garnishes

Finally here is a table of other famous cocktails, their glassware and garnishes.

AMERICANO COLLINS Orange half wheelCAIPIRIÑA ROCKS NONE/clear stirrer/strawCAIPIROSHKA ROCKS NONE/clear stirrer/strawGINGER FIZZ COLLINS Sliced Ginger RootSINGAPOORE SLING COLLINS Orange wedge/cherry/strawKIR WINE GLASS Lemon twistSPRITZER WINE GLASS Lemon twist/clear stirrerOLD FASHIONED ROCKS Orange wedge/cherry/stirr/str.SAZERAC ROCKS Lemon twistSALTY DOG HIGHBALL Coarse salt/Lime wedgeBLOODY MARY COLLINS Celery stalk/3 olives/Lemon w.

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Cocktail Garnish

Cocktail Glassware Garnish

GODFATHER ROCKS NONE/clear stirrerBLACK RUSSIAN ROCKS NONE/clear stirrerWHITE RUSSIAN ROCKS NONE/clear stirrerSTINGER ROCKS NONE/clear stirrerRUSTY NAIL ROCKS NONE/clear stirrer

Spirits “On the Rocks”Spirits “On the Rocks”

Every spirit called for “on the rocks” is served as a straight shot over ice in a rocks glass. If not specifically desired, those drinks have no garnish. A clear stirrer will do the job. We can also serve sprits with “ a splash of” desired mixer (soda, juice, flavoring agent, syrup, liqueur, etc) in a rocks glass over ice. Usually the

same rules apply for garnishing as with the Hi-Balls (e.g. Vodka on the rocks with a splash of Tonic, is garnished with a lime wedge). In the rocks glass we also serve whiskey, scotch and tequila straight up. Make sure that you serve always a glass of water as a “chaser” with any Single malt Scotch, Single Batch and Single Barrel Bourbon served “straight up” even if the guest didn’t ask for it.

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Introduction to

Distilled Spirits

Common ingredient in distilled spirits is Alcohol, in fact ethyl alcohol. Like its namesake distilled spirits got their name from a chemical process called distillation in which a fermented brine, broth or juice is run through a Still, a device that uses heat and cooling to extract a liquid with a certain percent of alcohol. All distilled spirits are required by law to have their alcohol content presented on the label. The alcohol content is called ABV or Alcohol by Volume or Proof. Proof is equal to ½ percent ABV. A spirit that is 100˚ Proof has 50 % ABV, 90˚ Prof is 45 % ABV … etc. Certain Spirits have government regulated norms and required legal ABV minimums. Liqueurs usually have less ABV then distilled spirits.

A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is a drinkable liquid containing ethanol that is produced by means of distilling fermented grain, fruit, or vegetables. This excludes undistilled fermented beverages such as beer and wine.

Beer and wine were historically limited to a maximum alcohol content of about 15% ABV. Most yeasts cannot reproduce when the concentration of alcohol is higher than 15%; consequently, fermentation ceases at that point, preventing the production of more alcohol.The term spirit generally refers to a distilled beverage that contains no added sugar and has at least 30% ABV. Popular spirits include absinthe, baijiu, brandy, eau-de-vie, German Schnaps, gin, grappa, rum, tequila, vodka, and whisk(e)y.

Distilled beverages that are bottled with added sugar and added flavorings, such as Grand Marnier, Frangelico, and American schnapps, are liqueurs.

Fortified wines are created by adding a distilled beverage (usually brandy) to a wine.

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History of distillation

The first evidence of distillation comes from Babylonia and dates from the 2nd millennium B.C. specially shaped clay pots were used to extract small amounts of distilled alcohol through natural cooling for use in perfumes. By the 3rd century A.D., alchemists in Alexandria, Egypt, may have used an early form of distillation to produce alcohol for sublimation or for coloring metal. In 1437 burned water (brandy) was mentioned in the records of the county of Katzenelnbogen in Germany. It was served in a tall, narrow glass called a “goderulffe.”

Middle East

Alcohol was fully purified for the first time by Persian chemists in the 8th and 9th centuries.[3] The development of the still with cooled collector—necessary for the efficient distillation of spirits without freezing—was an invention of Muslim alchemists during this time. In particular, Geber (Jabir Ibn Hayyan, 721–815) invented the alembic still; he observed that heated wine from this still released a flammable vapor, which he described as "of little use, but of great importance to science". Not much later Al-Razi (864–930) described the distillation of alcohol and its use in medicine. By that time, distilled spirits had become fairly popular beverages: the poet Abu Nuwas (d. 813) describes a wine that "has the colour of rain-water but is as hot inside the ribs as a burning firebrand". The terms "alembic" and "alcohol", and possibly the metaphors "spirit" and aqua vitæ ("life-water") for the distilled product, can be traced to Arabic alchemy.[3]

Names like "life water" have continued to be the inspiration for the names of several types of beverages, like Gaelic whisky, Scandinavian akvavit, French eaux-de-vie and possibly vodka.

Central Asia

Freeze distillation, the "Mongolian still", is known to have been in use in Central Asia sometime in the early Middle Ages. The first method involves freezing the alcoholic beverage and removing water crystals. The freezing method had limitations in geography and implementation and thus did not have widespread use, but remained in limited use, for example during the American colonial period applejack was made from cider using this method.

Medieval Europe46

Distilled alcohol beverages first appeared in Europe in the mid-12th century among alchemists, who were more interested in medical "elixirs" than making gold from lead. It first appears under the name aqua ardens (burning water) in the Compendium Salerni from the medical school at Salerno. The recipe was written in code, suggesting it was kept a secret. Taddeo Alderotti in his Consilia medicinalis referred to the "serpente" which is believed to have been the coiled tube of a still.

Paracelsus gave alcohol its modern name, taking it from the Arabic word which means "finely divided", in reference to what is done to wine. His test was to burn a spoonful without leaving any residue. Other ways of testing were to burn a cloth soaked in it without actually harming the cloth. In both cases, to achieve this effect the alcohol had to have been at least 95 percent, close to the maximum concentration attainable through fractional distillation (see purification of ethanol).

Claims on the origins of specific beverages are controversial, often invoking national pride, but they are plausible after the 12th century when Irish whiskey, German Hausbrand and German brandy can all be safely said to have arrived. These beverages would have had much lower alcohol content than the alchemists' pure distillations (around 40 percent by volume), and were likely first thought of as medicinal elixirs. Consumption of distilled beverages rose dramatically in Europe in and after the mid 14th century, when distilled liquors were commonly used as remedies for the Black Death. Around 1400 it was discovered how to distill spirits from wheat, barley, and rye beers; even sawdust was used to make alcohol, a much cheaper option than grapes. Thus began the "national" drinks of Europe: jenever (Belgium and the Netherlands), gin (England), schnapps (Germany), grappa (Italy), akvavit (Scandinavia), vodka (Russia and Poland), rakija (the Balkans), poitín (Ireland). The actual names only emerged in the 16th century but the drinks were well known prior to that date.

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Modern distillationThe actual process of distillation itself has not changed since the 8th century. There have, however, been many changes in both the methods by which organic material is prepared for the still and in the ways the distilled beverage is finished and marketed. Knowledge of the principles of sanitation and access to standardized yeast strains have improved the quality of the base ingredient; larger, more efficient stills produce more product per square foot and reduce waste; ingredients such as corn, rice, and potatoes have been called into service as inexpensive replacements for traditional grains and fruit. For tequila, the blue agave plant is used. Chemists have discovered the scientific principles behind aging, and have devised ways in which aging can be accelerated without introducing harsh flavors. Modern filters have allowed distillers to remove unwanted residue and produce smoother finished products. Most of all, marketing has developed a worldwide market for distilled beverages among populations which in earlier times did not drink spirits. Micro distilling is a trend that began to develop in the United States following the emergence and immense popularity of micro brewing and craft beer in the last decades of the 20th century. It is specifically differentiated from mega distilleries in the quantity, and arguably quality, of output. In most jurisdictions, including those which allow unlicensed individuals to make their own beer and wine, it is illegal to distill beverage alcohol without a license—with the notable exception of New Zealand, where personal alcohol distillation is legal (although selling still requires an appropriate license). Although illegal, moon shining has a long tradition in some locations.

Moonshine gear in some backwoods

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Chemical profile

A distilled beverage is typically manufactured by distillation, aging if applicable, and dilution to the set percentage of ethanol.

Distillation is done at least twice, due to the chemistry involved; Ethyl alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature than water, but not completely in one step. This makes it possible to increase the ratio of ethyl alcohol to water with repetition. Copper is typically used as a chemically near-inert metal for the equipment. However, it is still very much a transition metal catalyst, and catalyzes the formation of poisonous and harmful by-products, such as urethane. Removal of these is necessary and warrants a second distillation step. Most "colored" alcohols are distilled in a batch process, but continuous processes are found in the production of flavorless vodka and similar drinks.

After distillation, the alcohol may be aged in traditional oak casks. Whiskey, for example, is aged at 77%. Dilution is done to attain the standard percentage, from 30 to 80%. The (arbitrary) percentage of 40% is the most common "standard". However, a lower percentages such as 38% may make the drink more palatable. Also people often mix water into the drink to suit their tastes.

The final drink contains water, ethanol, fusel oils, and flavoring compounds. In some cases, sugar is added. Fusel alcohols are higher alcohols than ethanol, are mildly toxic, and have a strong, disagreeable smell and taste. Fusels in moderate quantities are considered to be essential parts of the taste profile of flavored drinks such as whiskey and cognac. In drinks intended to be relatively flavorless (such as vodka), they are defects. Incompetently distilled drinks also contain distillation heads, which are poisonous in large amounts and consist mostly of methanol and foul-smelling byproducts of fermentation.

Classification of Distilled Spirits

• Spirits distilled from grains• Spirits distilled from wine• Spirits distilled from fruit• Spirits distilled from Plants, Sugar or Molasses• Liqueurs and Anisées

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Spirits distilled from grains

GINGIN

The first confirmed date for the production of gin is the early 17th century in Holland, although claims have been made that it was produced prior to this in Italy. In Holland it was produced as a medicine and sold in chemist shops to treat stomach complaints, gout and gallstones. To make it more palatable, the Dutch started to flavor it with juniper, which had medicinal properties of its own. British troops fighting in the Low Countries during the Thirty Years' War were given 'Dutch Courage' during the long campaigns in the damp weather through the warming properties of gin. Eventually they started bringing it back home with them, where already it was often sold in chemists' shops. Distillation was taking place in a small way in England, but it now began on a greater scale, though the quality was often very dubious. Nevertheless, the new drink became a firm favorite with the poor. The formation by King Charles I of the Worshipful Company of Distillers, where members had the sole right to distil spirits in London and Westminster and up to twenty-one miles beyond improved both the quality of gin and its image; it also helped English agriculture by using surplus corn and barley. When King William III - better known as William of Orange - came to the English throne in 1689, he made a series of statutes actively encouraging the distillation of English spirits. Anyone could now distil by simply posting a notice in public and just waiting ten days. Sometimes gin was distributed to workers as part of their wages and soon the volume sold daily exceeded that of beer and ale, which was more expensive anyway. In 1729, an excise licence of £20 was introduced and two shillings per gallon duty was levied. In addition to which, retailers now required a licence. This almost suppressed good gin, but the quantity consumed of bad spirits continued to rise. In 1730 London had over 7,000 shops that sold only spirits. Daniel Defoe wrote of "the prodigious number of shopkeepers whose business is wholly and solely the selling of spirits". In certain areas, spirits were sold on average from one private house in four.

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The abuse of alcohol by the poor became a major problem. Smollett, the 18th century Scottish novelist wrote: "In these dismal caverns ('strong water shops') they (the poor) lay until they recovered some of their faculties and then they had recourse to this same mischievous potion". Lord Hervey declared: "Drunkenness of the common people was universal, the whole town of London swarmed with drunken people from morning till night." William Hogarth in his 'Gin Lane', an engraving of about this period, portrays a scene of idleness, vice and misery, leading to madness and death.

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The Gin Riots

The problem was tackled by introducing The Gin Act at midnight on 29 September 1736, which made gin prohibitively expensive. A license to retail gin cost £50 and duty was raised fivefold to £1 per gallon with the smallest quantity you could buy retail being two gallons. The Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, and Dr. Samuel Johnson were among those who opposed the Act since they considered it could not be enforced against the will of the common people. They were right. Riots broke out and the law was widely and openly broken. About this time, 11 million gallons of gin were distilled in London, which was over 20 times the 1690 figure and has been estimated to be the equivalent of 14 gallons for each adult male. But within six years of the Gin Act being introduced, only two distillers took out licenses, yet, over the same period of time, production rose by almost fifty per cent.

Respectability, high quality and patronage

The Gin Act, finally recognized as unenforceable, was repealed in 1742 and a new policy, which distillers helped to draft was introduced: reasonably high prices, reasonable excise duties and licensed retailers under the supervision of magistrates. In essence this is the situation which exists today. These changes led to more respectable firms embarking on the business of distilling and retailing gin and it became the drink of high quality, which it has since remained. Many companies established themselves as well-to-do manufacturers, often becoming patrons for major enterprises; one such was the sponsorship of the attempt to discover the North West Passage 1829-33: the attempt failed, but the expedition did establish the true position of the North Magnetic Pole. Gin had been known as 'Mother's Milk' from the 1820s but later in the century it became known as 'Mother's Ruin', a description perhaps originating from the earlier 'Blue Ruin' of the prohibition era in the previous century.

From Gin palaces to high society

By this time the battle for trade was heating up between the beer shops and the gin shops. Following the 1820 'Beerhouse Act', beer was sold free of licensing control and 45,000 beer shops - aimed to be the cozy homes from home - had appeared by 1838. Spirit retailers still required licenses and, to compete with the beer shops, they devised the 'gin palaces' which first appeared about 1830. These were designed to be an escape from home. As home for the poor - who continued to be gin's main supporters - was often a sordid slum, the gin palace was large, imposing and handsome and even luxuriously furnished. By the 1850s there were about 5,000 such places in London and Charles Dickens describes them in his 'Sketches by Boz' in the mid-1830s as "perfectly dazzling when contrasted with the darkness and dirt we have just left." In the

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mid-1830s the temperance movement started. Whilst it failed to make a big impact, it did encourage much debate on drink which was still a problem. Thomas Carlyle wrote of gin as "liquid madness sold at ten pence the quartem". By 1869 this led to an Act licensing the sale of beer and wine (spirits were still licensed). Two years later a further Act was introduced which would have halved the number of public houses in the country, but public opinion was outraged. One bishop stating in the House of Lords that he would "prefer to see all England free better than England sober" and the act was withdrawn. As reforms took effect, so the gin production process became more refined. So gin evolved to become a delicate balance of subtle flavors, and began its ascent into high society.

Gin triumphed in the 1920s - the first 'Cocktail Age' - after having been scarce during the 1914-18 World War. Now recognized as a cosmopolitan and refreshing drink, gin became the darling of the famous Cunard cruises. During the 1920s and 1930s the newly popular idea of the 'Cocktail-Party' crossed the Atlantic from the USA to Britain via an American hostess who wanted to fill in for her friends the blank time between teatime and dinner. London dry gin, with its subtle flavor made it easy to mix and it quickly became the staple ingredient in a host of fashionable drinks - including the world famous and enduring Martini.

Over the next twenty or thirty years many other cocktails with improbable names came to reflect the dizzy and sophisticated society which created them. By 1951 the Bartenders' Guild had registered 7000 cocktails on its files! At the same time gin had become one of the three essential drinks for home entertainment. Gin and tonic has remained one of the most popular and refreshing drinks right up to the modern day. And the latest fashion for cocktails - with even a hit American film of the same name - has resulted in a new career for likely young men who want to be seen hobnobbing with the rich and famous. 'Mixologists' are the new breed of bartenders who invent and serve the newest cocktails - often including fresh fruit juices from all manner of exotic sources.

Seen at a glitzy, modern, chrome and mirrored venue near you - gin has come a long way from the 'palaces' of the early nineteenth century.

There are several methods of producing gin but the European Community Regulation which governs spirit drinks (No. 1576 of 1989) defines only two. First, and by far the more important, is 'distilled gin' (of which London gin and Plymouth gin are recognized as types) which is produced in the traditional method, described below. Secondly, gin can be produced simply by flavoring suitable alcohol with natural flavoring substances which give a predominant taste of juniper: this method is known technically as 'compounding'.

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The Basic Spirit

Gin can be made from any spirit alcohol, which meets the requirements of original (agricultural) strength (at least 96% alcohol by volume - ABV) and purity (given maximum levels of residue) of the EC Regulation. The finest base for this 'neutral' spirit is either grain (normally barley and maize) or molasses and has no flavor at all.

Botanicals

The flavoring ingredients are all natural and are referred to as 'botanicals'. The type and quantity of each producer's botanicals vary according to their own closely guarded recipes; all are carefully selected and tested for purity and quality. All gins include juniper as an ingredient: other botanicals used are coriander, angelica, orange peel, lemon peel, cardamom, cinnamon, grains of paradise, cubeb berries and nutmeg. Typically a fine gin contains six to ten botanicals.

The Distillation Process

The detailed processes for the distillation do vary between producers. In most cases the spirit is diluted by adding pure water to reach the required strength of about 45% ABV. This is pumped into a still normally made of copper and the flavoring ingredients are added to it and it is then left to steep. Some producers place the botanicals in a tray over the spirit.

The still is heated, using a steam coil or jacket, to remove from the botanicals the essential oils (less than 5% of the weight) which give the flavoring to the spirit. The first distillate 'runnings' are re-circulated until an appropriate standard and strength (over 90% ABV) is reached. The lower quality early part of the run ('fore shots') and end of the run ('feints') as judged by the skill and experience of the 'Stillman' are run off to be redistilled. Only the 'middle run' is used to produce high quality gin; this is run off at about 80-85% ABV. The product then goes through a quality control 'Tasting Panel' and may also be analyzed by gas chromatography to ensure that it meets the required specification. This ensures product consistency.

The gin is then brought to the required EU legal minimum alcohol level - at least 37.5% ABV to meet EC regulations, although some gins have a higher level - by the addition of pure de-mineralized water. It is now ready for bottling as it does not require any period of maturation.

There is a cheaper method of producing gin. Essential oils are either extracted from botanicals by distillation or pressed out. These are added to the appropriate

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water. The product of this 'cold compounding' may be called 'gin' under EC rules but not 'distilled' or 'London' gin.

Rectification

This process used to be used to ensure that the quality of the alcohol was satisfactory before the distillation process took place. Advances in the production of neutral spirit have made this process unnecessary.

How Gin is made?

• The neutral spirit has no color or flavor at all. It is at least 96% alcohol by volume (ABV).

• Adding the Botanicals. These are the mixture of herbs and spices used to flavor gin. All use Juniper - others vary from brand to brand but could include coriander, angelica, orris root, licorice, caraway, cinnamon, grains of paradise, lemon and orange peel

• The still is heated to remove the essential oils from the botanicals.• Finally pure water is added to bring the strength down to the EU legal

requirement, a minimum of 37.5% ABV.

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VODKAVODKAVodka is the most popular spirit in the world today. Quite how much is

produced and consumed across the globe is impossible to even estimate, because there are so many small distilleries which products are distilled and consumed locally. Only Poland alone produces over a thousand different brands, not to mention Russia with its long tradition and vast landscape where almost every village makes its own vodka.

Most of the vodka today is consumed in Eastern Europe and the Nordic countries where it has been the traditional spirit for centuries and in North America and Western Europe where its large scale consumption is to be linked with the rebirth of its Majesty-The Cocktail.

History of VodkaHistory of Vodka

Russia

Vodka is an old Russian noun that means “little water”, having evolved from zhizenennia voda (water of life). Whether vodka was first produced in Russia or in Poland is a question charged with passionate debates and national pride. What has to be said is that more research has been done, or published, on the origins of vodka in Russia than in Poland.

Although it was not to be called vodka officially until the late nineteenth century, a cereal-based spirit was distilled in Russia in the middle of the fifteenth century, between 1448 and 1478 in the Chudov monastery in Moscow. The first vodkas were distilled from surpluses in grain stocks, due to the introduction of the three-field system of agriculture in Russia in the first half of the fifteenth century. Around that time a series of civil disobedience and unrest were sweeping the country and the urban poor. The Russian court linked those to the dramatic spread of drunkenness, thus imposing in 1474 a state monopoly on the production and sale of the spirit in the state of Moscow. This indicates that its production and consumption had by then become widespread enough to merit state attention either because its influence was beginning to be disruptive or because it saw it as a potentially lucrative source of state revenue. By the

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beginning of the sixteenth century Moscow was producing enough to export the spirit to Sweden and Estonia.

From 1530 to 1648 a system of “Czar’s taverns” was introduced in the Russian Empire, making the tavern keepers, elected by the community and answerable to the government, responsible for all sales and production, with distilling often taking place in the taverns themselves. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Peter I “The Great” realized that greater revenues for the state, which he desperately needed to finance, could be achieved by allowing freedom of distillation while imposing taxes on distillers, their equipment and production. Large-scale vodka production followed.

Catherine II established in 1765 the two-tier system of production. The privilege to distill was granted to the gentry, who began to supply its own needs, those of the court and their own peasantry. The rest of the society was supplied by a system of state distilleries. The first tier ushered in a golden era for Russian vodka. Free from economic restrains, the Russian nobility was soon producing vodka of spectacular quality. With no need to spare expense, the nobility used the best filtration and purification technologies available, used the best grain from their own crops, usually rye, and infused their wonderfully pure spirit with highest-quality ingredients and materials such as cherries, berries, fruit, hazelnuts, juniper, mint and aniseed. For those noble households the quality of their vodka became a matter of pride and by the end of the eighteenth century, Russian vodka reached the highest quality possible for a home produced spirit.

In order to keep the quality of the product on a satisfying level, the authorities imposed a full state monopoly in 1890. This was due to the fact that a lot of vodka distilled in private distilleries and available to the population was of a very poor quality leading to an increase of drunkenness and alcoholism. A “Technical Committee”, was made up of prominent scientists to find ways of improving the distilling technology and quality. By the beginning of the twentieth century all state distilleries adopted the recommendations by the committee, applying the technologies and standard production methods. This was the time when the most famous Russian brands started to develop.

After the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, vodka distillation was prohibited leading to a prohibition that lasted until 1936. During the Second World War, almost the entire male population of the U.S.S.R. was in uniform and a ration of 3 fluid ounces of vodka a day was distributed to the Red Army. The habit of drinking vodka swept across the country and became a part of life in Russian society. Russians today drink nearly 32 pints of vodka per capita per year, nearly twice the amount of the amount consumed in Poland.

Still Russia produces some of the most outstanding vodkas in the world, of immense character and quality. Stolichnaya is, perhaps, the best known of Russian brands, very popular in the West with it’s line of flavored vodkas and perhaps the ultimate product the Stolichnaya Gold. In Russia, the clear, unflavored Moskovskaya is the classic brand and it’s used as a quality benchmark against all other vodkas are judged. There are also wonderfully flavored brands such as Okhotnichya, the “Hunter’s vodka”, pepper-flavored Pertsovka, the romantic Sibirskaya, distilled in the frozen wastes of Siberia and

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filtered through silver-birch charcoal and the recently launched Smirnoff Black, distilled in the old Smirnoff distilleries in Moscow by old tradition and technology.

Poland

There are references to vodka’s being produced and consumed in Poland as early as the fourteenth century in polish literature, but real proof of it’s existence does not emerge until the reign of King Jan Olbracht, who first gave the Polish people the right to distill and sell it. Then in 1564 and 1565 the first taxation on vodka distillation, the equipment used, and on its retailing was imposed, suggesting that the spirit was by than produced in significant quantities.

Originally vodka was an alcoholic beverage known by the name of gorzalka and was probably made from the traditional rye or another grain. Vodka was used at the time for medicinal spirits, tonics, refreshers and remedies.

From the sixteenth to the end of the eighteenth century, vodka distilling grew in importance and became a significant national industry. In 1572 the privilege of distilling vodka was given to the aristocracy whereupon most manor houses set up their own still to distill vodka according to their own recipe and than sold it to the peasantry and travelers. The monasteries where also important centers of production.

Vodka production on significant scale, however, was developed in the cities. It has been produced in large quantities in Krakow as early as 1550. From where it was exported to the rest of the world. The city of Poznan, however, became the country’s most important center of production. The city’s rise continued in the eighteenth century and the vodka was shipped from Poznan through Gdansk to St Petersburg in Russia, Vienna, Silesia, Moldavia, Hungary, Balkans and the coats of the Black Sea.

In 1772 Poland was partitioned by Russia, Austria and Prussia. Vodka production was widespread and continued to flourish throughout one and half centuries of occupation. The largest distillery in Poland, on the outskirts of Poznan was build by the Prussian cavalry in 1823. Improvements in distilling equipment continued and new raw materials such as potatoes and sugarbeets were introduced. After Poland regained independence in 1918 an alcohol monopoly was set up to oversee the production and commercialization of all alcoholic beverages. The post war Communist regime introduced a similar state control on all aspects of vodka production inforced by the Polmos (The Polish Spirits Monopoly) and other government bodies controlled its sale and distribution.

Today much of this structure has been swept away. The Polmos has been broken up into its 25 component parts which, although still government owned are now independent companies. They buy in raw spirit (made mostly from rye, potatoes and wheat) from about 500 small agricultural distilleries and rectify, dilute, filter and bottle it. They then have the right to sell it to whoever they wish,

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although the rights to some leading brands such as Zubrowka or Wyborowa on foreign markets are owned by Agros a company listed on the Warsaw stock exchange.

For this reason many of the Polmoses have started to launch their own brands such as Belvedere, Luksusowa, Krolewska, Premium, Fiddler, Jazerbiak Rowan and many more.

Poland today is the worlds leading producer of vodka and will certainly play a major role in its future.

Scandinavia

It is believed that the secrets of vodka distillation were introduced into Finland, Sweden and other Scandinavian countries by mercenaries returning home from European wars in sixteenth century. With an abundance of grain from the central part of the Scandinavian Peninsula and plenty of pure water, vodka production blossomed and soon became the national drink in Scandinavia. Distillation was known in this region before, mainly in Sweden, where a spirit called “brännvin” (“burned wine”) was made since the fifteenth century. It was distilled from imported wine and was a luxury. Its main social purpose was medicinal.In Finland the breakpoint of vodka production came in 1880 when the country’s largest distillery was built in Rajamäki. This distillery has a rich history making ether during World War One and “Molotov Cocktails” during World War Two. After the War, the state invested heavily into distilleries and Finland saw a blossoming period of vodka making. It went so far that the Finish vodka industry transformed itself into one of the most advanced distilling industries in the world.Today Finland produces several brands of vodka but its reputation as a high-quality producer rests on two leading brands. Koskenkorva Viina (Finish for burned wine), a vodka with small amount of sugar added to give it a smoother finish was launched in 1953. Koskenkorva Vodka followed in 1952 and has become the leading brand on the Finish market. Finlandia, a premium brand targeted primarily for export was launched in 1970. Finland sells close to 4 million cases of vodka, what is making it one of the most important vodka producers today.In Sweden distillation from grain started in the sixteenth century and was immediately welcome by the general populace which now had a more accessible spirit to consume. In the following century the Queen Kristina who granted exclusive right to sell wine, beer and brännvin within a six-mile radius to the innkeepers introduced the first taxes on distillation. The number of taverns flourished, but so did also the consumption, which was soon reaching dangerous levels. The authorities reacted in the next century by imposing prohibitions on distillation and lifting them when the opposition from farmers grew too strong.By the end of the eighteenth century the distillation technology was improving and potatoes, a cheaper raw material then wheat at that time, were used for the first time.

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The production rose but unfortunately so did heavy drinking. This lead to the inevitable backlash. The Swedish Temperance Society was formed and within 20 years became a major political force. It managed to first restrict and then abolish home distilling by 1860. The government soon overtook all vodka production. The Bränvin companies became mandatory in 1905. Fifty years later they were fused into one single nationwide monopoly. This monopoly called Systembolaget stays in place to this very day. The history of vodka in Sweden cannot be finished before we mention the Founder of Absolut, Lars Olsen Smith. In 1877 he launched his Absolut Rendant Brännvin or Absolutely Pure Brännvin. He offered the authorities of the Province of Stockholm his extremely pure vodka under the condition to be their only supplier. The authorities refused and he declared war opening his own shop on the island of Reimersholm. He offered free boat rides to the island to the public and they came in abundance to enjoy this premium spirit for a low price. Eventually the authorities capitulated and accepted his offer. The production of the Absolut brand in the Ähus distillery in southern Sweden still uses many of the methods first developed by Smith for his Absolut Rendant Brännvin. His portrait can be seen on every Absolut bottle, as a medal of the “King of Vodka” for his contribution to the development of the Swedish vodka industry. Sweden’s reputation as a leading vodka producer lies firmly on the shoulders of Absolut brand, of which it sells nearly six million cases annually around the world.

Western Europe

Like Russia and Poland it is very difficult to trace the origins of vodka production in Western Europe. What we know for certain is that many countries have a long tradition of distilling white spirits from a cereal base and that it arrived in Western Europe as early, if not earlier, it did in the eastern part of the continent. During excavations in Denmark a still with water cooling system was discovered, dating back to the fourteenth century.As grain was probably the only material that these early distillers would have had to their disposal, we assume that the spirit they produced was not unlike what we know today as vodka. By the fifteenth century akvavit production was firmly established in Denmark. Akvavit, derived from Latin Aqua Vitae (water of life), is a white spirit distilled from grains, flavored with infusions of herbs or other botanicals.In Netherlands distillation was also known from an early age. The Dutch claim that they were the first to distill wines from southwest France into an early form of brandy. Gin production, using wheat from northern part of the country was firmly established by the end of the sixteenth century, when it was discovered by English soldiers who took it home to England enthusiastically. It is said that during a visit to the Dutch court in 1679 the Russian Czar Peter I was so impressed with the quality of the Dutch white spirit that he took a recipe home to Russia.

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The production of clear, unflavored vodka we know today probably did not take place until the nineteenth century when in 1888 the distillation of the Royalty brand began in northern Holland. The vodka was distilled from wheat and was purified to an advanced degree. Western European distillers got a further boost from Russian refuges fleeing the Bolsheviks. The Wolfshmidts from Latvia distilled their vodka in the Netherlands before emigrating to the United States, Gorbatschows, a family of distillers from St. Petersburg set up their distillery in Berlin and the Smirnoffs started a small distillery in Paris. Most western European distillers, however, continued to focus on their national spirits such as akvavit, gin, brandy or whisky. It was not until vodkas popularity began to grow in 1960’s and 1970’s that the big brands we know today were launched. Furthermore, new brands continue to be launched on regular basis and virtually every significant distilling company in Europe now has its own brand.

The U.S.A.

Vodka is said to have been first introduced to the United States by the Wolfschmidt company, which was founded in 1847 in Riga, the capital of Latvia. Before the Bolshevik revolution it was a supplier to the Czars, including Alexander III, but its owners were forced to flee the new regime. They went first to the Netherlands, where the brand was produced for a while, and then to the United States where it is still produced to this day.It was another Russian immigrant who is accepted as the father of the American vodka industry. The Kunett family had been grain merchants in Russia before the revolution and one of their main customers had been the Smirnoffs, the leading vodka producers at the turn of the century. Rudolph Kunett escaped the communists and immigrated to the United States. In the early 1930’s he visited Paris and met his old customer Vladimir Smirnoff, who had also fled the revolution and had put together enough money to start distilling again, albeit on a very much smaller scale than he had done during the company’s heyday in Russia. Things were not going well for Smirnoff and Kunett persuaded him to sell him the secret formula for producing Smirnoff and the right to produce it in the United States. In 1934 he set up the country’s first vodka distillery in Bethel, Connecticut, an area with sizeable Russian and Polish communities. Kunett was ahead of its time and at its peak his company had eight employees and was producing about six thousand cases of vodka a year. In 1939 Kunett sold the company to Heublein, a producer and distributor of wines, spirits and pre-mixed cocktails based in Hartford, Connecticut. Kunett got a job and $ 14,000. Heublein was owned by an exceptional businessman, John G. Martin who was determined to introduce vodka to the American drinking public. For two decades he tried to break into the market and finally in the 1950’s he tied with his friend Jack Martin, who produced ginger beer and owned the Cock ‘n’ Bull restaurant in Los Angeles. Together they developed the Moscow Mule cocktail, which was originally served in a copper mug. Driven by Martin’s salesmanship and

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advertising nous the cocktail took of and vodka’s popularity grew constantly. It was not until 1960’s, however, that a boom of unprecedented proportions was sparked off by a combination of vodka’s mixability, a more relaxed lifestyle and greater affluence. By 1975 Heublein was producing six million cases of vodka. Today it sells some 15 million cases of Smirnoff around the world and distills in several countries including Russia, its birthplace.Today many American distillers produce vodka, mainly near the grain belt of the Midwest. Vodka produced in the United States has, however, a character that lacks aroma and taste and it is this that makes it an ideal base for cocktails. All the impurities of the raw spirit have either been burned or filtered off in the production process. They should be primarily be judged on their purity, cleanliness and neutrality. The best of them can at a pinch be drunk neat and cold. The most however are destined to go straight into the cocktail shaker. A few micro distillers produce fantastic vodkas in California’s Napa and Sonoma Valleys – most notably Domaine Charbay which has pretty much the best infused vodkas out there while its base vodka is made from 3 types of American grain : Wheat, Rye and Corn; and Hangar One a fine producer of high quality vodka.

Production

Raw Materials

Vodka is a spirit made from grains or other crops such as potatoes and diluted to the required strength with water. The traditional grain used in vodka production, especially in Eastern Europe is rye. In Russia it was almost exclusively used until the 1870’s when other grains and potatoes began to be used more frequently. Rye is still the main ingredient in the best Russian vodkas, often with small quantities of other grains such as wheat, oats or barley thrown into the initial wash. In Poland, the world’s largest rye producer it is still in widespread use and gives the best Polish vodkas the lovely, soft, slightly sweet and gentle aroma and flavor that is their hallmark.Elsewhere, however, wheat has taken over as the main base grain primarily because of its greater availability and lower price. High-grade wheat, which grows in abundance in North America and Western Europe has the advantage of being comparatively easy to break down so that the starch is converted into fermentable sugars. This makes it easier to rectify to a high level of purity and neutrality, what is mostly sought after by western distillers.Potatoes are often dismissed, especially in Russia, as an inferior base for vodka production but they have been used in certain parts of Eastern Europe for centuries. They have also their disadvantages. First you need a lot of them as one ton of potatoes will produce 30 percent less vodka than a ton of grain. Secondly they are difficult to break down and tend to produce chemicals during fermentation that are difficult to extract during rectification. Modern potato vodkas are however excellent products that tend to be the best mixers, since the technology of distilling them has so improved that those vodkas have a nice texture and incomparable smoothness.

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The most important ingredient in vodka production is water. In most bottles of vodka water accounts for some 60 percent of its contents. The days when vodka was diluted from the local pond or river are long gone. Today the most vodka producers use water from their own wells and then put it through a rigorous purification process.

Distillation

Distillation is the extraction of alcohol from a low strength alcoholic liquid to make it into a stronger one. The Cognacais in Frnace do it with wine, the Tequileros of Mexico do it with pulque, a beverage made by fermenting the juices of the agave plant and the vodka distillers do it with a liquid called wash, made by fermenting a mixture of grain or other crops with water. The grain or potatoes are first crushed and mixed with water. They are then heated up to convert their starch into sugar. When yeast is added this ferments and produces a wash with an alcoholic strength of 6-8 percent. Distillation then converts this into what is known as raw spirit. We could now explain the whole technological process, but this would take to much time and this is not the aim of this book, anyway. Therefore we’ll explain the main parts of the distillation and rectification process not going to much into detail. For further information about vodka production we recommend the Vodka Companion by Desmond Begg (1998 Quintet Publishing Limited). Vodka was first distilled in what we know today as pot stills. Pot stills are still widely in use in production of Brandy and Scotch. They look like huge copper cauldrons which are closed at the top into a V-shaped funnel. The wash is heated inside them and as the heat rises, the wash begins to release its vapors. Since the alcohol boils at a lower temperature then water, 172°F for alcohol and 212°F for water, it seems to be very easy to extract alcohol from a liquid. In practice its far from easy, since water vaporizes at every temperature so by the time the wash is heated to 172°F a lot of steam is mixed with vaporized alcohol. The process consists in capturing the part of the vapor that is highest in alcohol content and then distill it again. The first part of the distillation, called the head, tends to contain a considerable amount of impurities and the last part, called the tail, contains a lot of water vapor. The distiller therefore keeps only the middle part of the distillation, the heart, and keeps distilling the heart up to four times depending on the character of the final product he wishes to achieve. Every time he distills the middle part from a previous distillation process, he keeps only the heart for further distillations reaching finally a raw spirit with an alcohol level of 120 proof. The spirit is then diluted with water to about 80 proof in most cases.Pot stills are still used in vodka production since they give a spirit with higher smoothness, but most vodkas are produced in what we know as continuous, patent or Coffey stills, which are considerably more efficient. They enable the distiller separate all the ingredients in the vodka wash in one process thus creating a final product in one take.

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Filtration

Vodka is a spirit that prides itself for purity more than any other spirit. The distillers constantly search for methods to enhance the purity of their product. The most used system of filtration today is charcoal, which the Russians claim to be using since the fifteenth century. Like carbon, its derivative charcoal is a highly absorbent material. The traditional wood used in Russia to make charcoal is birch and it has been used for filtering vodka for centuries. The charcoal filters are made with high technology, are very expensive and need to be changed on regular basis if the distiller wants to keep a constant level of his product. The vodka filtration is a lengthy business since the vodka has to be pumped up the filters. Some distillers claim that they pump its vodka through 10 column filters and that each drop passes through seven tons of charcoal, a process that takes up to eight hours. At the end the vodka emerges crystal-clear and bright. Before bottling vodka undergoes one final filtration process to remove any final floaters, usually through a membrane filter or a cartridge packed with paper sheet filters that will remove any particles up to a size of a micron – about 0.000039 of an inch.

Serving Vodka

Vodka is a spirit that is traditionally enjoyed neat and well chilled, almost frozen. To reveal all the beauty of vodka drinking, make sure you have the right glassware. A small, stemless shot or spirit glasses are always a good choice and are easy to chill in the freezer. Never “shoot” vodka. Try to enjoy it as a sipping shot preferably with oysters, smoked fish, shellfish, marinated mushrooms, stuffed olives or traditional Russian or Polish zakuski ( traditional hot or cold snacks – appetizers, rather like Spanish tapas ).The low temperature will at first suppress some of the more delicate aromas but they will slowly begin to reveal themselves as you drink so make sure you nose the vodka before taking the next sip, like you would with wine. Smelling and tasting the unfolding of aroma and flavor in the glass of good vodka is one of the greatest pleasures of drinking it.

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Whisky-Whiskey

Whisky (Scottish Gaelic: uisge-beatha), or whiskey (Irish: uisce beatha or fuisce), refers to a broad category of alcoholic beverages that are distilled from fermented grain mash and aged in wooden casks (generally oak).

Different grains are used for different varieties, including: barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and maize (corn). Whisky derives from the Gaelic word for "water" (uisce or uisge), and is called in full uisge-beatha (in Scotland) or uisce beatha (Ireland), meaning "Water of Life". It is related to the Latin aqua vitae, also meaning "water of life". It is always Scotch whisky (plural: whiskies), and Irish whiskey (whiskeys).

History

The first written record of whisky comes from 1405 in Ireland, where it was distilled by monks.It is also mentioned in Scotland in 1496. However it is thought that whisky had already been around for at least several hundred years prior. When or where whisky was first distilled is unknown and the local, undocumented beverage production during the period makes identification of the drink's origin difficult. Additionally, it is possible that different groups discovered processes of distillation completely independently of one another.

Some scholars believe distilled spirits were first produced between the 8th century AD and 9th century AD in the Middle East with the art of distillation being brought to Ireland and Britain by Christian monks.

Types

Whisky or whisky-like products are produced in most grain-growing areas. They differ in base product, alcoholic content, and quality.

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• Malt is whisky made entirely from malted barley and distilled in an onion-shaped pot still.

• Grain is made from malted and unmalted barley along with other grains, usually in a continuous "patent" or "Coffey" still. Until recently it was only used in blends, but there are now some "Single Grain" scotches being marketed.

Malts and Grains are combined in various ways

• Vatted malt is blended from malt whiskies from different distilleries. If a whisky is labelled "pure malt" or just "malt" it is almost certain to be a vatted whisky. This is also sometimes labelled as "Blended Malt" whisky.

• Single malt whisky is malt whisky from a single distillery. However, unless the whisky is described as "single-cask" it will contain whisky from many casks, and different years, so the blender can achieve a taste recognizable as typical of the distillery. In most cases, the name of a single malt will be that of the distillery (The Glenlivet, Bushmills, Yoichi), with an age statement and perhaps some indication of some special treatments such as maturation in a port wine cask.

• Pure pot still whiskey refers to a whiskey distilled in a pot-still (like single malt) from a mash of mixed malted and unmalted barley. It is exclusive to Ireland.

• Blended whiskies are made from a mixture of Malt and Grain whiskies. A whisky simply described as Scotch Whisky or Irish Whiskey is most likely to be a blend in this sense. A blend is usually from many distilleries so that the blender can produce a flavour consistent with the brand, and the brand name (e.g. Chivas Regal, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Canadian Club) will usually not therefore contain the name of a distillery. However, "Blend" can (less frequently) have other meanings. A mixture of malts (with no grain) from different distilleries (more usually called a vatted malt) may sometimes be referred to as a "Blended Malt", and a mixture of grain whiskies with no malts will sometimes carry the designation "Blended Grain".

• Cask strength whiskies are rare and usually only the very best whiskies are bottled in this way. They are bottled from the cask undiluted. Rather than diluting, the distiller is inviting the drinker to dilute to the level of potency most palatable.

Whiskies do not mature in the bottle, only in the cask, so the "age" of a whisky is the time between distillation and bottling. This reflects how much the cask has interacted with the whisky, changing its chemical makeup and taste. Whiskies which have been in bottle for many years may have a rarity value, but are not "older" and will not necessarily be "better" than a more recently made whisky matured in wood for a similar time. Most whiskies are sold at or near an alcoholic strength of 40% abv.

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Scotch whiskies

Scotch whiskies are generally distilled twice, though some are distilled a third time. International laws require anything bearing the label "Scotch" to be distilled in Scotland and matured for a minimum of three years and one day in oak casks, among other, more specific criteria. If Scotch whisky is from more than one cask, and if it includes an age statement on the bottle, it must reflect the age of the youngest whisky in the blend. Many cask-strength single malts omit the age as they use younger elements in minute amounts for flavouring and mellowing. The basic types of Scotch are Malt and Grain, which are combined to create blends. While the market is dominated by blends, the most highly prized of Scotch whiskies are the single malts. Scotch whiskies are divided into five main regions: Highland, Lowland, Islay, Speyside and Campbeltown.

Scotch Malt Whiskies

The process of producing malt whisky has, in essence, changed little through the centuries, although in recent years, greater automation and computerisation in many distilleries has reduced the level of individual skill and experience required by the operators.

Despite any amount of automation, however, the fact remains that the 'make' of no two distilleries is ever the same. While it is possible to copy production methods and equipment, use the same water source, barley and yeast, and mature spirit for the same duration in the same type of casks within apparently identical micro-climates, the result will always be distinctly different spirits. Vast sums of money have been invested in the search for a definitive scientific evaluation of the variables in malt whisky making, but despite the best efforts of the scientists, an element of mystery remains.

By law, Scotch malt whisky must be distilled entirely from a mash of malted barley, and the business of making malt whisky begins by malting barley in order to induce germination. In traditional distillery-based floor maltings, the barley is steeped in water for two or three days, then spread on a malting floor, where rootlets develop as germination begins. So that the malt retains the sugars

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essential for fermentation, the partially germinated 'green malt', as it is known, is transferred to a kiln for around seven days and dried over a fire or by jets of hot air, usually with some peat used in the furnace to impart flavour. The amount of peat introduced during kilning has a major influence on the character of the finished whisky.

Today, only a handful of distilleries still malt their own barley, with the vast majority buying in malt prepared to their specification by commercial maltsters in large, automated plants.

Once dried, the malt is ground in a mill to produce 'grist,' after which the process of mashing begins. The grist is mixed with hot water in a large vessel known as a mash tun to extract fermentable sugars, and the sweet liquid that results from mashing is known as 'wort.' The 'draff,' which is left behind is high in protein, and makes excellent cattle feed.

The wort is pumped from the mash tun into a number of washbacks, traditionally made from Oregon pine or larch wood, but now frequently constructed of stainless steel. There yeast is added to promote fermentation and create alcohol. The end product of fermentation is a liquor known as 'wash,' which is transferred to copper pot wash stills, where it is brought to the boil. Alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water, so the alcohol vapours rise from the still first and are condensed into liquid when they pass through coiled copper pipes or 'worms', immersed in vast wooden vats, or more modern 'shell and tube' condensers.

The alcohol produced must be re-distilled in order to obtain the most pure 'cut' of spirit that will mature into whisky, and this takes place in vessels known as spirit stills. Pot stills vary greatly in size, shape and technical design, and this diversity is one of the variables that contribute to the style of spirit made.

The product of the spirit stills is referred to as 'new make' or 'clearic.' It is a clear liquid which is reduced with water from its natural strength to around 63 or 64 per cent alcohol by volume, as this is usually considered the optimum maturation strength. Most whisky is further reduced to 40 or 43 per cent prior to bottling. 40 per cent is the minimum legal strength at which Scotch whisky can be sold. There is also a legal minimum maturation period of three years, and that maturation has to take place in oak. However, most whisky marketed as single malt will have spent at least eight years in European or American oak casks which have previously contained either sherry or Bourbon.

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Some distillers believe that up to 75 per cent of the character of the spirit is derived from maturation, and the size of cask, as well as its previous contents, is yet another major variable of malt whisky production.

By law, a single malt whisky must be the product of just one distillery, though many different casks of varying ages may be vatted together for any particular bottling.

Grain or Column Still Whisk(e)y

Virtually all Bourbon, rye, Tennessee and Canadian whiskey, along with grain spirit for Scotch whisky blending, is distilled in column stills. Irish distillers use both pot and column stills, producing grain spirit, usually from corn, in the column stills, while what is termed Irish 'pure pot still whiskey' is made in pot stills from a mixture of both malted and raw barley.

Compared to malt whisky distillation in pot stills, the production of whisky in a column, continuous or patent still, as it is variously known, is significantly closer to an 'industrial' process. Grain whisky is made from a variety of cereals, including corn, wheat, and rye, which are less expensive to buy than the malted barley used to make malt whisky.

The stills making grain spirit are versatile and highly efficient, as they can work continuously, whereas malt whisky distillation in pot stills is a 'batch'

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process, requiring time-consuming cleaning between each period of production. A much greater quantity of grain whisky can therefore be distilled in any given period.

However, depending on the cereal in the 'mash bill,' the resultant spirit may be lacking in strong flavour compared to the product of the pot still. Certainly this is the case in Scotland, where virtually all grain whisky is distilled using wheat.

The processes of mashing and fermenting for grain whisky production are broadly comparable to those for making malt whisky, but distillation then takes place in a still which consists of two large, connected parallel stainless steel columns, called the analyser and the rectifier. The wash enters at the top of the rectifier column, where it is warmed by hot steam and is able to descend over a series of perforated copper plates. These plates serve the purpose of holding back heavier compounds, which flow from the bottom of the still, while the desirable volatile compounds are vaporised and pass over into the second, or analyser column. Here the vapours are cooled as they rise up the column, eventually evaporating and being collected in liquid form. It is possible to distil to a strength of just below 95 per cent when producing grain whisky in a column still.

In the USA, the first column of the still is usually known as the 'beer still' while the second distillation takes place in either a 'doubler' or 'thumper' still, which is not dissimilar in style to a pot still.

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Irish whiskeys

Most Irish whiskeys are distilled three times, although there are exceptions. Though traditionally distilled using the pot still method, in modern times a column still is used to produce the grain whiskey used in blends. By law, Irish whiskey must be produced in Ireland and aged in wooden casks for a period of not less than three years, although in practice it is usually three or four times that period. Unpeated malt is almost always used, the main exception being Connemara Peated Malt whiskey.

There are several types of whiskey common to Ireland: Single Malt, Single Grain, Blended Whiskey and uniquely to Ireland, pure pot still whiskey. The designation "pure pot still" as used in Ireland generally refers to whiskey made of 100% barley, mixed malted and unmalted, and distilled in a pot still made of copper. The "green" unmalted barley gives the traditional pure pot still whiskey a spicy, uniquely Irish quality. Like single malt, pure pot still is sold as such or blended with grain whiskey. Usually no real distinction is made between whether a blended whiskey was made from single malt or pure pot still.

Japanese whiskies

The model for Japanese whiskies is the single malt Scotch, although there are examples of Japanese blended whiskies. The base is a mash of malted barley, dried in kilns fired with a little peat (although considerably less than is the case in Scotland), and distilled using the pot still method. For some time it was believed by many that whisky made in the Scotch style, but not produced in Scotland, could not possibly measure up to the standards of the traditional Scotch distilleries. Because of this, until fairly recently, the market for Japanese whiskies was almost entirely domestic.

However, in recent years, a number of blind tastings have been organized by Whisky Magazine, which have included Japanese single malts in the lineup, along with malts from distilleries considered to be among the best in Scotland. On more than one occasion, the results have had Japanese single malts (particularly those of Yoichi and Yamazaki) scoring higher than their Scotch counterparts.

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Canadian whiskies

Canadian whiskies are usually lighter and smoother than other whiskey styles. Another common characteristic of many Canadian whiskies is their use of rye that has been malted, which provides a fuller flavor and smoothness. By Canadian law, Canadian whiskies must be produced in Canada, be distilled from a fermented mash of cereal grain, be aged in small wooden barrels for no less than 3 years, and possess the aroma, taste and character generally attributed to Canadian whisky. The terms "Canadian Whisky", "Canadian Rye Whisky" and "Rye Whisky" are legally indistinguishable in Canada and do not denote any particular proportion of rye or other grain used in production.

American whiskeys

American whiskeys must be distilled from a fermented mash of grain and possess the taste, aroma, and characteristics generally attributed to whisky. The most common of the "named types" listed in the federal regulations[11]are:

• Bourbon whiskey, which must be at least 51% corn (maize). • Rye whiskey, which must be at least 51% rye. • Corn whiskey, which is made from a mash made up of at least 80% corn

(maize).

The "named types" of American whiskey must be distilled to not more than 80 percent alcohol by volume. "Named types" must then be aged in charred new oak containers, excepting corn whiskey. Corn whiskey does not have to be aged but, if it is aged, it must be in new un-charred oak barrels or used barrels. The aging for corn whiskey usually is brief, e.g. six months.

If the aging for a "named type" reaches 2 years or beyond, the whiskey is then additionally designated "straight" e.g. "straight rye whiskey". "Straight whiskey" (without naming a grain) is a whiskey which has been aged in charred new oak containers for 2 years or more and distilled at not more than 80 percent alcohol by volume but is derived from less than 51% of any one grain.

American blended whiskeys combine straight whiskey with un-aged whiskey, grain neutral spirits, flavorings and colorings.

Important in the marketplace is Tennessee whiskey, of which Jack Daniel's is the leading example. During distillation, it is identical to bourbon in almost every important respect. The most recognizable difference is that Tennessee whiskey is filtered through sugar maple charcoal, giving it a unique flavor and aroma. The Government of the United States of America officially recognized Tennessee whiskey as a separate style in 1941.

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American Bourbon Whiskey

Bourbon is an American whiskey, a type of distilled spirit, made primarily from corn and named for Bourbon County, Kentucky. It has been produced since the 18th century. Bourbon Whiskey got its name from the Bourbon County in Kentucky where it’s traditionally produced and only whiskeys distilled in this county can legally carry the name Bourbon. Its other legal requirement is that it has to have at least 51% corn in the mash. The aging and maturing of these spirits is as different as their methods of production and can be done in new oak barrels but also in used Sherry, Port or Bourbon barrels.

Legal requirements

On 4 May 1964, the U.S. Congress recognized Bourbon Whiskey as a “distinctive product of the United States," creating the Federal Standards of Identity for Bourbon. Federal regulations now stipulate that Bourbon must meet these requirements:

• Bourbon must be made of a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn. • Bourbon must be distilled to no more than 160 (U.S.) proof (80% alcohol

by volume). • Bourbon must be 100% natural (nothing other than water added to the

mixture). • Bourbon must be aged in new, charred oak barrels. • Bourbon which meets the above requirements and has been aged for a

minimum of two years, may (but is not required to) be called Straight Bourbon.

• Bourbon aged for a period less than four years must be labeled with the duration of its aging.

In practice, almost all bourbons marketed today are made from more than two-thirds corn, have been aged at least four years, and do qualify as "straight bourbon"—with or without the "straight bourbon" label. The exceptions are inexpensive commodity brands of bourbon aged only three years and pre-mixed cocktails made with bourbon aged the minimum two years.

Production Process

The typical grain mixture for bourbon is 70% corn — with the remainder being wheat and/or rye, and malted barley. This mixture, called the mash, is fermented through a process called sour mash fermentation in which mash from a previous distillation is added to ensure a consistent pH across batches. The fermented mash is then distilled to produce a clear spirit.

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This spirit is placed in charred oak barrels for aging, which is what imparts color. Consequently, bourbons that have been aged longer are generally darker in color. After aging, bourbon is withdrawn from the barrel, diluted with water and bottled. Bottling proof must be at least 80 proof (40% abv) and most whiskey is sold at 80 proof. Other common proofs are 86, 90, 94, 100 and 107, and whiskeys of up to 151 proof have been sold. Some higher proof bottlings are "barrel proof," meaning that they have not been diluted after removal from the barrels.

Bourbon may be produced anywhere in the United States where it is legal to distill spirits. Currently most brands are produced in Kentucky, where Bourbon has a strong association. Estimates are that 95% of the world's bourbon is distilled and aged in Kentucky. Other states producing bourbon include Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, Missouri, Kansas, Indiana, New Jersey, and New York. In the past, bourbon has also been made in Illinois and Pennsylvania.

Bardstown, Kentucky, is called the Bourbon Capital of the World and is home to the annual Bourbon Festival in the fall. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a patchwork of paths that lead to eight well-known distilleries: Buffalo Trace (Frankfort, the oldest continually operating distillery in the United States), Four Roses (Lawrenceburg), Heaven Hill (Bardstown), Jim Beam (Clermont), Maker's Mark (Loretto), Tom Moore (Bardstown, producer of the 1792 brand, added to the trail on August 27, 2008), Wild Turkey (Lawrenceburg), and Woodford Reserve (Versailles).

History

Although the invention of bourbon has often been attributed to a Baptist minister and distiller named Elijah Craig, there is no evidence supporting this assertion. As with most innovations, there may have been no single "inventor" of bourbon, which evolved into its present form only in the late 19th century.

Distilling probably came to what became Kentucky when European-American, and particularly Scottish and Irish, settlement began in earnest in the late 18th century. The spirit they made evolved and gained a name in the early 19th century.

When American pioneers pushed west of the Allegheny Mountains following the American Revolution, the first counties they founded covered vast regions. One of these original, huge counties was Bourbon, established in 1785 and named after the French royal family. While this vast county was being carved into many smaller ones, early in the 19th century, many people continued to call the region Old Bourbon. Located within Old Bourbon was the principal Ohio River port from which whiskey and other products were shipped. "Old Bourbon" was stencilled on the barrels to indicate their port of origin. Old Bourbon whiskey was different

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because it was the first corn whiskey most people had ever tasted. In time, bourbon became the name for any corn-based whiskey.

A refinement variously credited to either Dr. James C. Crow or Dr. Jason S. Amburgey was the sour mash process, by which each new fermentation is conditioned with some amount of spent mash (previously fermented mash that has been separated from its alcohol). (Spent mash is also known as distillers' spent grain, stillage, and slop or feed mash, so named because it is used as animal feed.) The acid introduced by using the sour mash controls the growth of bacteria that could taint the whiskey and creates a proper pH balance for the yeast to work.

As of 2005, all straight bourbons use a sour mash process. Dr. Crow or Dr. Amburgey developed this refinement while working at the Old Oscar Pepper Distillery (now the Woodford Reserve Distillery) in Woodford County, Kentucky. As of today, there are no running distilleries within the current boundaries of Bourbon County due to new counties being formed from Bourbon County over time.

A resolution of the U.S. Congress in 1964 declared bourbon to be a "distinctive product of the United States." That resolution asked "the appropriate agencies of the United States Government . . . [to] take appropriate action to prohibit importation into the United States of whiskey designated as 'Bourbon Whiskey.'" Federal regulation now defines "bourbon whiskey" to only include "bourbon" produced in the United States.

Since 2003, high-end bourbons have seen revenue grow from $450 million to over $500 million (£231 million to over £257 million or €308 million to over €343 million), some 2.2 million cases, in the United States. High-end bourbon sales accounted for eight percent of total spirits growth in 2006. Most high-end bourbons are aged for six years or longer.[15]

In 2007, United States spirits exports, virtually all of which are American whiskey, exceeded $1 billion for the first time. This represents a 15 percent increase over 2006. American whiskey is now sold in more than 100 different countries. The leading markets are the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia, and Japan. Key emerging markets for American whiskey are China, Vietnam, Brazil, Chile, Romania, and Bulgaria.

Welsh whiskies

In 2000, Penderyn Distillery started production of the Penderyn single malt Welsh whisky in Wales. The first bottles went on sale on 1 March 2004, Saint David's Day. It is now sold throughout the world.

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Indian whiskies

Indian whisky is an alcoholic beverage that is labelled as "whisky" in India. Much Indian whisky is distilled from fermented molasses, and as such would be considered a sort of rum outside of the Indian subcontinent.[12] 90% of the "whisky" consumed in India is molasses based, although India has begun to distill whisky from malt and other grains.[13]

Other whiskies

In both the Bretagne/France (Armorik) and in Germany (Slyrs), whiskies are distilled using techniques similar to those in Scotland. Manx Spirit from the Isle of Man is, like some Virginia whiskeys in the USA, actually distilled elsewhere and re-distilled in the country of its nominal "origin". In England, a new distillery (St. George's Distillery) became operational in late 2006; the product will come onto the market in due time, based on ageing and marketing considerations. In Sweden a new distillery (Mackmyra), started selling its products in 2008.

Recently at least two distilleries in the traditionally brandy-producing Caucasus region announced their plans to enter the Russian domestic market with whiskies. The Stavropol-based Praskoveysky distillery bases its product on Irish technology, while in Kizlyar, Dagestan's "Russian Whisky" announced a Scotch-inspired drink in single malt, blended and wheat varieties.

Names and spellings

The word "whiskey" is believed to have been coined by soldiers of King Henry II who invaded Ireland in the 12th century as they struggled to pronounce the

native Irish words uisce beatha (IPA: [ kɪʃ ̡ ə b ̡ ahə] ) meaning "water of life". Over time, the pronunciation changed from "Whishkeyba" (an approximation of how the Irish term sounds) to "Whisky". The name itself is a gaelic translation of the Latin phrase aqua vitae, meaning "Water of Life".

At one time, all whisky was spelled without the extra 'e', as "whisky". In around 1870, the reputation of Scottish whisky was very poor as Scottish distilleries flooded the market with cheaper spirits produced using the Coffey still. The Irish and American distilleries adopted the spelling "whiskey", with the extra "e", to distinguish their higher quality product. Today, the spelling whisky (plural whiskies) is generally used for whiskies distilled in Scotland, Wales, Canada, and Japan, while whiskey is used for the spirits distilled in Ireland and America. Even though a 1968 directive of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms specifies "whisky" as the official U.S. spelling, it allows labeling as "whiskey" in deference to tradition and most U.S. producers still use the historical spelling. Exceptions such as Early Times, Maker's Mark, and George Dickel are usually indicative of a Scottish heritage.

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In the late Victorian era, Irish whiskey was the world's whisk(e)y of choice. Of the Irish whiskeys, Dublin whiskeys were regarded as the grands crus of whiskeys. In order to differentiate Dublin whiskey from other whiskies, the Dublin distilleries adopted the spelling "whiskey". The other Irish distilleries eventually followed suit. The last Irish "whisky" was Paddy, which adopted the "e" in 1966.

"Scotch" is the internationally recognized term for "Scotch whisky" however it is rarely used in Scotland, where grain whisky is generally referred to as "whisky" and single malt whisky as "malt".

In many Latin-American countries, "whiskey" (wee-skee) is used as a photographer's cue to smile, supplanting English "cheese".

American Whiskey is distilled from a blend of grains and corn. Bourbon Whiskey got its name from the Bourbon County in Kentucky where it’s traditionally produced and only whiskeys distilled in this county can legally carry the name Bourbon. Its other legal requirement is that it has to have at least 51% corn in the mash. The aging and maturing of these spirits is as different as their methods of production and can be done in new oak barrels but also in used Sherry, Port or Bourbon barrels.

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Basic Ingredients

The 5 basic ingredients:

Grain

Malt Whisky is produced using no other grain but barley. The barley does'nt necessarily have to be from Scotland, but it usually does come from within the EU with EU regulations making sure of this.

Water

When you think about how often it rains in Scotland, you'd think there would be no shortage of good water. Once in a while though, there is such a thing as a dry period which makes life tough for the distilleries, which have even been forced to stop production on occasion. Water is used for the production of wort, the wash, as a coolant and to dilute the product before bottling.

PeatAfter germination, the grain is dried, usually by using a peat fire (or, less romantically, a different heat source). The grain is spread out on floors with very small holes under which the peat fire burns. The heat and smoke from the peat fire rises up through the holes to dry the grain. After being dried in this manner, the grain is called "malt" and is ready to be ground in a mill (after which it is called grist).

Yeast

After the malt has been ground, it is mixed with water and yeast in the washback. The liquid is called wash at this stage and is basically a kind of beer, albeit a very strong one (up till now, the production is very simillar to that of normal beer).

WoodConsidering how long the whisky will stay in the casks, sometimes many decades, will give you an idea of the importance of the wood. Coopering is already an art, and making casks for whisky another in itself. Often, casks are bought "second hand", for example bourbon or sherry casks, because they are cheaper (bourbon may only be matured in new casks so they are sold to Scotland) but also because they impart their own special flavour to the whisky - a task new casks would be incapable of. For scotch malt whisky, nothing else but oak casks will do.

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Production

1. Grain (barley) is steeped in water to germinate, then dried over a (peat) fire and now called "malt", which is then milled.

2. The milled malt (grist) is mixed with hot water, cooled and filtered (wort).

3. Yeast is added to the "wort" to make a kind of beer called "wash".

4. This liquid is distilled twice (three times in exceptional cases) in pot stills - the wash is cooked and the steam is condensed by cooling.

5. The final product, colorless and potent alcohol, is then filled into casks to mature. Before bottling, the matured whisky will be diluted to around 40% or 43%.

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Spirits distilled from wineSpirits distilled from wine

BrandyBrandy

• Distillates from wine or grape The best known distillations from wine are the famous brandies of France, Cognac and Armagnac, but the rest of the world also produces excellent brandies. Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Germany, United States and South America have a long tradition in Brandy making and are as respected as Cognac or Armagnac. Brandies are almost always 80° proof and the details of production and labeling are controlled by national regulations. Unlike other brandies, Marc and Grappa are distilled not from wine but from the skins and husks of pressed grapes.

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The history of brandy

Brandy is distilled from fruits such as grapes, apples, blackberries, and apricots just to name a few. It is distilled around the globe. Depending on the region of origin and the type of fruit used, brandy can be classified into many different categories: Cognac and Armagnac, Calvados all French brandies, Applejack, an American apple brandy, Grappa, a grape brandy, etc. Brandy is, in essence, distilled wine. Most brandies are bottled at eighty proof, meaning forty-percent alcohol content. Brandy has a unique rating system intended to make identification of its many different types and aging categories.

The letters C, E, F, O, P, S, and V are used to describe the different varieties. C means cognac, E means extra, F means fine, O means old, P means pale, S means special, and V means very special. Combinations of these letters are used to distinguish different types of brandy. For example, VSOP is “very special old pale” which is aged for five years in a wood cask and often called five star brandies. There is also other vocabulary that brandy drinkers are familiar with. Napoleon means the brandy is at least four years old, usually much older. Vintage means that the liquor must be kept inside a wooden cask under the time it is bottled, and Hors D’age means the exact age of the brandy is unknown. Brandy is best served at room temperature.

Long before the sixteenth century wine was enjoying its status has one of the most popular drinks in Europe. In 1512 a Dutch trader, searching for a way in which to transport larger quantities of wine, found that by removing the water from the wine he get more casks of wine onto his ship. He could then add the missing water back to the wine when he reached his destination. This was known as “brandewijn” which meant burnt wine in Dutch and eventually became brandy.

Cognac, one of the more famous and popular brandies, originated in the seventeenth century when the Cognacais family began to double distill their wines. This drink quickly became one of the most essential and profitable exports in France. It was first exported to Holland, the birthplace of the liquor, and was soon expended to England, the Far East, and the New World. In France cognac became the drink of choice for the aristocracy. The King use to partake of its fruity and potent taste with strict regularity. Cognac, both then and to this present day, is produced in the Cognac region of France. Cognac it made from white wine, which is produced from the vineyards of this area.

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Brandies saw their introduction into the New World in the late seventeenth century. Spanish monks, who developed a taste for the drink before they left Europe, brought with them to the New World many casks of Brandy. However, when they ran out of it they quickly found that the native grapes that grew in California were a perfect source for brandy. They also found that other fruits could be used to produce the much-loved drink. At this time several other counties were also discovering the cacophony of fruit that brandy could be derived from. Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Australia, and South Africa were all producing fruit brandy by the end of the eighteenth century.

Brandy was discovered on accident. However, this accident has led to an entirely new market. Producers quickly found that brandy could captivate a large, passionate audience. It many different types offer many different levels of sweetness, bitterness, and smoothness. Brandy is true one drink that can be specialized for each and every fan. Brandy truly is a personal drink.

CognacCognac

The practice of condensing for shipment overseas the wine of the Charente region by a primitive form of distillation became established as early as the 15th century. These would have been rough 'low wines' with alcohol content around 25%. The idea was not so much to produce a spirit as to save on casks and shipping space and to preserve the none-too-robust wine on long voyages.

The addition of water at the receiving end would have restored the wine to something like its original state, but probably most of it was drunk as weak spirit. It would have been poor, feeble stuff by modern standards, almost certainly taken with some palatable additions such as honey or herbs.

Not until the 17th century, following the great improvements in commercial distilling initiated by the Dutch, did an unknown distiller in the Cognac region treat his 'low wines' to a second distillation. By this means the 'soul of the wine' was truly extracted and a strong wine spirit, redolent of the grape, first saw light in France: Cognac brandy was born. Incarceration in wood for export showed the benefits of maturing.

In England, amongst those who could afford it, French brandy became enormously popular, and neither wars nor taxes stopped its flow. It was the mainstay of the flourishing smuggling trade of the south and west of England. The Scots, traditional allies of France, also took to cognac, despite their own splendid native spirit.

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The cognac region

Of course, there was originally no definition of the Cognac region: it just happened that the best French brandy came from there and thus attracted the name of the central town. It would have been as viable to name it Jarnac brandy, after the more charming second town, which shelters three notable grande marque houses, but cognac it became and remains.

The names of some other brandies —coñac, kanyak, and the like, pay tribute to cognac's supremacy. However, most countries by law or tradition reserve the word cognac for the genuine French product.

In the mid 19th century when cognac had established a worldwide reputation, it happened that two friends, a geologist and a spirit expert, visited the area to test a theory. The geologist believed that by analysis of the soil he could say in which ground would grow grapes whose wine would be most suitable for distillation. The spirit expert was able to confirm his companion's findings.

This was eventually the basis for the very strict demarcation of the carefully defined Cognac region's six divisions. These are, in descending order of prestige, the 1) Grande Champagne, 2) Petite Champagne, 3) Borderies, 4) Fins Bois, 5) Bons Bois and 6) Bois Ordinaires.

The word champagne used to describe the region for cognac has caused a certain amount of confusion over the times. It has absolutely nothing to do with the wine of the same name. People will sometimes refer to a 'champagne cognac', as if conferring a special status on brandy: there is no such thing as a 'champagne cognac'. Champagne in a cognac context is a local derivation from the Latin campania, an open space, a field or a small district. It is a survival from Roman occupation of the region.

The quality of wine from the Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne is virtually identical, although the Grande Champagne is usually rated more highly. A label carrying the words Grande Champagne denotes a cognac solely from that area.

Unblended Petite Champagne wine is comparatively rare. Fine Champagne is not a zone: it a cognac containing a mixture from both champagnes with not less than fifty per cent grande.

To justify the word cognac, a brandy must be solely a product of the region, made in accordance with the strict regulations controlling size and type of stills and many other details.

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Good wine makes poor brandy

The wine of Cognac is practically undrinkable as such, it is harsh and acid, and you could almost make a general rule that good wine makes poor brandy. A little Cognac wine is drunk locally, but this must be from pride or hereditary taste, not because of the quality of the wine. The harvest is fairly late. The newly made wine is run into stone, concrete or metal vats.

Maturation is avoided: the wine must retain its original attributes, for it is these that give cognac its unique character. Distillation starts immediately and continues until the following spring. As with Scotch, cognac is double-distilled in much smaller copper pot-stills than those used in Scotland. The first distillation of 'low wines', brouilli, contains about 28% alcohol.

The brouilli may be made in stills containing as much as 100 hectolitres, but the second distillation, the bonne chauffe, must come from an alambic charentains (maximum 25 hectolitres) and must not contain more than 72% alcohol.

Maturation

The new cognac is put into casks of French oak. The main supply is traditionally from the Limousin forests, but the very different Trocais oak —a tall, comparatively slender tree— is much used nowadays.

The casks of cognac are stored in chais. The old chais —and some are very old— are low buildings with earthen floors, well ventilated. The idea is to keep them as cool and damp as possible. Modern chais are lofty, with casks stored on high racks. Both serve equally well, though romance is all on the side of the ancient chais, their roofs covered with a peculiar moss that feeds on the evaporation of the spirit —the fabled 'angels' share'.

The air is fairly dry and summer temperatures high, and the evaporation is considerably greater than in Scotland. The holder of the biggest maturing stocks, Martell, estimates that it loses the equivalent of two million bottles a year —enough to make any angels happy!

At the annual stocktaking, the topping up of casks compensates for evaporation with spirit from newer ones, building up average age. Some fine cognac will be left to mature unblended, though usually 'refreshed' with spirit of similar age and type to keep the cask full.

Opinions vary, but 50 years may be taken as the maximum age for a brandy to rest in wood. Very old cognac is disgorged from cask and kept in glass containers in what brand-owners aptly called their paradis.

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New casks are seasoned by being first filled with lesser grades and only when they are well impregnated with spirit, and are unlikely to impart excessive tannin to their contents, are they used.

When can cognac be sold?

Virtually all cognac sold is a blend of brandy of different ages and from several zones and distillers. Higher grades will be improved by the addition of a proportion of venerable spirit from the paradis: it is a virtue of such brandy that it can bring an almost miraculous change to a blend.

Under French law a cognac may not be sold with a date although some Grande Champagne, and occasionally Petite, from leading houses is shipped in cask to Britain a year or so after the vintage from which it was distilled. After a long maturing, say 15 years, a sample will be submitted to the shipper.

If he approves, labels sufficient to cover the bottling of however much brandy remains in the casks will be issued, and this may then be sold as so-and-so's cognac of such-and-such vintage. It should also carry the name of the bottler, and the years it was landed and the bottled. It is the difference between last two dates, which indicates the cask age.

Like any other spirit, cognac cannot improve in bottle. By bottle age it may acquire rarity value, nothing more. It can quite easily deteriorate. Vintage cognac, which is almost exclusively a British phenomenon, attracts prestige.

From Napoleon to XO

The Napoleonic myth still persists. A number of great brands of cognac include 'Napoleon' grade —usually, though not always, their costliest. The fickle public having attached special magic to the imperial title, the cognac-producer can hardly be blamed for pandering to it. This aspect of the cognac business is wrapped in mystery. Napoleon was an abstemious man, though his native Corsica, and Burgundy, were to claim him as favoring their wines.

The nearest there is to a source for the Bonaparte legend is the presentation to him of a cask of cognac, in 1811, to celebrate the birth of his son, the unfortunate King of Rome. After Napoleon's fall, a quantity of this appears to have been sent to England where it was late bottled as Fine Champagne Impériale 1811, with an embossed 'N' on the shoulder of the bottle.

Various editions of this, and also of 'Napoleon' vintages 1805 and 1809, turn up. They may be truly antique, or counterfeits. In terms of commerce, there is no such thing as Napoleon I cognac. It would be most certainly undrinkable.

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What’s in a bottle?

There are several points to ponder when looking at a bottle of cognac, beyond those I have already mentioned. Some houses use three stars to signify their standard grade. This does not mean it is three years old, minimum age for the important British market, for the average age of a reputable cognac of this grade will be higher: it is simply a convention.

If there are more stars on the label, that is a brand-owner's whim but of no actual meaning. Some brands have rejected stellar system in favor of invented names.

The widely used VSOP title stands for 'Very Special (or Superior) Old Pale' and stems from the time about a century ago when cognac changed from the heavier style —in flavor and color— favored by upper-class Englishmen to the paler type of today. It denotes a grade that is more aged than the same company's three-star or similar. It should not contain brandy that has been less than four years in wood.

A number of other descriptions are employed as well, mostly peculiar to individual firms, and they must be learned by experience. Cognac-drinkers will also grow to prefer the products of the various grandes marques: there are not that many. These are the firms on whose traditions and reputation rest the integrity and quality of cognac.

Old cognac that has cork as a closure must be kept stored upright or the spirit will attack the cork and be ruined. It will over many years, even if the cork is sealed, lose some strength by evaporation, but without harmful effect.

When opened, an old cognac should not be kept indefinitely in bottle or decanter if there is a good deal of air space: the remainder should be transferred to a smaller vessel. These considerations do not apply to grades drunk with additives, which are probably going to be more quickly used: of 'three-star' cognacs perhaps only Delamain and Hine deserve drinking neat.

It was certainly of cognac that Dr. Johnson was thinking when he wrote:

'Claret is the liquor for boys;'Claret is the liquor for boys; port for men; port for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy.' but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy.'

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ArmagnacArmagnac

Armagnac is the older and less famous brother of Cognac. It’s the oldest brandy in France. It is produced in the Armagnac region of Gascony.

It makes an after dinner drink and it’s enjoyed best served straight up in a snifter glass. In cold winter days try it in combination with a bowl of hot chocolate.

History

Oldest brandy of France The Romans introduced the wine into the areas of South-west France. The Arabs brought the still and finally, the Celts developed the use of the barrel. They could meet only in Gascogne. Known from the Middle Ages for its therapeutic virtues Armagnac took its rise in the 16th century to become a true product for human consumption. Distillation and marketing reach their high point in 19th century. About 1878, an grape disease destroyed almost all the vineyards. However gradually, the wine is reinstalled in Armagnac and in 1909 a state decree delimits the zone of production of this brandy with Controlled Label of origin. The decree of August 6, 1936 will specify the conditions of development of Armagnac.

The Vineyards

Located at the heart of Gascogne, the vineyards of Armagnac cover approximately 15000 hectares and include most of the county of Gers, like some cantons of the Moors and of the Batch and the Garonne. It consists of soft and quite exposed slopes with sandy, clay or chalky soil.

One distinguishes three areas of production:

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Map of the Armagnac

production area

- In the West, Low-Armagnac (Bas Armagnac) extends on sandy soils-muddy grounds and acids known as fawn-colored sands, where the delicate and fruity brandies are produced. It covers appx. 50% of the production.

- To the center lays Armagnac-Tenarèze, rich in clay soils that give the brandy sharp and more vigorous taste and express all their richness after a prolonged aging. It covers 40% of production.

- In the East on chalky soils lays High-Armagnac (Haut-Armagnac) where the culture of Brandy making developed in the 19th century in period of keen demand, represents today a very weak share of the production about 5 %.

Types of wines used in the distillation Armagnac is obtained from the distillation of white wines primarily starting from the following types: - White Ugni, - Colombard, - White Fol, - White Baco,

and for a less share, of old traditional types of wines: - White Rams (Pale of Gascogne), - Lubricate, - White Jurançon, - White and rose Mauzac - and St. Meslier François.

Production of Armagnac starts with the pressing of the white wines collected in October, month of the grape harvest. Vinified in a traditional way, these wines don’t have any chemical or technological infusions. They are characterized by: a frankness from taste, a relatively small alcoholic strength (from 8 to 10% vol.), and a significant total acidity.

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Distillation It must take place before March 31 which follows the fall harvest. It is done traditionally with the still armagnaçaise developed in 1818 by a patent of the King Louis the 18th: the wine is then distilled continuously. Distillation with double-heating used for example to produce Cognac is practiced for a very small part of the production. The armagnaçaise method is softer and preferred because it preserves more components of the grape content and has a more particular taste. At the exit of the still, the brandy is colorless and titrates between 52 and 72 % alcohol by volume.

Aging When the distillation is over, Armagnac is placed in oak barrels called "parts", capacity 400 to 420 liters whose wood comes from the forests of Gascogne or the Limousin. The barrels are then stored in wine storehouses and left to age. Aging in the oak makes it possible for the brandy to be refined and to grow rich, following complex reactions during which the tannic and aromatic matters of wood dissolve in alcohol. The young brandies remain in new parts until the moment of dissolution of the substances of wood is optimal. They are then transferred in older barrels to finish the started transformations. Throughout all aging, the alcoholic strength decreases gradually by evaporation of alcohol called: " the share of the Angels ". When the Master of wine storehouse considers aging sufficient, he begins the cuts, i.e. the harmonious assembly several brandies of origins and different ages. They are sold at least to 40 % alcohol by volume (80 proof) and thus reduced by successive steps by means of small water prepared in the secrecy of the wine storehouses. However, some old Armagnacs, generally vintage, are marketed with their natural degree of aging.

Conservation and language of the labels

Out of bottle, Armagnac does not evolve/move any more, it is ready to be tasted as off its marketing. One can preserve it by of leaving the bottle upright so that the spirit does not attack the stopper. The mentions of aging indicated on the label of Armagnac always relate to the youngest brandy being able to enter the assembly:

1." Three Stars " or V.S. for Armagnacs of at least two years of aging under wood (account of age 1) 2." ORIGINAL VERSION ", " V.S.O.P. " or " Reserves " for Armagnacs of at least five years of aging under wood (account of age 4),

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3." Extra ", " Napoléon ", " X.O. ", " Vieille Réserves " for Armagnacs of at least six years of aging under wood (account of age 5), 4. “Hors d’Age” (Out of age) for Armagnacs of at least ten years of aging under wood.

The year, specificity armagnaçaise, corresponds exclusively to the year of harvest mentioned on the label.

Other grape brandies

German brandyGerman brandy

German brandy, almost a monopoly of Asbach, is made from a variety of imported wines, for those of the country are too good and costly to turn into spirit. It may be drunk as a 'liqueur', but is better in long, mixed drinks, being thin and faintly sweet. German brandy from wine residue is called trester, it is usually treated as a short, chilled schnapps drink.

Italian brandyItalian brandy

Italian brandy has similar characteristics to that of Germany. Stock is best known and is fairly popular in the USA. Spirit distilled from the residue of Italy's enormous wine production is called grappa, and is very popular. Grappa is a fragrant grape-based spirit of between 40% and 60% alcohol by volume (80 to 120 proof), of Italian origin. It is made from the distillation of pomace, i.e., the residue of grapes (primarily the skins, but also including the stems and seeds) that were pressed for the winemaking process. It was originally made to prevent wastage by using the leftovers at the end of the wine season. It quickly became commercialized, mass-produced, and sold to the world. The flavor of grappa, like wine, depends on the type and quality of the grape used as well as the details of the distillation.

Sometimes, usually in Italy, grappa is added to espresso and known as a "Caffè corretto", which can also be made with other alcohols, such as sambuca. The other variation of this is the "Amazza Caffè"; literally, "coffee-killer". The espresso is drunk first, followed by a few downed ounces of grappa served in proper glass.

Among the most well-known producers of grappa are Sibona, Nardini and Jacopo Poli. While these grappas are produced in quantity and exported, there are many thousands of smaller local and regional grappas, all with distinct character.

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Most grappa is clear, indicating that it is an un-aged distillate, though some may retain very faint pigments from its original fruit pomace. Recently, aged grappas are becoming more common, and these take on a red-brown hue from the barrels in which they are stored.

Spanish and Greek brandiesSpanish and Greek brandies

Brandy de Jerez is made by the Sherry houses centered around the city of Jerez de la Frontera in the southwest corner of Spain. Virtually all Brandy de Jerez; however, is made from wines produced elsewhere in Spain -- primarily from the Airen grape in La Mancha and Extremadura -- as the local Sherry grapes are too valuable to divert into Brandy production. Nowadays most of the distilling is likewise done elsewhere in Spain using column stills. It is then shipped to Jerez for aging in used Sherry casks in a solera system similar to that used for Sherry wine. A solera is a series of large casks (called butts), each holding a slightly older spirit than the previous one beside it. When brandy is drawn off (racked) from the last butt (no more than a third of the volume is removed) it is replenished with brandy drawn from the next butt in line all the way down the solera line to the first butt, where newly distilled brandy is added. This system of racking the brandy through a series of casks blends together a variety of vintages (some soleras have over 30 stages) and results in a speeding up of the maturation process.

Basic Brandy de Jerez Solera must age for a minimum of six months, Reserva for one year and Gran Reserva for a minimum of three years. In practice, the best Reservas and Gran Reservas are frequently aged for 12 to 15 years. The lush, slightly sweet and fruity notes to be found in Brandy de Jerez come not only from aging in Sherry casks, but also from the judicious use of fruit-based flavor concentrates and oak essence (boise).

Penedès Brandy comes from the Penedès region of Catalonia in the northeast corner of Spain near Barcelona. Modeled after the Cognacs of France and made from a mix of regional grapes and locally-grown Ugni Blanc of Cognac, it is distilled in pot stills. One of the two local producers (Torres) ages in soleras consisting of butts made from French Limousin oak, whereas the other (Mascaro) ages in the standard non-solera manner, but also in Limousin oak. The resulting Brandy is heartier than Cognac, but leaner and drier than Brandy de Jerez.

Spanish and Greek brandies are made in large quantities. Basically they share a touch of sweetness and tend to be well caramelized for smoothness. Greece resonates brandy to turn it into an aperitif called mastika.

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South African brandySouth African brandy

South-Africans are great brandy-makers and drinkers. It is a sound, dry spirit, excellent for long, cooling drinks and with a few aged specimens deserving respect. The industry is old-established, and its traditions of Dutch expertise provide firm foundations for fine distilling.

North and South AmericaNorth and South America

Mexico distils great deal of brandy: it is even more popular than the national distillate tequila.

In South America's wine producing countries an enormous amount of distillation from wine is done. The product attracts the overall title pisco. It comes in every sort of quality, the best coming from Peru.

California has a huge grape-brandy production. This includes some splendid spirit, on the delicate side, which is perfect for the mixed drinks in which Americans excel. If an American does relish an after-dinner brandy he will most likely turn to France. He is fortunate that for more commonplace occasions he has a comprehensive choice of excellent domestic grape distillations.

Pisco

Pisco (from Quechua: pisqu, little bird) is a liquor distilled from grapes developed by the Spanish in the 16th century, and named after the city of Pisco, of the Viceroyalty of Peru in an attempt to make an inexpensive version of the Spanish brandy called Orujo. In modern times, it continues to be produced in wine-producing regions of Peru and Chile. The drink is a widely consumed spirit in the nations of Bolivia, Chile and Peru. The right to produce and promote pisco has been the matter of legal disputes between Chile and Peru, both of which hold their most iconic cocktail to be the pisco sour.

Pisco received its name from the town of Pisco, located on the coast of Peru.[3]

The origins of the word pisco can be traced to the Quechua language where the birds that inhabited the valleys of the Ica region were called pisqu (or any of: pisco, pisku, phishgo, pichiu, pisccu depending on the orthography). The origin of the city of Pisco is said to be from pre-Incan times when the area was ruled by people known as the Piskus. The importance of the city incremented under

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Spanish rule due to its proximity to the coast and its exportation of aguardiente from Ica, and in time these drinks would come to bear the name "Pisco."

The first vineyards in the Viceroyalty of Peru were planted in the fertile coastal valleys of Peru shortly after the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors. The Marquis Francisco de Caravantes was the first to import grapes, bringing them from the Canary Islands in 1553. Even though Spain imposed many restrictions on wine production and commerce, the wine-making industry developed rapidly, such as in the Corregimiento of Ica in Peru and the Elqui Valley called the "zona pisquera," in Chile.

In the late 1550s, the Spanish began to plant and harvest export quality grapes selected to produce wine with, while those that did not measure up were discarded or given to the farmers to do with as they pleased. It is in this context that small groups began to use these grapes to distill a brandy-like liquor from the discarded grapes, using similar techniques to those used in Spain for the production of brandy.

The oldest written historical record of grape brandy production in the Spanish colonies date back to Peru 1613. It is in the will of a resident of the department of Ica—a town called Pisco, close to the Nazca lines, named by Pedro Manuel the Greek. In it he itemizes his worldly goods, including 30 containers of grape brandy, one barrel of the same spirit, a large copper pot and all of the utensils needed to produce pisco.

In 1641, wine imports from the Viceroyalty of Peru into Spain were banned, severely damaging the wine industry in the colony; only a few vineyards that had parallel wine and pisco operations survived this change. The market loss caused the huge surplus of grapes to be made into brandy. The concentration solely on pisco production, nearly eliminated wine production in Peru.

Pisco was considered a lesser beverage by the Spanish and not consumed by them unless they were poor or curious. Spaniards preferred the original liquor which is called Orujo and which they deemed to possess a better flavor. The liquor made in South America was not called Pisco for a long time, although it is reported the Spanish usually called it "aguardiente" (firewater), which was a generic name for any brandy type liquor.

The drink began to acquire consumers in the sailors that transported products between the colonies and Spain, who began to call it pisco, naming it after the port [3] where it could be bought. The drink then became a favorite of sailors and workers who visited the port of Pisco. It was exalted for its strong taste and ability to quickly affect the consumer. As trade from Peru to the world grew, so did the popularity of pisco, until it almost equaled wine in quantity as an export.

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During the 18th and 19th centuries, pisco was a mainstay on ocean-crossing vessels, drunk mostly by sailors, as officers usually drank whisky or other "finer" spirits. The main reasons for its heyday were the low price and high availability. This position was maintained by pisco until the onset of rum, which won over consumers with lower prices and a softer flavor.

Pisco was also briefly popular in San Francisco and nearby areas of California during the Gold Rush in the 19th century, where it was introduced by Chilean and Peruvian miners.

The first vineyards in the Viceroyalty of Peru were planted in the fertile coastal valleys of Peru shortly after the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors. The Marquis Francisco de Caravantes was the first to import grapes, bringing them from the Canary Islands in 1553. Even though Spain imposed many restrictions on wine production and commerce, the wine-making industry developed rapidly, such as in the Corregimiento of Ica in Peru and the Elqui Valley called the "zona pisquera," in Chile.

In the late 1550s, the Spanish began to plant and harvest export quality grapes selected to produce wine with, while those that did not measure up were discarded or given to the farmers to do with as they pleased. It is in this context that small groups began to use these grapes to distill a brandy-like liquor from the discarded grapes, using similar techniques to those used in Spain for the production of brandy.

The oldest written historical record of grape brandy production in the Spanish colonies date back to Peru 1613. It is in the will of a resident of the department of Ica—a town called Pisco, close to the Nazca lines, named by Pedro Manuel the Greek. In it he itemizes his worldly goods, including 30 containers of grape brandy, one barrel of the same spirit, a large copper pot and all of the utensils needed to produce pisco.

In 1641, wine imports from the Viceroyalty of Peru into Spain were banned, severely damaging the wine industry in the colony; only a few vineyards that had parallel wine and pisco operations survived this change. The market loss caused the huge surplus of grapes to be made into brandy. The concentration solely on pisco production, nearly eliminated wine production in Peru.

Pisco was considered a lesser beverage by the Spanish and not consumed by them unless they were poor or curious. Spaniards preferred the original liquor which is called Orujo and which they deemed to possess a better flavor. The liquor made in South America was not called Pisco for a long time, although it is reported the Spanish usually called it "aguardiente" (firewater), which was a generic name for any brandy type liquor.

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The drink began to acquire consumers in the sailors that transported products between the colonies and Spain, who began to call it pisco, naming it after the port [3] where it could be bought. The drink then became a favorite of sailors and workers who visited the port of Pisco. It was exalted for its strong taste and ability to quickly affect the consumer. As trade from Peru to the world grew, so did the popularity of pisco, until it almost equaled wine in quantity as an export.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, pisco was a mainstay on ocean-crossing vessels, drunk mostly by sailors, as officers usually drank whisky or other "finer" spirits. The main reasons for its heyday were the low price and high availability. This position was maintained by pisco until the onset of rum, which won over consumers with lower prices and a softer flavor.

Pisco was also briefly popular in San Francisco and nearby areas of California during the Gold Rush in the 19th century, where it was introduced by Chilean and Peruvian miners.

Peru

It is important to remark the fact that Pisco production was never stopped in Peru and there is many documents demonstrating that fact. In the 1940s one of the most emblematic brands of Pisco was founded by two cousins from Italy, Pedro Raggio and Francisco Queirolo. After the death of Pedro Raggio and later his brother Vittorio Raggio, the Queirolo family took over and still today manufacture the pisco and wine product in the city of Magdalena. Production ramped up and Peru began to export pisco as a national product at that time, however, due to the nation's focus on raw materials exports, pisco was not given much prominence. National sentiment began to flare up in the 1960s when Chile decided to ban all imports of any product denominated "pisco" coming from Peru. From that time on, Peru has been constantly trying to enforce the denomination of "pisco" as a Peruvian-only product, beginning at first with internal rules and regulations pertaining to the harvesting of grapes, distillation and storage requirements for a product to be named "pisco", and finally establishing trademarks and other legal processes. Peru has presented an application for international registration in the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization), according to the Lisbon Agreement (23 countries parties). After one year from the date of receipt of the application, the protection of the appellation of origin takes effect in all member countries of the Lisbon Union that have not rejected it.

Chilean Pisco

During the adaptation of many vineyards to pisco production, the most widespread grape was used as raw material, namely the Muscat, with some vineyards preferring the Torontel and Pedro Jiménez varieties. As is the case with Peru, regulations for pisco designations have been enacted in Chile:

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• Regular, 30% to 35% (60 to 70 proof). • Special, 35% to 40% (70 to 80 proof). • Reserve, 40% to 43% (80 to 86 proof). • Great, 43% or more (86 or more proof).

• No distinction between varietal mixes is made other than it is restricted to the three kinds of grapes named above.

• Regular pisco is quite bland in taste, reminiscent of a weak rum, and its odor is very sweet and woody with a slight yellowish tinge to the color.

• Special and reserve are very similar in flavor and color, both being very sweet and of a cloudy yellowish color. The flavor is much stronger than regular pisco and leaves an alcoholic aftertaste in the mouth, similar to bourbon.

• Great pisco has a commanding odor and a very pleasant dark yellow color, it is not as sweet as the other varieties, yet it carries strong woody flavor the others lack.

• The yellowish to amber color in Chilean pisco is due to the wood aging process, with the darker colors being a telltale sign that they have been aged longer. Not all Chilean pisco is tinged, and the more mass-marketed brands can be clear.

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Fruit brandiesFruit brandies

• Distillates from FruitsWe distinguish three subcategories in the distillates from fruit and those areDistillates from Pomaceous Fruits – Apples and PearsDistillates from Stone Fruits – Cherries, Plums, Peaches, Apricots and so forth.Distillates from Berries – raspberries, blackberries, Cranberries, etc.According to European Community regulations, fruit brandies and such made from skins and husks must be a minimum of 75° proof, though they are never less than 80° proof and are often stronger.

Apart from true grape brandies several well-known products, which have nothing to do with wine, attract the description 'brandy'. Calvados, Normandy's apple brandy, has strong affinities with the applejack of the USA. Distilled from cider, it tends to be rather tart and rough unless well aged. Thoroughly matured calvados is delicious —it has smooth warming inner fire— and costly.

Often referred to as 'plum brandy', slivovitz is the general spirit of central Europe and the Balkans: that of former Yugoslavia used to be the best-known overseas.

Cherry brandy is a cordial liqueur and kirsch is sometimes confused with it. Kirsch is a proper distillate from cherries. This spirit comes from the Black Forest area of Germany and adjacent parts of France and from Switzerland.

There are many fruit brandies, alcools blancs in French terminology. These are of two types —those directly distilled from fermented juice and those where an eau de vie has infused into it the essence of a particular fruit.

Poire William is a much-esteemed variety of the pear brandies: one style has a pear grown in the bottle, a painstaking business. However, strawberry, bilberry, blackberry —in fact any berry— may be used, or a mixture of them. The oddest must that from the holly-berry, eau de vie de baie de houx, otherwise considered poisonous.

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CalvadosCalvados

In 1588 King Philip of Spain sent the Armada on its mission to conquer England. During the voyage one of the ships, namely El Salvador, was wrecked off the French coast.The El Salvador was an important ship, perhaps because of its passengers or perhaps due to the treasures aboard. Legend has it that the inhabitants named the region where the ship was wrecked after the unfortunate vessel and, from that time onwards the area was known as Calvados. In 1790, following the French revolution, the system of departments was created and the name of Calvados was officially given to this department Distilled cider is a long established tradition. The first official written references date from the 16th century, long before it took the name of Calvados. On 28th March 1553, a member of the local gentry from the Cotentin peninsular - the Sire of Gouberville - described the distillation of cider with a view to obtaining a drinkable apple spirit in his diaries. It was also during this time in the 16th century that a cider distiller co-operative was formed, this organization later became an official body.Until 1942, calvados had its own AOC (appellation d’origine contrôlée) but today it is produced throughout the region of Normandy, from Cherbourg to Mont Saint-Michel, as far east as the borders of the Seine-Maritime region and further south, in the district of Eure very close to Paris. According to the place of origin and production method, the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO) recognizes three distinct categories: ‘calvados’, ‘calvados du Pays d’Auge’ and ‘calvados Domfrontais.’ Calvados belonging to the first two categories is made entirely from apples, while ‘calvados Domfrontais’ has one important and distinctive characteristic: it must contain a minimum of 30 percent pears. All three, however, have the same cider spirit base.

Apples and stills

Just as a great wine is born in the vineyard, a great calvados has to come from the orchard. The selection of the fruit is paramount. Sweet, acidic or tart, cider apples differ from eating apples in their small size and the richness of the tannins in their skin, where the aromas are found. Their names, unfortunately often impossible to translate, evoke sheer delight: ‘bisquet,’ ‘sans-pareille’ (‘incomparable’), ‘forge-patin’ (‘throw-a-kiss’), ‘blanc mollet’ (‘tender white’), ‘groin d’âne’ (‘ass’s nose’) and so on. The apples are selected according to the type of calvados required, and picked from the trees or gathered as windfalls, then stored for several weeks until they ripen fully. When they are ready, they are grated or crushed whole and macerated for a few hours before proceeding to the press. The fermentation of the must begins in the barrels and continues, after racking, in cool cellars for about two months. The resulting cider, which has an alcohol content of between 4.5 and 5 percent, is then distilled, an

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operation that is carried out only in the spring or autumn months.Two types of alembic still are used. Calvados and calvados Domfrontais producers use a continuous still that involves a single distillation process. The very finest calvados, the calvados du Pays d’Auge, requires double distillation in a pot still. In both cases, the foreshot head and the feint – in other words the first and last few liters produced – are drawn off to be distilled again as they are considered too unrefined. Only the heart of the distillate is used. When it emerges from the still, the calvados has an alcohol content of between 68 and 72 percent. To get it to ‘redescendre’ – fall back – to 40 degrees and assume its characteristic color, distilled water is added and the liquid is aged for two years in very old oak casks. Calvados Domfrontais is aged for three years. The art of the cellarmaster essentially lies in the ability to blend calvados obtained from different harvests or different areas to produce the desired spirit. It may be round, subtle or potent, but it is always as velvety as the skin of a luscious apple.

Calvados statistics

1,572 municipalities.12,000 cider apple growers.550 agricultural producers-distillers.70 wholesalers and cooperative producers.Average annual production: 350,000 tons of apple cider, of which 116,660 are used in the production of calvados.One ton of apples makes between 650 and 750 liters of 100 percent cider.To make one liter of 70-degree calvados requires approximately 13 liters of cider with a five percent alcohol content, equivalent to the juice of 18-20 kilograms of apples.

Reading the label

The age of a calvados is not required to be mentioned on the label. When it does appear, it must comply with a certain format.‘Three stars’ or ‘three apples’ signify that it has been aged in barrels for a minimum of two years. ‘Vieux’ (old) or ‘réserve’ (reserve) calvados has been aged for three years.‘VO’, ‘Vieille réserve’ (old reserve) or ‘VSOP’ calvados has been aged for four years.Finally, ‘extra’ or ‘Napoléon’, and ‘hors d’âge’ (superior aged) or ‘d’âge inconnu (age unknown) calvados has been aged for at least six years.If the calvados is a blend, only the youngest of the spirits it contains is indicated.

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Spirits distilled from plantsSpirits distilled from plants

• Distillates from Plants

TequilaTequilaA New Mexican revolution —outside Mexico, has been caused by this ardent spirit. Just about two decades ago tequila was of minor importance among spirits: today it is one of the major ones. The national drink of Mexico has claims to be amongst the worlds most ancient. In the days of the pre-Conquistador Aztecs, those highly cultivated, if religiously barbarous people were drinking an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting the juice of the Agave Azul or blue agave not a cactus like most people believe but actually a member of the lily family.

It has visual similarity to the pineapple. This pulque, a potent brew, was probably drunk socially and it was certainly employed ritually: a sacramental mural, predating the Spanish invasion by well over a thousand years, describes the subjects of the artefacts as 'pulque-drinkers.'

It is improbable that the Aztecs, Mayans or Incas knew the art of distilling. The Spanish did know about it, from their Moorish connection, and when they settled into the New World they naturally used local products for the purposes of distilling alcoholic beverages. What they first produced would have been 'low wines'.

From humble origins...

In some instances the source would have been fermented wild sugar cane (rum); where they nurtured vines, distillation would have been from wine (brandy): in Mexico the obvious base was pulque. Distillations from this later became known as mescal, a fiery potion that is said to be hallucinatory.

It appears that the Spaniards in the vicinity of Guadalajara established the first properly organized distilling in Mexico. The nearest settlement was Tequila, which eventually gave its name to the improved mescal. An industry grew up in this part of Jalisco State, which now produces virtually all the tequila distilled. Within Jalisco there are two major areas of production: the Amatitan valley where there are distilleries that produce among many the famous Jose Cuervo, Grand Centenario, Sauza, Heradura, Partida, 4 Copas, Patron and the highlands

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around the town of Arrandas where such great tequilas like Tapatio or El Tesoro are produced. There is a difference in taste between these two areas where the tequilas from the highlands tend to be richer in aroma and more earthy while the ones from the valley are softer and more floral.

The tequila production

Tequila is the most sophisticated and most regulated spirit in the production today. There are unique features in tequila production. The succulent plants, of which the blue tequilana weber is the most usual, are planted as cuttings. They take up to 13 years to reach maturity. The leaves are then removed and the single fruit, cabeza, taken to the distillery.

Unlike wine, tequila comes from a plant, which contributes, but once to the product. In large ovens, the cabezas are cooked for several hours, then cooled and shredded, after which the juice is extracted. Natural fermentation lasts about four days. Double-distillation is used to produce tequila; the new spirit is matured in 50-gallon American oak casks that are usually bought used from bourbon or Tennessee whiskey producers.

Real tequila is made only from 100% fermented blue agave juice. Three basic types result: tequila blanco, not aged where the quality is measured in aroma and flavor. Reposado or rested – aged by law in oak casks between 3-12 months and Añejo (aged) which are aged between 12 and 36 months in the oak. Recently we are witnessing the appearance of fantastic boutique lines of Extra Añejos which are older then 3 years in oak and whose bottle price is usually above $150 dollars and well worth it. These tequilas are bottled between 35% (mostly for domestic, Mexican market) or 40% ABV for export.

The slow growth of blue agave has caused problems because of tequila's vast increase in exports. Whilst introducing legislation to protect the quality of the export product and hence its reputation abroad, the Mexican government has permitted as much as 49% of non-blue agave (usually rum) spirit to be added to the domestic product. This is not quite true tequila anymore, though it may carry the title, and is known as “mixto”. If in doubt just check the label if it says ‘Silver” or “gold” it’s mixto, if it says 100% de Agave Azul – you got the right stuff.

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A little Mexican adventure…

Bl ue

Agave fields in the Highlands of Jalisco near the town of Arandas

Jimador before the harvest of agaveplant that requires up to 13 years to mature.

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Head (Cabesa) of blue Agave which can when fully mature weigh up to 100lb (below)

Agave harvest using a special razor sharp tool the “coa” to remove the spiky leafs

Cabesas are then loaded on Trucks and brought to“fabricas” or destilleries

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Agave

is

then

cooked

for

hours

either

in

old

steam

stone

oven

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s

(above)

or

in

the

modern

electric

ovens

–

autoclavas

(below)

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Traditionally cooked agave is Pressed and shredded using a volcanic stone (left) or they can be processed using modern automatic equipment (right)

Fermentation is done either in wooden (left) or stainless steel containers (right) and lasts up to 4 days…

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Tequila is double distilled in either copper or stainless steel stills…

Finally…Salud!

Finally – Salud!

Path to fame around the world

The commerce between the southern United States and Mexico ensured that some Americans were familiar with tequila many years ago, but except in the border area it was little considered until the mid-1960s. Then things Mexican began to enjoy particular popularity, especially with the young, who are so often responsible for initiating changes in drinking patterns.

Tequila started to move north in respectable quantities, most of it being drunk in Margarita cocktails, and very rarely in Mexican manner. The traditional ritual is to moisten the base of the thumb, pour on some salt and hold a quarter of fresh lime between the forefinger and index finger of the same hand; then, licking the

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salt, you swallow a small glassful of the neat spirit in one go and immediately chew on the lime.

Sales of tequila in the USA rose by almost 1500% in the decade from 1965 and by the late 1970s over 20 million bottles were being drunk there annually, predominantly in the border states but elsewhere too.

The taste of tequila is notoriously hard to describe. Take top-quality export tequila and you have a spirit whose most obvious feature is a smooth sharpness: an apparent contradiction in terms that is fairly near the mark.

The tart quality of tequila, more pronounced than that of vodka or Dry gin, make it an interesting spirit for mixing, and it is no longer wholly confined to a handful of special cocktails, but is making minor inroads into mixes dominated by gin, vodka and even white rum.

In the USA it has established as decidedly more than one of those novelty drinks that appear from time to time in that volatile and enterprising market.

In Britain, serious importation did not start until 1974 and it took over a decade for it to make a serious impact, especially amongst the younger consumers, tequila has now gained a strong foothold. In Canada, Germany and Australia tequila has grown in popularity way faster than in Britain and is today an established spirit.

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AbsintheAbsinthe

Absinthe is traditionally a distilled, highly alcoholic (45%-75% ABV) beverage. It is an anise-flavored spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, also called wormwood. Absinthe has a characteristic natural green colour but can also be colourless. It is often called "the Green Fairy". Although it is sometimes mistakenly called a liqueur, absinthe is not bottled with added sugar and is therefore classified as a liquor. Absinthe is unusual among spirits in that it is bottled at a high proof but is normally diluted with water when it is consumed.

Absinthe originated in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. It achieved great popularity as an alcoholic drink in late 19th- and early 20th-century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers. Due in part to its association with bohemian culture, absinthe was opposed by social conservatives and prohibitionists. Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Vincent van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, and Aleister Crowley were all notorious "bad men" of that day who were (or were thought to

be) devotees of the Green Fairy. Absinthe was portrayed as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug. The chemical thujone, present in small quantities, was blamed for its alleged harmful effects. By 1915, absinthe had been banned in the United States and in most European countries except the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Although absinthe was vilified, no evidence has shown it to be any more dangerous than ordinary liquor. Its psychoactive properties, apart from those of alcohol, had been much exaggerated.

A revival of absinthe began in the 1990s, when countries in the European Union began to reauthorize its manufacture and sale. As of February 2008, nearly 200 brands of absinthe were being produced in a dozen countries, most notably in France, Switzerland, Spain, and the Czech Republic.

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It's been all but impossible to obtain for the last 100 years, but fortunately today Absinthe is legal again in the United States and is next to tequila the fastest growing spirit.

According to its fans Absinthe has awesome powers. One Portuguese drinker says:

"I had aural hallucinations for maybe eight hours, I was really anxiety-ridden. The next day, I had the most irritating hangover, and it lasted for two more".

The drink's almost supernatural strength explains why cognoscenti refer to the emerald-colored nectar by its 19th century nickname, "the Green Faerie".

Absinthe's notoriety owes as much to the side effects of wormwood, the herb that gives the drink its bitter taste, as it does to its alcoholic bite.At 70% alcohol by volume (140 proof) the spirit is twice as strong as the most lethal vodkas, but it combines the punch you get from drinking meths with the laid-back after glow of the finest cannabis. That's because wormwood contains the chemical thujone, which is closely related to skunk and seems to be responsible for the hallucinations and erotic dreamsdevotees of the Green Faerie often experience.

Absinthe has been making waves ever since booze baron Henri LouisPernod (whose other big invention is still turning piss green at bars thelength and breadth of France) stumbled across the recipe in Switzerland back in 1797 and began to ship the spirit back across the border. In its heyday, the Green Faerie got the creative juices of many great artists flowing: Van Gogh is said to have sliced off his ear with a razor while under its influence, Toulouse-Lautrec carried his with him in a hollowed-out walking stick, and the macho poseur Ernest Hemingway used it to ease the psychological pain of his encroaching impotence.

Sadly, the drink also took the blame for a plague of alcohol-induced mental break-downs that at one point filled half the beds in every asylum in France. When army medics worked out that the average Absinthe-addled French soldier had a chest measurement two inches smaller than his clean-living German counterpart, the Republic's favorite tipple began to attract some serious criticism.

Matters came to a head when investigators decided that a couple of early 20th century murderers had committed their crimes while out of their skulls on Absinthe. Reformers collected more than 110.000 signatures on petitions calling for the drink to be outlawed. And the authorities, sensing some positive PR, were more than happy to comply. Absinthe was never actually illegal in the UK, where it never really caught on in any case, but the blanket bans on production in its old strongholds of France, Belgium, Switzerland and the United States - introduced between 1905 and 1914 - made it all but impossible to obtain until Czech distiller Radomil Hill began to produce it again in 1990. Since then there have been signs that Absinthe may be poised to make a come-back and slowly but surely it did. It came back in style and with a major kick.

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At the heart of Absinthe's attraction lies the ritual that turns drinking the Green Faerie into a real event. Though it is possible to down the spirit neat, it's so strong that the experience is described as deeply unpleasant. Instead, practiced drinkers prefer to mix it with sugar and water.

It can be strained through perforated spoons filled with granules; or a teaspoon-full of sugar can be dipped into a measure of Absinthe and then set alight and held over the glass to melt.

As it drips into the spirit, it sets the drink on fire. At that point water is added to put out the flame and produce the final mixture.Spirit's appeal: There's a fin-de-siecle mystique around Absinthe. It's legendary and just right for the closing years of the Millennium and the beginning of the new one.

Production

Currently, most countries have no legal definition of absinthe, although spirits such as Scotch whisky, brandy, and gin generally have such a definition. Manufacturers can label a product “absinthe” or “absinth” without regard to any legal definition or minimum standard.

Producers use one of two processes to make absinthe: either distillation or cold mixing. In the few countries which have a legal definition of absinthe, distillation is the sole permitted process. An online description of the distillation process (in French) is available.

The three main herbs used to produce absinthe are grande wormwood, green anise, and florence fennel, which are often called "the holy trinity." Many other herbs may be used as well, such as petite wormwood (Artemisia pontica or Roman wormwood), hyssop, melissa, star anise, angelica, sweet flag, dittany, coriander, veronica, juniper, and nutmeg.

The simple maceration of wormwood in alcohol (as called for in absinthe kits) without distillation produces an extremely bitter drink because of the presence of the water-soluble absinthin, one of the most bitter substances known to man. Authentic recipes call for distillation after a primary maceration and before the optional secondary coloring maceration. The distillation of absinthe first produces a colorless distillate that leaves the alembic at around 72 percent ABV (144 proof).

The distillate can be bottled clear, to produce a Blanche or la Bleue absinthe, or it can be colored using artificial or natural coloring. Traditional absinthes take their green color from chlorophyll, which is present in some of the herbal ingredients during the secondary maceration. This is done by steeping petite wormwood, hyssop, and melissa (among other herbs) in the liquid.

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Chlorophyll from these herbs is extracted giving the drink its famous green color. This process also provides the herbal complexity that is typical of high quality absinthe. This type of absinthe is known as a verte. After the coloring process, the resulting product is reduced with water to the desired percentage of alcohol.

Historically, most absinthes contain between 60 and 75 percent alcohol by volume (120 to 150 proof). It is said to improve materially with storage, and many pre-ban distilleries aged their absinthe in neutral barrels before bottling.

Some modern absinthes are produced using the cold mix system. The beverage is manufactured by mixing flavoring essences, and artificial coloring in high-proof alcohol, and is similar to a flavored vodka or "absinthe schnapps". Some modern absinthes are bottled at up to 82% alcohol and others can contain up to 89.9%.

Absinthe can also be naturally colored red using hibiscus flowers. This is called a rouge or rose absinthe. As of now, only one historical rouge brand has been discovered.

Absinthe Service

Traditionally, absinthe is poured into a glass over which a specially designed slotted spoon is placed. A sugar cube is then deposited in the bowl of the spoon. Ice-cold water is poured or dripped over the sugar until the drink is diluted to a ratio between 3:1 and 5:1. During this process, the components that are not soluble in water, mainly those from anise, fennel, and star anise, come out of solution and cloud the drink. The resulting milky opalescence is called the louche (Fr. "opaque" or "shady") The addition of water is important, causing the herbs to "blossom" and bringing out many of the flavors originally overpowered by the anise.

Originally a waiter would serve a dose of absinthe, ice water in a carafe, and sugar separately, and the drinker would prepare it to their preference. With increased popularity, the absinthe fountain, a large jar of ice water on a base with spigots, came into use. It allowed a number of drinks to be prepared at once, and with a hands-free drip, patrons were able to socialize while louching a glass.

Although many bars served absinthe in standard glasses, a number of glasses were specifically made for absinthe. These had a dose line, bulge, or bubble in the lower portion denoting how much absinthe should be poured in.

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One "dose" of absinthe is around 1 ounce (30 mL), and most glasses used this as the standard, with some drinkers using as much as 1½ ounces (45 mL).

In addition to being drunk with water poured over sugar, absinthe was a common cocktail ingredient in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and continues to be a popular ingredient today. One of the most famous of these is Ernest Hemingway’s "Death in the Afternoon" cocktail, a concoction he contributed to a 1935 collection of celebrity recipes. His directions are as follows: "Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly.

Confessions of an Absinthe drinker

"...We start the evening at midnight (this being Spain, after all) in the "Bar Marsella". A young waiter brings us small brandy glasses full of clear, oily-looking Absinthe, along with all the attendant paraphernalia: a bottle of water, paper-wrapped lumps of sugar, and a three-pronged trowel. In the classic version, you set the trowel on the rim of the glass, and slowly strain the water through the sugar cube into the Absinthe until it dissolves. A local variation: I take a sugar cube between thumb and forefinger and allow it to soak up the Absinthe, which is 68 per cent alcohol. Then, placing this cube on the trowel, I light it on fire until the alcohol burns off. After stirring the dissolving cube into the Absinthe, I fill the glass three-quarters full of water, provoking a remarkable transformation. The liquid turns milky green - a color Oscar Wilde called opaline - though to my eyes it looks more like a happy marriage of creme-de-menthe and whipped cream. In murky half-light of the "Bar Marsella", my glass of Absinthe appears to be glowing from within. Even Absinthe's Greek name, Apsinthion, means "undrinkable". It's this romantic notion of danger which probably gave absinthe such a following among intellectuals: it was the subject of a painting by Manet, a sculpture by Picasso, and innumerable anecdotes by Hemingway and Poe. I imagine myself embarking on a long slide into debauchery, followed by months of hydro-therapy in some Gothic asylum."

"They had been Absinthed. They finished a bottle-and-a-half between them, went for a swim and didn't have the coordination to find their clothes afterwards. They just legged it through the town until they were arrested. The police didn't take kindly to drunks and nudity."

"One night when I was drinking Absinthe, I rolled down a hill into the main road where I lay laughing at the traffic that had come to a stand-still around me. You could tell how badly Absinthed you were by how many scars and bruises you had the next day."

"Few drinks have the power to completely change the way you think about alcohol. We've all got stories to tell about 'last night', but in my experience there's only one drink which can render your body completely at its mercy. The problem is that there's nothing to indicate how strong the drink is. The bottles don't say that it's the alcoholic equivalent of LSD."

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"The best way to drink it is with lemonade, but the adventurous ones drink it straight. As you gulp it down, the burning sensation in the throat and all the way down to the pit of your stomach makes you feel like you're training to be a sword eater. Like Marijuana, Absinthe does not have an instant effect. It creeps up on the unsuspecting first-timer."

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Spirits distilled from Sugar Cane orSpirits distilled from Sugar Cane or MolassesMolasses

RUMRUMRum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as

molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak and other barrels. The majority of the world's rum production occurs in and around the Caribbean and in several South American countries, such as Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil, though there are rum producers in places such as Australia, Fiji, India, Reunion Island, Mauritius, and elsewhere around the world.

Rum is produced in a variety of styles. Light rums are commonly used in cocktails. In addition to cocktails, golden and dark rums are appropriate for drinking straight, or as a brandy for cooking. Premium rums are also available that are made to be consumed neat or on the rocks.

Rum plays a part in the culture of most islands of the West Indies, and has famous associations with the Royal Navy (Grog) and piracy (Bumbo). Rum has also served as a popular medium of exchange that helped to promote slavery along with providing economic instigation for Australia's Rum Rebellion and the American Revolution.

History of RUM

The precursors to rum date back to antiquity. Development of fermented drinks produced from sugarcane juice is believed to have first occurred either in ancient India or China, and spread from there. An example of such an early drink is brum. Produced by the Malay people, brum dates back thousands of years. Marco Polo also recorded a 14th-century account of a "very good wine of sugar" that was offered to him in what is modern-day Iran.

The first distillation of rum took place on the sugarcane plantations of the Caribbean in the 17th century. Plantation slaves first discovered that molasses, a by-product of the sugar refining process, can be fermented into alcohol. Later, distillation of these alcoholic by-products concentrated the alcohol and removed

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impurities, producing the first true rums. Tradition suggests that rum first originated on the island of Barbados. Regardless of its initial source, early Caribbean rums were not known for high quality. A 1651 document from Barbados stated, "The chief fuddling they make in the island is Rumbullion, alias Kill-Divil, and this is made of sugar canes distilled, a hot, hellish, and terrible liquor".

Not until the mid 17th century was special West Indian spirit heard of in Europe, although distillation from sugar cane certainly started

much earlier, and then under the appellation kill-devil. It was described as 'hot, hellish and terrible', and was given to the plantation slaves to ease their misery and keep them tolerably content during their appalling labors in cane-fields.

However, it may be assumed that plantation-owners also tried the stuff, if only when ships failed to bring supplies of more conventional stimulants from Europe or America.

Where the strange name 'rum' for the spirit comes from is not known. Some say it is a corruption of the Spanish word ron, since probably the Spaniards were the first to distil in their colonies. Others claim the origin is to be sought in south-west England, from the Devon word rumbullion, a dialect form of rumbustion, an old English term for 'uproar', or, later, 'strong liquor'.

The more scholarly may opt for derivation from the Latin saccharum, sugar. Be that as it may, half a century after the scathing sobriquet 'kill-devil' first saw print, rum, under that new name, was being praised as '...very wholesome and therefore has lately supplied the place of brandy in punch'.

During the 18th century rum achieved widespread popularity in England and in Britain's North American colonies. It is said that Paul Revere, during his celebrated ride, did not commence uttering his cry 'The English are coming!' until after he had paused at a rum distillery for a few refreshing noggins.

New England still produces a small quantity of rum from imported molasses. A traditional love of rum in the north-eastern USA was fittingly immortalized during Prohibition: the 12 mile extent of territorial waters, in which bootleggers' craft had to dodge the sea-going forces of the law, was called not Gin Lane or Whisky Alley but Rum Row.

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Principal rum traders

Old-time rum was all of the sweetish, heavy, pungent pot-stilled style often now called Navy rum —after 'Nelson's Blood' of the British Royal Navy, the immensely strong daily rum issue. However, rum has changed with the times: the descendants of Boston privateers who quaffed draughts of rich, powerful New England rum now sip a white rum cocktail. The principal centers of the rum trade are the West Indies, the Caribbean and the coast of South America. It is also made in many other countries —South Africa, Madagascar and the Philippines, for example— and there are distillates similar to rum that are known by other names. Cuba, once so important, has recommenced export on a minor scale. However, in the West Indies, it is Puerto Rico, the largest producer, which supplies most of the US market. The French drink a lot of rhum: Martinique is their biggest source, Guadeloupe the second, and they also provide French rhums for export to other countries. Further important rum producers included celebrated islands: Jamaica, Britain's biggest and oldest supplier, Barbados, historically noted for light rums; Trinidad and Haiti, which has benefited by Cuba's decline. On the mainland, Guyana produces the famous Demerara, a luscious style of rum. In Britain, the leading importers and brand-owners are United Rum Merchants. Seagram's Captain Morgan is a substantial seller and Bacardi looms large.

Distillation and production of rum

Rum may be distilled either from a wash of cane juice or from molasses, the sugar-rich residue of the conversion into cane-sugar. A second grade, rum-type spirit is also produced for cheap local markets and not exported, a sort of marc de sucre.

Though some of the greatest Caribbean rums are pot-stilled and usually matured and bottled at the place of manufacture, for the most part commercial rum is made by continuous distillation. The almost flavorless, highly rectified rum produced from the continuous distillation process is then turned into 'navy' or other style of dark rum by the addition of concentrated flavors, and darkened according to demand. Conversely, white rum that picks up color during maturing may require discoloring before bottling.

Like any other industry —and rum is a big industry— the product has had to adapt itself to a changing demand in the market. To a marked degree this has

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in recent years been a question of 'follow the leader'. The prime example is the emergence of white rum as a conquering force. For long time white rum, often direct from the still, was purely a local drink, employed to enliven coconut milk or whatever fruit juice was most available. As the Coca-Cola empire spread across the globe, that product was found to go admirably with the spirit. It is probable that white rum first came to the general attention of the American public during Prohibition, when the Americans flocked to the Cuban capital of Havana, a city overflowing with booze and other delights denied in the USA.

There they discovered the merits of the Cuba Libre, white rum and Coca-Cola, a satirically named mix under an iron-heeled if socially permissive dictatorship. The Daiquiri cocktail likewise came to their notice and joined the ranks of great cocktails in the post-Prohibition American repertoire, to say nothing of the uncounted Daiquiris mixed in speakeasies. Much later —not until the 1960s— young Britons, influenced by Mediterranean holidays, took to Bacardi-and-Coke in a big way.

Ironically, the founders of Bacardi played a leading role in Cuba's fight for independence from Spain. Then, by a quirk of history, after another battle to gain freedom, this time from the Babtista tyranny, a new dictatorial power, Castro's, expropriated the company.

It had been founded in 1862 by Don Facundo Bacardi, who had the idea that from Cuba's copious and splendid molasses a new sort of rum could be produced —light, smooth, pure and low in flavour. Don Facundo's son Emilio was so successful, despite a couple of spells in exile for political activity, that by 1885 he was bringing actions for infringement of the copyrights in his label design.

In 1892, the heir to the Spanish throne fell gravely ill. He was given Bacardi rum, and his fever aborted. On his recovery, the royal physician was authorized to write to Don Emilio praising the rum's apparent life-restoring qualities. The family sufficiently forgot their republican principles to add the Spanish royal arms to their label.

The more recent exile of Bacardi on corporate rather than personal grounds has only enchanted its prosperity. Its headquarters are in Nassau; the main distillery is in Puerto Rico, convenient for the huge American market. A distillery had been established in Barcelona in 1910. There are now Bacardi plants in Mexico and Brazil.

It is possible that Bacardi Carta Blanca, colorless and very delicate, is the world's biggest-selling single brand of spirit (brand, as opposed to product-group). The less well-known Carta Oro is faintly colored and fractionally less dry.

Bacardi's immense growth has spawned a plethora of white rums of varying qualities. Some of these white rums are virtually impossible to distinguish

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from vodka when mixed with ice and citrus-flavored additives. For those traditional rum drinks that have survived, such as the various punches, a dark rum is preferable, the degree of pungency being a matter of taste.

Rum is a spirit that appeals, in its many forms and in the guise of many mixes, to an extraordinary wide range of consumers. You can see it being drunk by career women in New York bars and sailors in Quadeloupe cafés. Over the centuries rum has shown resilience and adaptability worthy of its origin.

Dividing rum into meaningful groupings is complicated by the fact that there is no single standard for what constitutes rum. Instead rum is defined by the varying rules and laws of the nations that produce the spirit. The differences in definitions include issues such as spirit proof, minimum aging, and even naming standards.

Examples of the differences in proof is Colombia, requiring their rum possess a minimum alcohol content of 50 ABV, while Chile and Venezuela require only a minimum of 40 ABV. Mexico requires rum be aged a minimum of 8 months; the Dominican Republic, Panama and Venezuela require two years. Naming standards also vary, Argentina defining rums as white, gold, light, and extra light. Barbados uses the terms white, overproof, and matured, while the United States defines rum, rum liqueur, and flavored rum. In Australia Rum is divided into Dark Rum (Under Proof known as UP, Over Proof known as OP, and triple distilled) and White Rum.

Despite these differences in standards and nomenclature, the following divisions are provided to help show the wide variety of rums that are produced.

Regional Variations

Within the Caribbean, each island or production area has a unique style. For the most part, these styles can be grouped by the language that is traditionally spoken. Due to the overwhelming influence of Puerto Rican rum, most rum consumed in the United States is produced in the Spanish-speaking style.

• Spanish-speaking islands and countries traditionally produce light rums with a fairly clean taste. Rums from Cuba, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Colombia and Venezuela are typical of this style.

• English-speaking islands and countries are known for darker rums with a fuller taste that retains a greater amount of the underlying molasses flavor. Rums from Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Saint Kitts, the Demerara region of Guyana, and Jamaica are typical of this style.

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• French-speaking islands are best known for their agricultural rums (rhum agricole). These rums, being produced exclusively from sugar cane juice, retain a greater amount of the original flavor of the sugar cane and are generally more expensive than molasses-based rums. Rums from Haïti, Guadeloupe, Marie-Galante and Martinique are typical of this style.

Cachaça is a spirit similar to rum that is produced in Brazil. Seco, from Panama, is also a spirit similar to rum, but also similar to vodka, since it is triple distilled. The Indonesian spirit Batavia Arrack, or Arrak, is a spirit similar to rum that includes rice in its production.[22] Mexico produces a number of brands of light and dark rum, as well as other less expensive flavored and unflavored sugar cane based liquors, such as aguardiente de caña and charanda. In some cases cane liquor is flavored with mezcal to produce a pseudo-tequila-like drink.

A spirit known as Aguardiente, distilled from molasses and often infused with anise, with additional sugarcane juice added after distillation, is produced in Central America and northern South America.[23]

In West Africa, and particularly in Liberia, cane juice (also known as Liberian rum or simply CJ within Liberia itself, is a cheap, strong spirit distilled from sugar cane, which can be as strong as 86 proof.

Within Europe, a similar spirit made from sugar beet is known as tuzemák (from tuzemský rum, domestic rum) in the Czech Republic and Kobba Libre on the Åland Islands.

In Germany, a cheap substitute of dark rum is called Rum-Verschnitt (literally: cut rum). This distilled beverage is made of genuine dark rum (often from Jamaica), rectified spirit, and water. Very often, caramel coloring is used, too. The relative amount of genuine rum it contains can be quite low since the legal minimum is at only 5 percent, but the taste of Rumverschnitt is still very similar to

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genuine dark rum. In Austria, a similar rum called Inländerrum or domestic rum is available.

Grades

The grades and variations used to describe rum depend on the location that a rum was produced. Despite these variations the following terms are frequently used to describe various types of rum:

• Light Rums, also referred to as light, silver, and white rums. In general, light rum has very little flavor aside from a general sweetness, and serves accordingly as a base for cocktails. Light rums are sometimes filtered after aging to remove any color. The Brazilian immensely popular Cachaça belongs to this type. The majority of Light Rum comes out of Puerto Rico.

• Gold Rums, also called amber rums, are medium-bodied rums which are generally aged. These gain their dark color from aging in wooden barrels (usually the charred white oak barrels that are the byproduct of Bourbon Whiskey).

• Spiced Rum: These rums obtain their flavor through addition of spices and, sometimes, caramel. Most are darker in color, and based on gold rums. Some are significantly darker, while many cheaper brands are made from inexpensive white rums and darkened with artificial caramel color.

• Dark Rum, also known as black rum, classes as a grade darker than gold rum. It is generally aged longer, in heavily charred barrels. Dark rum has a much stronger flavor than either light or gold rum, and hints of spices can be detected, along with a strong molasses or caramel overtone. It is used to provide substance in rum drinks, as well as color. In addition to uses in mixed drinks, dark rum is the type of rum most commonly used in cooking. Most Dark Rum comes from areas such as Jamaica, Haiti, and Martinique.

• Flavored Rum: Some manufacturers have begun to sell rums which they have infused with flavors of fruits such as mango, orange, citrus, coconut or lime. These serve to flavor similarly themed tropical drinks which generally comprise less than 40% alcohol, and are also often drunk neat or on the rocks.

• Over proof Rum is rum which is much higher than the standard 40% alcohol. Most of these rums bear greater than 75%, in fact, and preparations of 151 to 160 proof occur commonly.

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• Premium Rum: As with other sipping spirits, such as Cognac and Scotch, a market exists for premium and super-premium rums. These are generally boutique brands which sell very aged and carefully produced rums. They have more character and flavor than their "mixing" counterparts, and are generally consumed without the addition of other ingredients.

Ernest Hemingway, endurance drinker, greets Fidel Castro, endurance orator

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CachaçaCachaçaCachaça or pinga is a Brazilian liquor made from distilled sugar cane

juice. While rum is distilled from molasses, cachaça is distilled directly from the juice of the unrefined sugar cane. Prior to distillation the juice ferments in a wood or copper container for three weeks, and is then boiled down three times to a concentrate. Cachaça is always distilled in such a way that the scent of sugar cane and inimitable flavor typical of rum are retained. Cachaça is sometimes known as caxaca, caxa or chacha.

Brazil has 4,000 brands of cachaça and the country produces 1 billion liters of the beverage per year. It is one of the most consumed drinks in Brazil, second only to beer.

Cachaça is the most popular distilled alcoholic beverage in Brazil. Cachaça is denomination of origin, in other regions of Brazil it is known as "aguardente", "pinga" or other names. Cachaça is mostly produced in Brazil, where 1.5 billion liters (396 million gallons) are consumed annually (roughly eight litres per head), compared with 15 million liters (3.96 million gallons) outside the country. Cachaça is, "...the product of the distillation of fermented sugarcane juice, with its alcohol strength between 38% and 48% by volume. Up to six grams per liter of sugar may be added."

Cachaça differs from rum in that it is made from sugarcane juice while rum is made from either molasses or sugarcane juice then aged in oak barrels.

1.3 billion liters of Cachaça is produced each year. Only 1% of this production is exported (mainly to Germany). Outside Brazil, cachaça is used almost exclusively as an ingredient in tropical drinks, with the caipirinha being the most famous cocktail.

Production

Cachaça is made from the juice of the first pressing of sugarcane. The harvested sugarcane is washed and then pressed through large metal rollers to extract the cane juice. The juice is then passed through a filtration process (to extract any cane fragments or other foreign matter) and then on to fermentation tanks. Most often, a leavening agent—such as fubá (corn meal), rice bran, rice flakes or other type of cereal—is added to the cane juice prior to fermentation. Beside producing alcohol itself, the leavening agent also adds its own distinctive flavor and aroma. With most cachaça producers, the specific leavening agent(s)

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used as well as the recipe (including fermentation time, temperature, etc., etc.) is a tightly guarded trade secret.

Whether or not a leavening agent is added, the sugarcane juice is fermented for from one to three days (depending upon the prevailing ambient temperature), then distilled at a steady temperature of approximately 90º C, cooled and filtered to remove any impurities. The first distillation batch is called cabeceira. It is very strong and often used to make liqueurs. The second batch is called cachaça boa and it is the batch that is sent on to be bottled or aged. The third batch is called água fraca and is often returned to the next batch. Most commercially available cachaças sold on the market are about 40 to 48% alcohol by volume or roughly about 80+ proof.

Much like brandy, most fine cachaças are aged in barrels of European or American oak or Brazilian amburana, cedar, freijó, garapa, balsa, vinhático, jequitibá or other woods. The aging process yields a cachaça with a smoother taste and (most often) a yellow or caramel color. The time that cachaça is aged varies depending upon the barrel size, type of the wood, relative temperature and humidity as well as the storage environment. Brazilian law stipulates that cachaça must be aged at least one year to be labeled "aged."

Cachaça is the primary ingredient in a Caipirinha the national cocktail of Brazil as well as numerous other batidas (cachaça and fruit or fruit juice mixtures) as well as the cold weather drink quentão.

There are two types of cachaça: artesanal and industrial.

Artesanal cachaças are produced by thousands of small mills spread all over the country. Traditionally, the fermentation agent is maize flour (called fubá in Portuguese) and the distillation unit is a copper pot still. The resulting product comes out in 3 batches: "head", "core" and "tail". Most of the makers take only the "core", discarding the other two which have undesirable components.

Then the beverage is either bottled or stored in wood barrels for aging. The cachaça is aged in barrels made from a great variety of native or exotic trees such as chestnut, umburana, jequitibá, ipê, grápia, balsam wood, almond, jatobá, guanandi, brazilwood, cabreúva, tibiriçá, garapeira, cherry, and oak. Makers of artesanal cachaça usually bottle their own product, selling directly to the market (consumers, bars, restaurants, supermarkets, etc.). Domestically, artesanal cachaças are mostly drunk straight by consumers from the higher economic classes of society, or made into caipirinhas with sugar and lime.

Industrial cachaças are made by medium-sized and big mills mostly located in the countryside of the São Paulo and Ceará states. The industrial cachaça makers use column stills to process the fermented sugarcane juice ("continuous distillation process"). Because of this production system, some

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impurities may remain in the resulting spirit. The product is then sold as a raw material to cachaça bottlers. The bottlers adjust the cachaças to their standards by adding or removing components. Most of the time, industrial cachaças are not aged, being drunk straight by the lower economic classes.

History

Cachaça was invented by the first Portuguese settlers of Brazil, in the region around the town of São Vicente, sometime between 1532 and 1548. Workers at local sugar mills first discovered that the sugarcane juice (garapa), cooked and left standing, would "sour" (ferment) and turn into a mild alcoholic beverage. The product, disparagingly named cagaça, was consumed by slaves, as a cheap substitute for the Indians' cauim. Soon someone had the idea of distilling it, and thus cachaça was born.

Cachaça distilleries multiplied through colonial Brazil during the 16th and 17th centuries. Portugal eventually took notice and, in order to protect the market for Portuguese-made grappa (bagaceira), tried several times to outlaw the manufacture and consumption of the new spirit. In 1756, after a century of failure to suppress it, the Crown gave up and levied a tax on cachaça. This tax brought substantial revenue to the Treasury, and contributed to the reconstruction following the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and tsunami.

Currently there are more than 4,000 different brands of Cachaça available in Brazil. Early in its history it was consumed mainly by Africans, peasants, and members of the lower class. As is often the case, elitists considered it a low drink, unfit for exclusivist bars and tables. However, the finer points of the product gained wider and wider appreciation, and it is now a very popular drink, considered by some to be in the same class as whiskey and wine. In the country's largest cities there are many bars specialized in cachaça, called cachaçarias, offering hundreds of different brands, some of them very expensive. The most prized brands are produced in Minas Gerais and São Paulo. The Brazilian government and producer associations have recently acted to promote the export of Cachaça.

Drinking cachaça

Cachaça, like rum, has two varieties: unaged (white) and aged (gold). White cachaça is usually bottled immediately after distillation and tends to be cheaper. It is often used to prepare caipirinha and all other types of beverages in which cachaça is an ingredient. Dark cachaça, usually seen as the "premium" variety, is aged in wood barrels and is meant to be drunk pure. Its flavour is influenced by the type of wood the barrel is made of.

The traditional way to drink pure cachaça (white or gold) is to sip it in a small 50 ml glass. Cachaça tasters let the drink linger inside their mouths in order

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to savor the aftertaste. It is best tasted slowly but is sometimes consumed as a shot, like vodka. This alternative way to drink cachaça is in a short and slim glass called martelinho ("little hammer"). Because the glass is narrow the alcohol will not evaporate so fast, thus reducing the smell (considered foul by some).

The Classic Caipirinha

The name caipirinha is derived from the Portuguese word caipira (hick, hayseed, country bumpkin, rube, etc.––essentially a Li'l Abner type) coupled with the -inha suffix (a diminutive denoting little or small) and can be variously translated as little hick, little hayseed, little country bumpkin, little rube, etc., etc. Again, like the word cachaça, there really is no translation for caipirinha (the drink) except caipirinha ... unless you prefer to call it a little hick, little hayseed, little country bumpkin, little rube, etc.. But most people would rather drink one that get hung up on the name. Cachaça is also the primary ingredient in numerous batidas (cachaça and fruit/fruit juice mixtures).

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Nobody knows for sure exactly who made the first caipirinha or when. Many older Brazilians claim that the caipirinha was originally a folk remedy used to help alleviate the symptoms of colds and the flu and to soothe sore throats. Even today, many Brazilians are known to create a concoction of lime juice, cachaça and honey as a remedy for colds and flu. The use of ice is most certainly a modern innovation. We can only speculate that the use of sugar (or honey) that is one of bed rocks of the

caipirinha was used to help the cachaça go down a little smoother because, after all, "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down ..."

There is an old adage in Brazil: quanto pior a cachaça, melhor a caipirinha––the worse the cachaça, the better the caipirinha. Consequently, most "experts" believe it's best to use clear colored (white), non aged cachaça, essentially, the cheapest available. We agree! Therefore, the popular (and usually more readily available) Pitú, 51 or Ypioca Prata brands are perfect for making a world class caipirinha.

A caipirinha must be made with fresh lime to achieve an "authentic" taste. In Brazil, the very best caipirinhas are made with limões galegos––what in the U.S. is often referred to as a key lime. That's what we believe is best too. The limão galego has a lighter lime odor and tastes a little more acidic. The larger, more readily available, thick-skinned, Tahitian limes sold in the U.S., Brazil and elsewhere can certainly be used but are not as good as key limes (limões galegos).

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LiqueursLiqueurs

What exactly is a liqueur? In simplest terms, a liqueur — sometimes known as a cordial — is a flavored, sweetened spirit. The liqueur category is the most wide-open on the spirits market. Where else do you find drinks colored hot pink or neon yellow and flavored with banana, peppermint, licorice, or white chocolate? Where else do you find bottles shaped like giant cones or chocolates, and filled with liquid studded with gold flakes? These drinks are among the most imaginative — and, at times, the most bizarre — that you will encounter.

How can you make sense of this creative jumble? By dividing the liqueur category into two parts: old products and new. Most of the old ones have been around for centuries and were typically formulated by monks trying to come up with remedies for the ailments of their congregations. The new liqueurs, on the other hand, have been around for much less time: some for decades, others for just a few years. Some are the work of artisans; another might be the brainchild of committees of slick marketing whiz kids.

Old LiqueursOld Liqueurs

The "old" liqueurs that have survived for hundreds of years are elegant tasting, enticing distillations, macerations, or percolations of a variety of flavorings, including herbs, fruits, nuts, seeds, peels, beans, pods, and spices. These potions are wonderful to sip after dinner, though some people drink them as aperitifs.

Bénédictine, a sweet, aromatic, rich liqueur flavored with more than twenty herbs and plants, was first produced in 1510 at the Benedictine Abbey at Fécamp in the Caux district of Normandy. Often referred to as the world's oldest cordial, dark-amber-colored Bénédictine has never been copied well (as is typical of drinks made from complicated secret formulas), although many have tried.

Bénédictine is an herbal liqueur beverage produced in France. Its recipe contains 27 plants and spices. It is believed that Bénédictine is the oldest liqueur continuously made, having first been developed by Dom Bernardo Vincelli in 1510, at the Benedictine Abbey of Fécamp in Normandy. Production of the

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liqueur was ceased by the monks in the nineteenth century, taken over by a private company founded in 1863 by Alexandre le Grand, which continues to produce the liqueur today.

The recipe is a closely guarded trade secret, ostensibly known to only three people at any given time. So many people have tried (and failed) to reproduce it that the company maintains on its grounds in Fécamp a "Hall of Counterfeits" (Salon de Contrefaçons) displaying bottles of the failed attempts.

The manufacturing process involves several distillations which are then blended.

The same company also produces "B & B" (or Bénédictine and Brandy), which is Bénédictine diluted with brandy, making it less sweet than Bénédictine. B & B was developed in the 1930s when consumers began a trend of mixing Bénédictine with brandy to produce a drier taste. Both Bénédictine and B & B are 43% alcohol (86 proof). Also, the company introduced in 1977 a 60 proof (30% alcohol) coffee liqueur, Café Bénédictine, a blend of Bénédictine and another coffee-flavored liqueur. Additionally, the company produces a Bénédictine Single Cask that comes in a black bottle and is only available at the Palais de la Bénédictine's store in Fécamp, Normandy, France.

Every bottle of Bénédictine has the initials D.O.M. on the label. Mistakenly thought by some to refer to "Dominican Order of Monks," it actually stands for "Deo Optimo Maximo"; "Deus" is Latin for God, "Optimus" is Latin for "best" and "Maximo" is Latin for "greatest" - this can be roughly translated as "To God, most good, most great". (The Dominican Order uses the designation O.P., which refers to "Order of Preachers.").

Burnley Miners' Club in Burnley, United Kingdom is the world's biggest single consumer of Benedictine liqueur, after Lancashire regiments acquired a taste for it during the First World War.

Other herbal liqueurs include Chartreuse, another monastic-in-origin beverage for which the color is named, Jägermeister ("Master Hunter"), and Unicum.

A second French liqueur claiming ecclesiastical origins is Chartreuse, which was devised by Carthusian monks in the Massif de la Chartreuse near Grenoble more than three hundred years ago. Perhaps the most sophisticated of herbal elixirs, it is blended from 130 different plants. This potion, memorialized in the name of the bright green hue of its liquid, also comes in a mellower yellow version that was created in 1838. The liqueur is named after the Grande Chartreuse monastery where it was formerly produced, located in the Chartreuse Mountains. The liquor is nowadays produced in a factory in the nearby town of Voiron under the supervision of monks from the monastery.

The two types of Chartreuse most often found are:

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• Green Chartreuse (110 proof or 55%) is a naturally green liqueur flavored with extracts from 130 plants with its coloring coming from chlorophyll.

• Yellow Chartreuse (40% or 43%), which has a milder and sweeter flavor and aroma.

Other kinds of Chartreuse are:

• Chartreuse VEP (Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolongé) is made using the same processes and the same secret formula as the traditional liqueur, and by extra long ageing in oak casks it reaches an exceptional quality. Chartreuse VEP comes in both yellow and green.

• Elixir Végétal de la Grande-Chartreuse (142° proof or 71%). The Herbal Elixir gets its unique flavour from 130 medicinal and aromatic plants and flowers. It can be described as a cordial or a liqueur, and is claimed to be a very effective tonic.

Chambord Liqueur Royale de France is a liqueur made in the Loire valley in France. It dates back to 1685 when Louis XIV visited Château de Chambord. It is made from black raspberries, blackberries (mûre), honey, vanilla, and cognac. It has no preservatives and must be consumed within six months otherwise the ingredients separate. It comes in a spherical bottle with a gold plastic lettered 'belt' around the middle. The bottle is modeled after a Globus cruciger, which reflects Chambord's royal connection. It is 16.5% alcohol by volume.

Grand Marnier, created in 1880 by Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle is an exquisite liqueur that is based on Cognac and the peels of Haitian bitter oranges, was the product of a nineteenth-century French family enterprise. Grand Marnier is 40% alcohol (80 proof). It is produced in several varieties, most of which can be consumed "neat" as a digestif and can be used in mixed drinks and desserts. Sip it on the rocks or straight in a snifter.

It comes in various grades and they are:

Cordon Rouge or "Red Ribbon" is the original Grand Marnier liqueur created in 1880 by Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle. It is consumed neat and is also used in cocktails and desserts.

Cordon Jaune or "Yellow Ribbon" Grand Marnier is scarce in North America. It is only sold in some European countries and at some major international airports. Yellow Label Grand Marnier is generally regarded as being the lowest quality. It is made with neutral grain spirit rather than cognac. It is used for mixed drinks and cooking purposes, such as Crêpes Suzette.

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Cuvée du Centenaire or Centennial Edition was first released in limited quantities in 1927 to commemorate the 100th anniversary. It is made with 25-year-old fine cognacs and is consumed neat. It is more expensive, at about US$145 per bottle.

Cuvée Speciale Cent Cinquantenaire is made with 50-year-old cognacs sealed within hand-finished frosted glass bottles featuring hand-painted Art Nouveau decorations. At approximately $220 USD per bottle, it was previously marketed under the slogan "Hard to find, impossible to pronounce, and prohibitively expensive." It is really nice…

A popular orange-flavored liqueur from France is bittersweet Cointreau, originally made in the Cointreau family distillery, which was set up after the French Revolution in the historic Loire Valley town of Angers. The unique taste of small wild bitter oranges sampled by a family member on travels to the Caribbean and South American inspired the Cointreau recipe, eventually formulated with the dried peels of those oranges. Because the drink was three times drier than the liqueurs of the day, imitations proliferated under the name triple sec (triple dry). Cointreau is delicious in a Margarita but also wonderful sipped, just like Grand Marnier.

Maraschino is a pungent, sweet liqueur made from Maraschino cherries that grow primarily on the Adriatic coast. Premium brand is Luxardo but it tends to work only in some cocktails due to it richness and fragrance. A much better cocktail companion would be the Maraschino from the house of Stock which is as sweet but less aromatic.

On a different citrus note is Belgian Mandarine Napoléon. This Cognac-based drink perfumed with tangerines was so named because the French emperor was said to have wooed his favorite actress with a similar tonic.

Another venerable fruit-flavored liqueur is Peter Heering from Denmark, known as Cherry Heering in Europe. Dating back to 1818, this crimson drink with a complex taste is made from the luscious cherries that grow in southern Denmark. Winy and dry for a liqueur, with a distinctive almond-tasting bitterness that comes from the use of the cherry pits, it is heavenly on its own or over ice cream.

Italy's celebrated almond-flavored liqueur, Amaretto, is actually made not with almonds but with apricot kernels. It is a perfect romantic drink, as it is said to have been created in Saronno in 1525 as a tribute to artist Bernardino Luini by his model. (Not surprisingly, the original brand, Amaretto di Saronno, remains the standard against which others are measured.) Sweet, syrupy amaretto can be served straight, on the rocks, in mixed drinks, or in coffee.

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Frangelico, a shimmering brown hazelnut-scented liqueur, was first concocted out of woodland nuts and herbs by a reclusive seventeenth-century Italian monk — hence its distinctive bottle, shaped like a robed cleric. It is now produced commercially (and secularly) in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Frangelico is smooth and delicate: it's terrific straight, on the rocks, and in mixed drinks.

Every Bartenders friend is a famous Italian digestive from the house of Fernet Branca. It comes in two flavors regular and Menta. Fernet is a brand of amaro produced in Milan, Italy. It is a bitter, aromatic spirit made from over 40 herbs and spices, including myrrh, rhubarb, chamomile, cardamom, aloe, and saffron, with a base of grape distilled spirits, and colored with caramel coloring. The recipe is a secret, and was created by the young Maria Scala in 1845 in Milan as a medicine. Scala's name became Maria Branca through marriage, and the product's name was born. The Fernet-Branca is still produced in Milan by the company Fratelli Branca, overseen by the Branca family, though the recipe of the Italian product differs slightly from that of American bottles. Fernet-Branca is 40% alcohol by volume and is dark brown in color.

Fernet-Branca is usually served as a digestif after a meal, but may also be enjoyed with coffee and espresso, or mixed into coffee and espresso drinks. It may be enjoyed at room temperature or on the rocks (with ice). A mint-flavored version of Fernet-Branca, Brancamenta, is also available.

Because of its mysterious list of ingredients, there are a number of home remedies that call for Fernet-Branca, including treatment of menstrual and gastro-intestinal discomfort, hangovers, baby colic, and (formerly) cholera.

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Clear, anise-flavored Italian Sambuca is derived from the elderberry bush, which grows all over the hills of Italy and has long been praised for its medicinal virtues. The sweet, potent liqueur produced from the bush's white flowers is often presented con mosche, or "with flies," which means that coffee beans are floated in the liquid. The alcohol is then generally set aflame, a process that roasts the beans, releasing an extra aroma into the drink. (For those who would like to forgo the pyrotechnics, Sambuca already infused with coffee is available under the generic name Negra. The dark brown liqueur is sumptuous and dense.) Sambuca Romana is probably the best-known producer of Sambuca, but Giovanni Buton, Moninari, and Oblio also make good versions.

Galliano, properly known as "Liquore Galliano L'Autentico", is a sweet herbal liqueur created in 1896 by Italian distiller and brandy producer Arturo Vaccari of Livorno in Tuscany. Vaccari named the spirit after Giuseppe Galliano, an Italian hero of the First Italo–Ethiopian War at the end of the 19th century. Its vivid yellow color, currently derived from Tartrazine (a lemon-yellow azo dye), symbolized the Gold Rushes of the 1890s. Galliano is 60 proof (30% by volume). Among its approximately 30 herbal ingredients are star anise, Mediterranean anise, ginger, and citrus and vanilla. Galliano has a similar appearance to Strega (liqueur), another Italian herbal liqueur. Galliano is sweet and has a complex, vanilla-anise flavor with subtle citrus and woodsy herbal under notes. It is used both as a digestif (meant for drinking after heavy meals), and as an ingredient for cocktails, most notably the Harvey Wallbangers. The vanilla top note differentiates Galliano from other anise-flavored liqueurs such as Sambuca, Pernod, Anisette. Galliano is produced by first infusing grain-neutral alcohol with the herbal flavoring agents, distilling the liquid, and then infusing with pressed vanilla. In the final production stage, the vanilla-herb base infusion is blended with distilled water, refined sugar and pure neutral alcohol.

Pastis is an anise-flavored liqueur and aperitif from France, typically containing 40–45% alcohol by volume, although there exist alcohol-free varieties. When absinthe was banned in France in 1915, the major absinthe producers (then Pernod Fils and Ricard, who have since merged as Pernod Ricard) reformulated their drink without the banned wormwood component, a heavier focus on the aniseed flavor using more star anise, sugar and a lower alcohol content creating pastis, which remains popular in France today. Pastis has changed considerably since its first creation based on market preference.

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Ouzo is an anise-flavored liqueur that is widely consumed in Greece. It is similar to French pastis, Italian Sambuca, south Slavic mastika, or Turkish raki. It can be consumed neat or mixed with water. In modern Greece, ouzeries (the suffix -erie is imported from French) can be found in nearly all cities, towns, and villages. These cafe-like establishments serve ouzo with mezedes — appetizers such as octopus, salad, sardines, calamari, fried zucchini, and clams, among others. It is traditionally slowly sipped (usually mixed with water or ice) together with mezedes shared with others over a period of several hours in the early evening. In other countries it is tradition to have ouzo in authentic Greek restaurants as an aperitif, served in a shot glass and deeply chilled before the meal is started. No water or ice is added but the drink is served very cold, enough to make some crystals form in the drink as it is served. When water or ice is added to ouzo, which is clear in color, it turns milky white; this is because anethole, the essential oil of anise, is soluble in alcohol but not in water. Diluting the spirit causes it to separate creating an emulsion, whose fine droplets scatter the light. This process is called louching, and is also found while preparing absinthe.

Unlike the aforementioned liqueurs, which are based on virtually neutral alcohol, Drambuie and Irish Mist are based on a specific spirit: whisky. Both come from the British Isles, have colorful histories, and are usually drunk straight or on the rocks. Drambuie was first made on the island of Skye in Scotland by member of the Mackinnon family using a recipe given to hem by Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1746, when the Mackinnons helped the prince escape to France after the Battle of Culloden Moor. The complex combination of Highland malt whisky, heather honey, herbs, and spices lives up to its Gaelic name, an dram buidheach, which means "the drink that satisfies." Irish Mist, produced in the old distilling town of Tullamore, is a blend of Irish whiskey, heather honey and herbs and is said to be based on a secret recipe for heather wine that disappeared in 1691 and resurfaced in 1948, according to a very complicated story that involves quests, wars, and immigration.

New LiqueursNew Liqueurs

The most dramatic new liqueur introduction came in 1979, when International Distillers and Vintners (IDV) pioneered a process that kept fresh cream and alcohol from separating when they were combined. A rich chocolate-flavored, whiskey-and-heavy-cream liqueur of low alcohol content known as Baileys Original Irish Cream was born and experienced tremendous success. Needless to say, it spawned many imitators.

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One of the most recent cream liqueurs is called Sheridan's. The bottle actually has two sections, one filled with a black liqueur, the other filled with white. The idea is that when you pour the liquids into a glass, you float the white atop the black. More often than not, however, the colors mix together into a milky brown. Nonetheless, the final product is smooth and decadent-tasting.

If you love chocolate, another good choice is Godiva; a satiny liqueur from the candy manufacturer of the same name, this Godiva has been around for five years. About four years ago, IDV and the French Cognac producer Godet began making an opulent liqueur called Godet that is flavored with white chocolate. Moving from chocolate to coffee, we come to the other great success story in new liqueurs: Kahlúa, from Mexico, was made prior to WWII but not introduced into the U.S. until 1962. This dark, sweet stimulant is enjoyed straight or on the rocks, but it is also employed in many beloved mixed drinks. A few years ago Kahlua came out with a 70˚ proof bottling – Kahlúa Especial which is a much better liqueur and makes killer cocktails. Tia Maria, from Jamaica, produced commercially since the forties with famous Blue Mountain java, has an intense flavor, but it is lighter-bodied and drier than Kahlua.

A pair of Asian cordials adds interesting flavors to the liqueur family. Midori, first produced in the early eighties by giant Japanese distiller Suntory, is a bright green drink that has a sweet taste of ripe melons. It works best as an accent in fruity, tropical drinks. The much younger Original Canton liqueur from China, with its pungent ginger and honey flavors, is delightful on the rocks or even teamed with a bit of malt whisky.

There are dozens more new liqueurs to choose from, including Agavero, a Mexican blend of tequila and damiana flower tea, and Celtic Crossing, an Irish combination of whiskey and Cognac, as well as three of Italian extraction: Blue Caos, a sprightly citrus cordial; Paolina, a cappuccino cream elixir; and Tiramisù, a tonic that tastes like, well, tiramisu.

Recently we have seen a ton of quality liqueurs arrive on the market so we will mention some of them that are really outstanding:

St. Germain – a fantastically well made Elderflower liqueur. Created by Robert Cooper who’s family produced Chambord , this cordial is very special since it has retained all the floral essences of Elderflower while maintaining a low sugar content of 18% which makes it very easy to mix in cocktails since it does not lean too heavy on the sweet side.

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Not to be outdone Robert Cooper’s brother John came out a year later with Domaine de Canton Ginger liqueur. Nice job but not nearly as good as his brothers more original idea. It’s sweet and not spicy enough to really carry the flavor in cocktails. The Marketing, style and ads look surprisingly familiar too…

Batavia Arrack van Oosten

It is a taste that has traveled the world from the Dutch East Indies, unique for its ability to both add depth and lift the aromas of citrus and chocolate. From the late 17th to 19th century, in an age when “Punch” was a celebration of all things then exotic – citrus, sugar, and spice, no Punch was without a true Batavia Arrack. In pre-Prohibition America, Batavia Arrack and most notably the Swedish Punsch were essential to many now-classic cocktails. Beyond these uses, Batavia Arrack is also today found in boutique European chocolates and cocktails at Bali resorts.

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Falernum is a rum-based liqueur popular in Tiki drinks that combines limes, cloves, almond, ginger, and occasionally other ingredients, to create a spicy, sweet mixture full of flavor. Various commercial versions exist, including Fee Brother’s non-alcoholic syrup and John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum which comes in at a relatively light 11% ABV.

Plymouth Sloe Gin is made to an original 1883 recipe, and like Plymouth Gin, it is produced at one of England’s oldest working gin distilleries, Blackfriars in Plymouth. The bottle allows the rich ruby coloring of Plymouth Sloe Gin, handmade by steeping the finest Sloe berries in high strength Plymouth Gin, come to its full right and reflect the versatility as a drink to mix or to enjoy on its own. Traditionally drunk as a warming drink in winter, Plymouth Sloe Gin can also be enjoyed neat over ice, with champagne or in cocktails

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Wine, Champagne, Fortified winesWine, Champagne, Fortified wines and Beerand Beer

SINCE THE BEGINNINGSINCE THE BEGINNING of civilization, wine has been a source of pleasure to mankind. Wine is one of the first things Man created. No one knows who made the first wine or enjoyed its effect, but it is woven through the tapestry of human history like few other products. It has played many roles as part of religious ceremonies, as medicine and antiseptic, a water purifier, a transformer of meals into feasts, and as a comforting friend and a courageous partner.

What is wine? If put in sufficiently general terms, wine is the naturally fermented juice of fresh fruit or berries. Wine derived from the juice of grapes will be our focus here. Wine is foremost an agricultural product. With only minor assistance by man, grapes are converted by nature, in a chemical process, into an alcoholic beverage. Using a few skilled techniques, man can create wines of immense variety that can be bottled and transported around the world, and at their best, through time, develop an apparent soul of their own, creating an almost sublime experience.

Today, we know more about wines than ever before. We know how to cultivate the highest quality grapes to produce fine wines, and how to pair them with foods to show both at their very best. We have learned or perhaps rediscovered, wine as a principle source of nourishment and the benefits it can bring when consumed in moderation as part of a healthy diet. In enjoying wine we connect with history and with those before us who have participated in one of mankind’s earliest and simplest pleasures. Educating ourselves about wine and its proper use can only help us to enjoy it to the fullest, and to make it part of a gracious way of life.We will not go in this manual into depth about wine. You are encouraged to take a wine course at a culinary school that offers it in your vicinity.

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Fortified winesFortified wines

Born of the need to protect wines on long sea voyages, fortified wines were created. As trade expanded in the 16th and 17th Centuries to finally encompass the whole globe, many of the wines from Europe became spoiled on their long journeys across the oceans. To counteract this problem, wine makers took up the practice of adding measures of brandy to stabilize the wine. This is done either before or during the fermentation process depending on the type of wine being made. These new fortified wines were then better able to withstand the rigors of a long journey in the hold of a ship and the wildly fluctuating temperatures they would encounter.

Once these wines reached their destination, they were often preferred to the regular wine normally served, because of their higher alcohol content, robust flavors and firm texture. As a result, a new wine was encouraged and was continued to be made long after the need for fortification was necessary.

These wines generally contain between 17 and 21 percent alcohol. As a result, they are more stable than ordinary table wines and less likely to spoil once they have been opened. The best-known examples are Port, Sherry, Madeira, Marsala, Málaga and Montilla-Moriles.

MADEIRA,MADEIRA, named after the island it is made on, is like no other wine in the world. Perhaps no greater dedication has gone into the making of a fine wine, than that which has gone into the making of Madeira. Its success owes a lot to the primitive shipping conditions of the seventeenth century.

To reach the New World, the wines passed through the tropics. The baking it received in the blazing tropical sun, gave an otherwise light and acidic wine, a softness, depth of flavor, and a pleasant burnt quality. It was reasoned, if one crossing of the equator was good for the wine, two had to be better. By the late 1700's, orders were given to put pipes of Madeira in the hold of ships as ballast, and send them on round trip voyages to all parts of the world. A rather unique way to mature wine. The wine became known as vinho da roda or wine of the round voyage. Why these wines, exposed to constant rocking, extreme heat, and the barrels often found soaking in bilge water, were not ruined, is a mystery.

THE ISLAND OF MADEIRATHE ISLAND OF MADEIRA sat uninhabited in the middle of the North Atlantic until a certain Portuguese explorer, Gonslaves Zarco, was blown off course by a violent storm in 1418 while exploring the coast of West Africa. He found sanctuary on a tiny island he called Porto Santo. While there he saw southwest of Porto Santo, dark clouds on the horizon described as "vapors rising

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from the mouth of hell." Knowing it must be a substantial island, he set off for the clouds and found beneath them a beautiful garden island. It was so covered with trees that he named it "wood" or in Portuguese, "madeira." Zarco was sponsored by the third son of King João I, Prince Henry the Navigator. Though he could not be called a practicing mariner himself, Henry was the remarkable prince who was to set in motion the great age of discovery. As soon as Zarco's report got back to Prince Henry, he began at once its colonization. The dense forest were felled and burned – the fires were said to have burned for seven years – and a great deal of the land was brought under cultivation. Infante D. Henrique is credited with the introduction of sugar cane from Sicily in 1452, and in 1453, the sweet Malvasia grapes from Cyprus or Crete. Until now the Genoese and the Venetians had a virtual monopoly on sugar and sweet wines. Henrique wanted to change that. Sugar became the great cash crop. Madeira produced so much sugar that the price for sugar in Europe was halved. By the end of the 1400's, Madeira was the world's greatest producer of sugar. Madeira was flourishing as a Portuguese colony. Two things conspired to help the growth of Madeira Wine. As Portugal's possessions expanded into the Americas, it was found that Brazil was able to produce better and cheaper sugar. Thus in the late 1500's, the island's farmers found that wine was a more profitable crop.

Secondly, Madeira, situated as it is, in the Atlantic shipping lanes, was a natural port of call for any ships traveling across to the Americas or south around Africa to Asia. Thus, almost all friendly ships dropped anchor in the harbor of Funchal, the regional capital of Madeira. This was good fortune for Madeira and for its wine trade. Ships making the stop invariably loaded wine for the voyage. What cinched the deal was a piece of British legislation in 1665 forbidding the export of European wines to British colonies except through British ports and in British ships. The one exception was Madeira. As a result, it became a regular supplier to all American ships heading west. America grew fond of the wine from Madeira and became one of its biggest customers, buying nearly a quarter of all the wine produced here. By the 18th century, the British American and West Indian colonies, drank it as their only wine. Not only was it the preferred wine, but it was so highly thought of that five years before the Boston Tea Party, it caused a riot on the docks of that city when British customs officials tried to impose duties on a shipment of Madeira. It was used to toast the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and in 1789, at the inauguration of George Washington..

News of its popularity in America from the troops returning from the American War of Independence created connoisseurs of Madeira in Britain as well. Ladies were known to use it to perfume their handkerchieves. Officers in the service of their country demanded 15 bottles of it a month. It was said to have tonic value as well. It was so recommended for sick or overworked people, that it was nicknamed the "milk of the old." The wine industry was at its peak when disaster struck. Oidium or Powdery Mildew struck the Island. By the time it was learned that the disease could be controlled by dusting the vine leaves with sulphur, it had almost destroyed all production. After a brief period of rebuilding, the

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phylloxera louse arrived in 1873. Six thousand acres were destroyed. Only about 20% were replaced with true Madeira vines. Most were replanted with European and American hybrids.

When in 1974, a revolution ended 42 years of dictatorship in Portugal, Madeirans took hold of their future. Tourism is the Island's largest industry and is aggressively promoted. Their economy was given a boost when Portugal was admitted into the European Union in 1986.

In the 1980's, bananas were found to fetch a higher price per acre than grapes, so many vines were replaced with banana trees. Bananas are now the Island's biggest agricultural export.

THE ISLAND OF MADEIRATHE ISLAND OF MADEIRA is located southwest of Portugal at a point 400 miles (680km) west of Morocco in the North Atlantic. Steeply rising up to 6000 feet (1800m) out of the sea, this lush volcanic subtropical outcrop, is the largest of a four island archipelago comprising Madeira, Porto Santo and the uninhabited Desertas and Selvagens.

The island is 35 miles (57km) long by 14 miles (22km) wide, with a population of about 260,000. Almost half live in the regional capital of Funchal. The island is noted for its natural beauty. Exotic vegetation abounds in a carpet of green. The terrain is rugged with imposing valleys and some of the highest sea-cliffs in the world. The climate is temperate and the winters are mild.

Much like Portugal's other great wine region, the Douro, Madeira is a difficult place to grow grapes. Only about a third of the island is cultivated. Nearly all of the growing areas are to be found on small terraces – called poios. Built with determination, the terraces are carved from bedrock from near sea level up to heights of about 3250 feet (990m) above sea level. The vines are trellised high above the ground to reduce the risk of rot.

The burning of the forests to clear the land for cultivation in the 1420's, left the ground covered with an enriching layer of wood ash. This ash enriched volcanic soil has proved to be quite beneficial for the growing of grapes. Although the rainfall is heavy, some irrigation is required as the soil is very porous. Grapes are grown all over the island, but the best sites have a southern exposure. The main vineyards are at Câmara de Lôbos and at Santana on the north coast.

PORTPORT is a fortified wine from the remote vineyards in Portugal's Douro Valley. Here, in the Douro Valley, time has almost stood still. You will not find the latest wine making techniques and fancy equipment. Instead, you will find a wine industry much the way it was over a hundred years ago. Yet, in spite of it, or because of it, vintage Port is one of the world's greatest wines.

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Port takes its name from the city of Oporto that is situated at the mouth of the 560-mile long Rio Douro or River of Gold. Although many port-style wines are made around the world – most notably Australia, South Africa and the United States – the strict usage of the terms Port or Porto refer only to wines produced in Portugal. It is these wines that we will explore here.

THE HISTORY OF PORT BEGINSTHE HISTORY OF PORT BEGINS in the 17th-century. The Portuguese of course, had been making wine for hundreds of years since the Romans introduced wine to the Iberian Peninsula in the first century B.C. And they were making quite a bit of it. By the beginning of the 17th-century, they were shipping as many as 1,200,000 cases of wine down the Douro River to Oporto each year. From there it was sold throughout Portugal, to the Dutch, and to the British. But it was the geopolitics of Europe in the middle of the 17th-century, that caused the British to develop Portuguese wine into port.

In 1678 Britain declared war on France and blockaded French ports. This created an instant shortage of wine. Britain has been the traditional trading partner and ally of Portugal since 1373 when an agreement was signed pledging "perpetual friendship." It was natural then, that the British wine merchants turned to Portugal to find an alternative to the French wines they preferred. Unfortunately, wines of the quality they were looking for were not readily available. Wine making in Portugal had not become the serious endeavor it was in France. So if the British wanted good wine, they were going to have to oversee its production themselves. And this they did.

Traveling inland along the Douro River, they found darker and more astringent red wines in contrast to those they had seen near the coast. In order to stabilize them for shipment to England, merchants added "a bucket or two" of brandy to the barrels of wine before sending them off. This early wine from Oporto was not highly praised back in London. Any popularity it enjoyed was due more to its availability than anything else. As a result, sales fluctuated with the warming and cooling of Britain's relations with France.

The opening of the 18th-century brought with it the War of Spanish Succession. Britain and France were once again on opposing sides. In 1703, Britain and Portugal signed the Methuen Treaty providing for, among other things, bolts of cloth from England for pipes of wine from Portugal. This paved the way for the enormous expansion of port trade in the 18th and 19th-centuries.

By this time, a good number of port houses were already well established in Oporto. Many of the British wine trade, most often Scotsmen, had founded branches of their companies there. At first opening only transport offices, they soon were risking capital to buy the standing harvest. In turn the first 30 years of the 18th century saw an unprecedented expansion of wine making in the Douro Valley. Wine production in the Douro Valley was revolutionized – vineyards were literally built out of the mountain, resin-treated goat skins were traded for wooden

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barrels, transportation of the barrels down-river was organized, and the shippers built warehouses or "lodges" in Vila Nova de Gaia to store their wines.

No one knows exactly when port, as we know it, was created. The first wine from Oporto was really just red table wine. A story is told of a wine merchant in Liverpool, who in 1678, sent his sons to Portugal to find a wine source. In the Douro Valley they came upon a monastery in Lamego. The abbot was adding brandy to the wine during rather than after fermentation thereby producing a port-type wine. In any event, sometime during the end of the 1600's or beginning of the 1700's, someone came up with the idea of stopping the fermentation with brandy while the wine was still sweet, fruity, and strong.

In 1727, the British port shippers in Oporto formed an association called the "Factory House," to gain some bargaining strength with the growers. They hoped they might pressure them into keeping prices down. Its original purpose lasted only a short time. Then, later in 1814, it became a jealously guarded private club, much like those in London. It still stands, largely unchanged for over 200 years, in one of the busiest parts of the city – a symbol of the British historic presence.

All was going well until in the 1730's, the port industry was faced with scandal. The prospect of easy gains caused some of the less scrupulous vintners began to add sugar and elderberry juice to give sweetness and color to otherwise overstretched wines. Inferior wine and overproduction caused the price of port to fall. To cope with all the complaints and accusations, the Marquês de Pombal created the Old Wine Company. Its creation, while greatly improving quality, effectively ended the virtual monopoly of the British. This new company had far-reaching powers. It was in its charter to regulate the quantities produced, fix the maximum and minimum prices for both buying and selling, and arbitrate all disputes. It also set up in 1756, the growing region for the production of port. All vineyards outside of this official region, along with all of the elderberry trees in northern Portugal were uprooted.

For the rest of the 18th-century, the Port industry struggled to rebuild the port trade with Britain. By the mid-1900's, Portugal was shipping about 3 million gallons of port per year to Britain. The major port houses we know today had been established — Warre, Croft, Taylor, Sandeman, Offley Forrester, Kopke, van Zeller, Burmester, Graham, Guimaraens, Cockburn, and Dow. This was the "Golden Age of Vintage Port" and in it many vintages were declared. The last great vintage of these years was 1878. Then phylloxera, the root louse that was devastating Bordeaux, Burgundy, and other vineyards in Europe, came to the Douro Valley. By grafting their vines to American rootstock they were able to turn the tide. By 1890, most all of the vineyards were replanted in this way or not at all. But they were now ready for some great years in the 20th-century.

Since the phylloxera, the port houses have declared fewer vintages, but the quality is better. Today, both local and domestic investment in the region is

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focused on quality not quantity. More and more people are discovering port. The French drink the most port in general, but the British and secondly, the Americans, consume the most vintage port.

THE DOURO VALLEY WAS PROBABLY THE WORLD'S FIRSTTHE DOURO VALLEY WAS PROBABLY THE WORLD'S FIRST officially demarcated wine region. It is no doubt the world's most difficult wine growing region. Demarcated in 1756, it is a region that spreads out over 618,000 acres. Of this area, there are only 10 to 12% or approximately 82,000 acres, of cultivated vine planted on the harsh, rugged mountains that rise up from the Douro River and its tributaries. At times the inclination increases from 35% up to 70%. Some grapes are grown as far up as 1800 feet, but the best grapes are grown at the lower elevations. There is a local saying that the best port comes from the grapes that can hear the river flowing.

The region, referred to locally as "the Douro," begins at the Serra do Marão, a range of mountains 40 miles inland, and extends almost 100 miles to the Spanish border. At its widest point it measures only 16 miles. The mountains create a weather barrier, sharply cutting the rainfall that is received to the east of them. The climate of the Douro becomes one of extremes. The summers are extremely hot and dry often reaching 110°F, and the winters can be quite cold as the mercury sometimes drops below 0°F.

The Serra do Marão mountain range was for so long an obstacle, that the region has always been a remote one — a feeling and look it still retains to this day. Settlements are few and far between. Transportation and communications require patience.

There is almost no soil on these mountains. What is there is a hard schist that retains little water and features few nutrients. In fact, it is very acidic due to high potassium and low calcium and magnesium content. And it contains excessive aluminum which is toxic to the roots. But man's fierce dedication, determination and hard work has turned what might look like a lunar landscape, into a first class wine growing region.

Over a period of 300 years, a gritty, choking, soil has been created by smashing up the schistose rocks to a depth of three feet. The sides of the mountains have been fashioned into terraces most often by the use of pointed iron tools and dynamite. Grape vines cling to these terraces and follow the contour of the mountain. Their search for water may push the roots down 65 feet through the fissures in the schist. This is truly a wine born of adversity.

The Port wine region is divided into three sub-zones — the Baixo (lower) Corgo, the Cima (higher) Corgo, and the Douro Superior. The three regions are determined by natural conditions. The westernmost Baxio Corgo is the smallest region, yet due to its close proximity to the Atlantic ocean it gets the most rainfall,

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is the most fertile, and thus is the most abundant. It tends to produce the lightest wines like ruby and tawny ports. It produces almost 50% of all port made.

Upstream, the Cima Cargo is more than double in size with approximately 235,000 acres. About 14% is planted with vines. This sub-zone is demarcated from where the Corgo River intersects the Douro to the Cachão de Valeira Gorge. Here, where rainfall is significantly less – about 28 inches a year – is where most of the high quality tawny, LBV, and Vintage port is made. Surrounding the town of Pinhão, are most of the famous wine growing properties or quintas. This region accounts for about 36% of the port produced.

The last region is the Douro Superior and extends to the Spanish border. It is the largest of the three sub-zones with 271,700 acres. It is the most arid and the least developed. Only about 13% of all port is produced here. It will be interesting to see what developments will come to this zone in the years ahead.

MORE MYTHS AND TRADITIONSMORE MYTHS AND TRADITIONS have developed around the drinking and enjoyment of port than probably any other wine. Perhaps this comes from the tradition-loving British that developed it.

The most widely-known tradition is that of passing the port. British naval officers meticulously passed the port from "port to port" — that is clockwise. Traditionally, the decanter of port is placed in front of the host who then serves the guest to his right and then passes the decanter to the guest on his left. The port is then passed to the left all the way back to the host.

Another tradition provides for, in the event that the decanter does not come full circle, back to the host, a proper means of getting it there. As it is bad "port-iquette" to ask directly for the decanter, the host instead is to ask the individual closest to the decanter, if he knows the bishop of Norwich or other village in England. The question is not meant to get an answer but action – namely the immediate passing of the port. If however, the unfortunate offender should answer the question by saying "No," he should be told that "the bishop is an awfully good fellow, but he never passes the port!"

The custom of "naming the vintage" requires, for most of us, a great deal of luck. As this custom goes, only the host knows what port is in the decanter. Once the port has made a round, the host asks the guests to name the vintage and the shipper. A modest wager may be placed on which vintage and shipper it turns out to be.

Connoisseurs never recork a bottle. The words, "No heel-taps!" exhort another to drink the last of the wine so that a second bottle might be opened. Women almost never drank port. They were expected to drink the lighter Sherry.

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Although many of these customs are no longer followed, the small rituals are part of the pleasure, and it is good to always keep a few things in mind when serving port.

Port is quite often served too warm — 70 degrees and more. This makes the wine too volatile and difficult to taste. It should be served between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit — or 18°C.

The glass should at the minimum be a standard INAO-type tasting glass. However, there are glasses specifically designed for port on the market. It should be filled no more than halfway, so that the wine may show off its aroma and be fully appreciated. With the exception of Vintage, Traditional LBV and possibly Garrafeira, you may open the bottle and enjoy it immediately.

Vintage port requires decanting. Before opening, the port should be stood upright for at least 24 hours up to a week (depending on the age of the port) to allow time for the sediment to settle on the bottom. Pulling the cork is the most difficult part of this process. The older the bottle, the harder it is. The old corks inevitably break up in the neck and fall inside. If this should happen, simply strain the wine when decanting. Usually the funnel (if you happen to be using one) has a wire screen just for this purpose. Otherwise, a piece of muslin or nylon will do the trick. Paper filters are not recommended as they can add flavors to the port that were not intended.

If you are brave and so inclined, you may use the traditional Port tongs. The tongs must be heated until they are red-hot, then clamped around the neck of the bottle below the cork and above the shoulder of the bottle for about 1 to 2 minutes. Then remove the tongs and apply a small wet towel to the same spot. The rapid change in temperature should cause the glass to break cleanly, thus "removing" the cork. From the cork you can verify the authenticity of a vintage port — the year and the house will be branded on the cork.

Decanting the port is not difficult. It just requires a steady hand and a good eye. In one continuous motion, slowly pour the wine into a decanter. When the sediment begins to appear in the neck of the bottle, stop pouring and discard the rest of the port. It is helpful to use a funnel since the sediment (crust) can be easily seen on its sides. If you don't have a funnel you might try placing a candle or a flashlight under the neck of the bottle to illuminate the sediment as it comes into the neck.

Other than white port which is most always served chilled as an apéritif, port is traditionally served at the end of a meal, for port creates it own leisurely pace. It has a warm, calming effect. It has been called the "wine of philosophy." This velvet-rich wine is not for fast drinking, but demands contemplative sips that stimulate great conversation among a company of friends.

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Port is traditionally served with Stilton cheese. Stilton and other blue cheeses set up a counterpoint of complementary textures and flavors, but cheeses like Cheddar and Glouster are also good. In addition, walnuts, chestnuts, cashews, and hazelnuts help bring out the best in port. Many variations on this theme are worth trying. Desserts based on strawberries, raspberries, cherries, currants or similarly full-flavored fruits, are a natural ally of port.

Port should be treated as with other fine wines. The bottles should be stored at 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit and at 65% humidity and on their sides so the cork doesn't dry out. This also aids in the development of the crust. Most vintage port bottles have a white mark painted on the side. This mark should be kept facing up. If you should have to move the bottle, you can then return it to the same position.

FROM THE PROVINCEFROM THE PROVINCE of Andalucia in the south of Spain along the Mediterranean coast, are Málaga & Montilla-Moriles. Though cousins to Sherry, they are distinctly different in style.

Málaga is on the Costa del Sol and gives its name to wine that is made but not grown there. The growing areas are in the hills 30 miles (50km) north of the city – hence its eighteenth-century name, "Mountain," as it became known in America and Britain – and about the same distance west. The two principle grapes are Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel.

The regulations state that the grapes must be brought in to Málaga to age in its warehouses, to qualify for the DO. This rich, sweet, raisiny wine was traditionally made by leaving the grapes out in the sun on grass mats for 7 to 20 days to concentrate the natural sugars. Today, other methods – the addition of boiled-down must (Arrope) and arresting the fermentation with grape spirit – are also employed to achieve the same effect.

Málaga was exported all over the world in the 17th and 18th centuries. By the middle of the 19th century, it was in such demand that Málaga became Spain's second largest wine region. Today the wine has fallen on hard times.

Montilla is produced in the area just north of Málaga. In times past, much of its producton was sent to Jerez to be blended with sherry. However, since 1960, its wines may no longer be blended with those of Jerez. The main differences between Montilla and sherry are that Montilla is made from the Pedro Ximénez grape rather than the Palomino of sherry, and secondly, that Montilla has a high natural strength (14 to 16 percent alcohol) that allows it to be shipped without fortification, unlike sherry which is nearly always fortified.

The wines are fermented quickly in tall open clay jars called tinajas. The wines fall into the same classifications as sherry – Fino, Amontillado, or Oloroso – but outside of Spain must be sold as Pale Dry, Medium Dry, Pale Cream, and

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Cream. Montilla's cheif competiton is sherry and often has to contend with its image as the cheap alternative to it.

MARSALA IS THE BEST KNOWNMARSALA IS THE BEST KNOWN fortified wine of Italy. Like Málaga, it takes its name from the town that produces it. Marsala was created by John Woodhouse, an English merchant and connoisseur of fortified wines. Seizing upon a viticultural vacuum in 1770's Sicily, Woodhouse went to Málaga to learn how its fortified wines were made. He then organized his own version of it, vineyards and all, in western Sicily. In 1773, he made the first product by adding 8-and-a-half gallons of grape spirit to each of the 105 gallon (400L) barrels of wine which he immediately shipped to England. The wines were received enthusiastically. In 1796, he opened up a warehouse and cellars in the town of Marsala.

Woodhouse's greatest marketing coup was his through his contacts with Admiral Nelson's Mediterranean fleet. On Nelson's way to victory at the 1798 Battle of the Nile, they stocked up on Marsala – which was in the Admiral's words, "worthy of the table of any gentleman'' – in place of the standard rum. From that time after, the British military helped to spread the word about the wine as they themselves continued to bolster the production of it.

In 1812, Woodhouse was followed by another Englishman, Benjamin Ingham. He founded a firm in Marsala next to Woodhouse. He helped to improve the production of the areas vineyards and in 1834, published a manual dealing with the harvesting of the grapes that was aimed at correcting the problems of local growers.

In 1832, The largest Marsala house, Florio, was founded in 1832 by Calabrian Vincenzo Florio, known as the "father of the Sicilian wine trade.'' Owing no doubt to the importance of this wine, Florio's warehouse and cellars occupied a full kilometer of frontage along the sea. It was the first Italian Marsala house. The Marasala wine trade has always been dominated by large houses.

For at least a century it was the equal to Sherry and Madeira. In time though, it was relegated to the kitchen as mere cooking wine. But in 1986, the DOC laws for Marsala were rewritten with much stricter regulations and the wine has now climbed back into respectability.

Today, Marsala comes in three different colors — Oro (golden), Ambra (amber), Rubino (ruby) — and five types — Fine (aged a minimum of one year), Superiore (aged in wood two years), Superiore riserva (aged in wood four years), Vergine (always dry and aged in wood for five years), Vergine stravecchio (aged in wood for at least 10 years).

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The History of Sherry WineThe History of Sherry Wine

Wine is a cultural product in a dual sense; it is born of the culture of a people and at the same time powerfully shapes that culture. In our country, the wines of Jerez as those of other Denominations of Origin offfer an image of Spain as clearly as its monuments do. That is not surprising, because these wines have been and still are close and entertaining friends that have stuck by our countries and our countrymen in good times and bad, and their lives are inseparable from that of our landscapes.

The Wines of Jerez in AntiquityThe Wines of Jerez in Antiquity

The first news of wine from Jerez comes to us from Strabon, a Greek geographer of the 1st Century B.C. who in his book Geography (vol. III) wrote that vines were brought to the Jerez region by the Phoenicians in 1100 B.C. The same report was picked up by Rufo Festo Avieno, a Roman historian of the 4th Century A.D., in his book Ora Maritima, the first "tourist" guide that we know of, although it makes use of passages from Eutymos, a Greek geographer of the VI Century B.C.

Arqueologist have recently discovered two winepresses in the excavation of an 8th Century B.C. Phoenician site, in Castillo de Doña Blanca, just 2,48 miles from Jerez de la Frontera on the way to El Puerto de Santa Maria.

In order to manufacture glass, ceramics and fine cloth, the Phoenicians cut down the forests, the famous cedars of Lebanon, and they had to plant olive trees and grapevines in their settlements in order to feed themselves.

Thus the Phoenicians brought us olive trees, grapevines and the alphabet, and they sold our wine throughout the Mediterranean region, especially in Rome.

The Greeks, who also were present in the region, left among other things the beautiful helmet displayed in the Jerez Archeological Museum, with the mystery of a hole made by a lance, as well as the culture of moderation.

The wine consumed by the Greeks (and the Jerezians) was prepared by boiling the newly fermented juice, or must, so that it could be shipped without spoiling. Wines thus produced had high levels of alcohol, therefore it was necessary to add water to them. They also suffered from impurities because the fermentation was less than perfect and for this reason they had added to them amber, pitch resins, etc.

Around the year 138 B.C. Scipio Emilian pacified the Betica region to open up a very substantial trade flow of products from this area toward the metropolis. The inhabitants of Cádiz sold Rome olive oil, local wine and garum, a kind of marinade sauce that was prepared from the leftovers of the fish that they salted.

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A few years ago it was discovered that mount Testaccio, in the Trastevere forum in Rome, is nothing other than an immense heap of amphorae that had contained olive oil, wines and garum from Bética. The amphorae of each product had distinctive markings, for tax purposes, as always.

During the Arab domination of Spain, the consumption of Sherry was kept up without problems, despite the Koranic prohibition.

Nevertheless, in 966 the Caliph Alhaken II decided, for religious reasons, to uproot the Jerezian vineyards. Alhaken was a highly cultured monarch who put together in his palace a library of 400,000 volumes and imposed compulsory education for all children in Al-Andalus in the 10th Century.

The mistake of uprooting the vines was due to Almanzor, his vizier, who was close, in all senses, to the Caliph's court favorite, Aurora, a renegade Navarran woman. Almanzor, a non-believing arab who was born in Torreguadiaro, near Sotogrande, and whose poetry in honor of wine has been passed down to us, became a fanatical convert in his struggle for power, and became "more catholic than the Pope", or, more precisely, "more caliphical than the Caliph".

On hearing the announcement that the grapevines were to be uprooted, the Jerezians replied that the grapes were only used for making sultanas, or raisins, to feed the warriors in their Holy War, which was partly true, and so managed to save two-thirds of the vineyards.

The Christians and Sherry WineThe Christians and Sherry Wine

The conquest of the city of Jerez by King Alphonse X ("The Wise") in 1264 meant a 180-degree turn-abaut for our wines, because the Christians, to distinguish themselves from the Arabs, ate pork and drank wine. Before battles, they even gave it to their horses to drink so their steeds would boldly charge the enemy. King Alphonse X had his own vineyards in Jerez and he looked after them personally.

Back then, and even in the 12th Century, the Jerezians shipped their wines to England, and therefore the English, always upholding traditions, refer to our wines by using a slight variation on the Arab name of the city, "Sherish".

The arrival of Sherry in England comes when Henry I, a good king who died of indigestion from a meal of baked eel, proposed a barter arrangement with the inhabitants of Bordeaux: their wine for English wool, in order to develop both sectors. The French refusal opened the doors to the Jerezians, who did accept the offer.

From those times dates the map of the region that was drawn in 1150 by the arab geographer Al Idrisi for King Roger of Sicily. It is still kept in the Bodleian

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Library at Oxford, and in 1967 it was the key to settling the first lawsuit against British Sherry because it served as a proof of the improper use of the Sherry Denomination of Origin for wines produced outside what is now called the Jerez region of origin.

The grapevines of Jerez then became a source of wealth for the kingdom, to the point that Henry III of Castile, through a Royal Decree of 1402, forbade the uprooting of a single vine, and even prohibited the installation of beehives near the vines, so that the bees would not disturb the fruit.

The Sherry wines were sought after by English, French and Flemish merchants, which gave rise to more than one dispute with the "suppliers" in Jerez. So as to establish order, the city government, on August 12, 1483, issued the Regulations of the Raisin and Grape-Harvesting Guild from Jerez, the first guidelines of our Denomination of Origin to govern the details of the harvest, the kinds of barrels, the aging system and commercial uses.

The Sherry Wine in the modern AgeThe Sherry Wine in the modern Age

Once things had calmed down, sales abroad recovered their previous levels, above all in England, most especially after the marriage of Catherine of Aragon, the first-born of the "Catholic Monarchs" Ferdinand and Isabella, with Arthur of England, and later, with his brother Henry VIII. Catherine a highly cultured woman used to complained that "the King, my husband, keeps all the best wines from the Canaries and Jerez for himself".

But Sherry wine was not sent only to Europe. After the discovery of America, Genovese merchants set up shop in the Jerez region to specialize in trade with the West Indies. Thus were "hispanicized" the Italian surnames of the first wave of foreign investors in the region: Lila, Maldonado, Sp'nola, Zarzana, Conti, Colarte, Bozzano.

From these Genovese traders Magallanes purchased 417 wineskins and 253 kegs of Sherry before setting out on his voyage. Sherry, therefore, was the first wine to make a complete trip around the world, although, if truth be told, we doubt there was much Sherry left by the second half of the voyage.

This wine was privileged by having one third of the cargo space on the ships that traded with America reserved for it, a fact that was clearly taken advantage of by the growers of Aljarafe, in Seville province, and to a lesser degree, by those of the Jerez region, because as long as the Port of Seville enjoyed a Trade Monopoly with the Indies, that city's shipping agents saw to it that the wines of Aljarafe got the lion's share of the trade. But after 1680, when the fleet's home port moved to Cádiz, the Jerezians markedly increased their sales, to the point that almost a century later Jovellanos noted in one of his reports to the King that

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the inland growers had replaced their grapevines with olive trees because the sales of Sherry had practically monopolized the wine trade with the Indies.

The sale of Sherry in the Indies was hampered by the pirates who seized the fleet's cargoes to sell them in London. The biggest Sherry wine booty was taken by Sir Martin Frobisher, of Sir Francis Drake's fleet, who in 1587 attacked Cádiz, plundered Jerez, and went off with 3,000 kegs of our wines.

With the arrival of this loot in London, Sherry became fashionable in the English court. Queen Elizabeth I recommended it to the Earl of Essex as the ideal wine, but Sherry had already made its appearance in England as an important legacy of the testaments (Sommerset 1540) and even became an accounting unit, in the same way as tulips were in Holland around that time. In 1555, the Castle of Dublin's Records Room noted a legal sentence in which an Antwerp merchant was ordered to pay to Thomas Fitzsymons three kegs of Sherry or its equivalent in sterling.

In response to the take-off in Sherry consumption, King James I decided to set an example in moderation by ordering that the Royal Wine-cellars bring to his table each day "only" 12 gallons of Sherry.

An idea of the popularity of Sherry in those days can be formed by looking at the works of William Shakespeare, who, accompanied by his friend Ben Jonson, knocked off a goodly number of bottles of Sherry each day in the Boar's Head Tavern. And thus our wine has countless mentions in "Richard III", "Henry VI", "A Midsummer's Night Dream", or "The Merry Wives of Windsor", and Henrry IV; from the second act of act of this last-named work, we would single out the following lines:

"If I had thousand sons, the first human principle"If I had thousand sons, the first human principleI would teach them should be,I would teach them should be,

to forswear thin potationsto forswear thin potationsand to addict themselves to sack"and to addict themselves to sack"

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The Types of SherryThe Types of Sherry

Fino

Straw- or golden-colored, a sharp but delicate (almondish) aroma, dry and light to the palate, with aging under the "velo de flor" and an alcohol content of around 15º.

Manzanilla

Straw-colored, sharp aroma, dry and light to the palate, with aging under the "velo de flor" exclusively in wine cellars located in Sanlœcar de Barrameda. Its alcohol content is around 15º.

Amontillado

Amber-colored, with a sharp but subtle (hazelnut-like) aroma. Smooth and light to the palate. Its alcohol content is around 17.5º.

Oloroso

Initially dry, amber-to mahogany-colored, with a pronounced aroma as its name, "oloroso" (fragrant), would indicate. It has a full body ("nuez", or nut) and its alcohol content is around 18º.

Palo cortado

Wine of a bright mahogany color, almond-like aroma, dry palate, balanced, elegant and very persistent. It combines the smooth, delicate and sharp characteristics of Amontillado and the thick and true wine qualities of Oloroso. It is a wine that is hard to find because the vineyards that grew the grapes ideal for producing it were wiped out by the Phylloxera epidemic of 1894. Its alcohol content is around 18º.

Pale Cream

It is a smooth wine, with a pale color, and a sharp but delicate (sweet) aroma. Its alcohol content is around 17.5º.

Cream

A sweet wine, made from Oloroso, dark-colored. It has a sharp but subtle aroma and a full body. Its alcohol content is around 17.5º.

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Pedro Ximénez

A dark mahogany-colored wine, with deep raisiny aromas. Smooth and sweet in the mouth. Full, vigorous, and perfectly balanced. Made from Pedro Ximenez grapes that have been set out in the sun for drying. Its alcohol content is around 17º.

VermouthVermouthDEFINITION of VERMOUTH Charles Schuman's 1995 American Bar book lists three types of vermouths: Sweet, white (bianco) or red (rosso), 15 to 16% alcohol, up to 15% residual sugar; Dry, white (dry or extra dry), usually 18% alcohol, up to 5% residual sugar; Half-sweet, rose, which is rarely found in the US. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "As many as 40 different herbs and flavorings may be used in vermouth, including juniper, cloves, quinine, orange peel, nutmeg, and coriander. The vermouths of various producers are flavored according to closely guarded recipes.

"There are two styles of vermouth: the so-called French, or dry style, which is white, and the Italian, or sweet style, which is darker in color. Both styles, however, are made in both countries, as well as in the United States."

The Oxford Companion to Wine defines vermouth as an "herb-flavored fortified wine". The book further mentions the long history of this type of wine: "the Romans certainly made herb-flavored wines, and the Greeks before them used a wide range of additives."

How did vermouth get its name? Wormwood was one of the spices and herbs added to the wine, and the anglicized form of the German vermut or French word for this herb soon began to refer to the wine itself instead of the additive.

HISTORY Though "wormwood" wines were made in many locales throughout the Middle Ages, our modern vermouth industry originated near Torino (Turin) in the northern Piedmont region of Italy, near the sources for both Alpine herbs and the flavorings from the spice trade routes originating in Venice.

Aperitifs such as Campari and Punt e Mes continued to be popular through the Renaissance and into the 1700s, as was vermouth. At that time, production methods were standardized, and wines began to be marketed/traded over larger areas. A triumvirate of businessmen, among them Martini and Rossi, acquired a then-hundred-year-old company in 1864 and further popularized this wine. Cinzano is the other Italian company known for vermouth, and there is also a French group, Noilly Prat, which makes the US' third major imported vermouth today.

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During the heyday of the cocktail era, in the first half of the twentieth century, vermouth suffered both gains and losses. In Europe, vermouth remained an aperitif. It was served before a meal, sometimes chilled, perhaps with a twist of lemon, like Lillet. Vermouth production increased dramatically in Europe and spread domestically, but the wine quality decreased in some regions, resulting in a widely available but often uninteresting product.

In America, cocktails required recipes of multiple liquors and wines, and vermouth succumbed to a second-place and then a third-ranked libation - a mixer. And, in England as well, as the martini triumphed in social circles, vermouth was demoted further. Allegedly, the bartenders favored by Winston Churchill and other luminaries of the early to mid-1900s were called upon to wave the bottle of vermouth over the gin - spilling in just a drop or merely diffusing the fumes of the wine over the iced cocktail.

RECENT CATEGORY STATUS With that type of treatment, there was little incentive to market fine aperitif wines in the United States. During the 1990s, Massachusetts remained among the top five markets for vermouth, with Boston also in the top five metropolitan markets. In the United States over all, Martini & Rossi has been the market leader in imported vermouth, with Cinzano and Noilly Prat seconds - totalling less than half the market share in the most recent figures available. Gallo has been the domestic leader, followed by Stock. Category growth has been nearly flat, with the most recent figures showing perhaps 1% growth per year.

In Boston, the two Italian, Torino-based vermouth companies are going strong. Martini & Rossi is showing a slight year-to-year increase, with sales nearly evenly split between the sweet and the dry. Cinzano, now distibuted by Skyy Spirits LLC, shows similarly, and is also still created according to the authentic, centuries-old formulas.

Bartenders and retailers take note Biano, the semi-sweet white vermouth, could be the sleeper in the import category. With its low pricing and unexpectedly aromatic taste, my notes show this to be a repeatedly-requested aperitif, once introduced to customers.

The FUTURE of the VERMOUTH APERITIF Low volume in vermouth aperitifs has continued until the present day - until the new premium domestic vermouths arrived to liven-up the on-premise market. Will retail follow? California winemakers Quady and Duckhorn seem to be betting on this.

At Duckhorn in Napa, King Eider white vermouth was developed to "reintroduce a cherished ritual: the civility of l'aperitif". According to the winery, "Dan Duckhorn saw the opportunity to create a more flavorful premium dry vermouth using our own Sauvignon Blanc as the base wine. Our King Eider Vermouth is made with premium triple-distilled brandy and a unique proprietary blend of botanical

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extracts such as chamomile flower, star anise, bitter orange rind, sweet cinnamon, and Moroccan rose buds. A portion of the vermouth is aged for five to six weeks in French oak barrels."

At Quady Winery, maker of the Vya vermouths : "Muscat fortified to 16% alcohol is the preferred base for sweet vermouth. The heady Muscat perfume, a tapestry of flowers and fruit, integrates nicely with bold additions of citrus and spice.

"For dry vermouth, a light dry wine fortified to 18% alcohol provides the appropriate background for subtle additions of flowers, dried citrus rind, and other herbs. The maker uses plants at much lower levels than in sweet vermouth. Quite concerned with aroma, he endeavors to maintain a balance of floral, herbal, and vinous notes, and a delicate slightly bitter slightly sweet flavor.

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Classic andClassic and Contemporary CocktailContemporary Cocktail

RecipesRecipesAmaretto SourAmaretto Sour

1½ oz. Amaretto¾ oz. Fresh squeezed lemon juice¾ oz. Simple Syrupsplash of Fresh squeezed Orange juiceOrange sliceMaraschino cherry

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into chilled sour or old-fashioned glass. Garnish with orange slice and maraschino cherry.

AmeliaAmelia

1½ oz. Russian Standard Vodka¾ oz. St. German Elderflower Liqueur1 oz. Blackberry puree½ oz. Fresh squeezed lemon juice Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add large, cold ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini-cocktail glass. Garnish with a mint leaf.

AmericanoAmericano

1½ oz. Sweet Vermouth1½ oz. CampariSparkling Water or Club SodaOrange half wheel

Pour Vermouth and Campari into highball glass over ice. Fill with Sparkling water or club soda. Garnish with a orange half wheel.

Apple Brandy CocktailApple Brandy Cocktail

1½ oz. Potato Vodka1½ oz. Berentzen Apple Liqueur1 oz. Green Apple Puree

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splash of Fresh squeezed Lime Juice½ oz. Busnel Calvados

Pour all ingredients except Calvados into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well for 7-8 seconds. Strain into a 5 oz. chilled martini (cocktail) glass. Float Calvados on top. Garnish with a green apple wheel.

AviationAviation

1 ½ oz. Gin1 oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice½ oz. Maraschino LiqueurSplash of simple syrupAngostura bitters

Combine all ingredients except the bitters into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well for about 10 seconds. Strain into chilled martini (cocktail) glass. Add a dash of bitters and garnish with an lemon wheel and brandied cherry “flag”.

B-52B-52

¾ oz. Bailey's Irish Cream¾ oz. Kahlua¾ oz. Grand Marnier

Carefully float each ingredient in order into a shot glass. Serve immediately.

Bellini Bellini

1½ oz. White Peach puree¾ oz. Marie Brizzard or Massenez Peach Nectar5 oz. Chilled Prosecco

Pour the peach puree, peach nectar and the Prosecco into a 16 oz. mixing glass, stir gently and pour into a Champagne flute.

Between the Sheets Between the Sheets

1½ oz. Cognac¾ oz. Bénédictine¾ oz. Cointreau¾ oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass.

The Billionaire CocktailThe Billionaire Cocktail

2 oz. Baker’s 107˚ Bourbon Whiskey1 oz. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice¾ oz. Simple Syrup¾ oz. Home made Grenadine¼ oz. Home made Absinthe bitters

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Put all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice and shake vigorously for 8-10 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini-cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon wheel.

Black VelvetBlack Velvet

Chilled Guinness beerChilled Champagne

Pour equal parts of each ingredient in order into a chilled champagne flute. Do not mix.

Blood & Sand (modified)Blood & Sand (modified)

1 oz. Scotch½ oz. Cherry Heering½ oz. Sweet Vermouth½ oz. Fresh squeezed Orange Juice

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass.

Blood Orange Mimosa Blood Orange Mimosa

2 oz. Blood Orange PuréeSplash of CampariSplash of Simple Syrup4 oz. of Chilled Champagne or Sparkling Wine1 Blood Orange Half Wheel

Pour all ingredients into a 16 oz. mixing glass and stir gently. Pour unstrained into a 6 oz. Champagne Flute, garnish with blood orange half wheel and serve.

Bloody MaryBloody Mary

2 oz. Vodka4 oz. Bloody Mary Mix *Celery StickOlivesLime wedgeCherry tomato Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Garnish with three olives, celery stick, cherry tomato and a lime wedge.

* - Bloody Mary Mix is to be pre made before every shift. Here is the ultimate recipe to fill a quart size store-and-pour container with the mix:

5 small cans of tomato juice2 oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice1 tbsp. Fresh ground Pepper1 tsp. Celery Salt2 oz. Olive Juice1 tbsp. Horseradish12 dashes of Tabasco sauce10 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

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Pour all ingredients and stir well. Keep refrigerated. After your shift is over, dispose the Mix. Always use fresh Bloody Mary Mix.

Black RussianBlack Russian

2 oz. Vodka1 oz. Kahlua Especial 70˚ proof

Pour ingredients into a rock glass over ice, briefly stir and serve.

Brandy AlexanderBrandy Alexander

1½ oz. White Créme de Cacao1½ oz. Cognac1½ oz. Half & HalfFreshly grated nutmeg

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Top with ground nutmeg.

Brandy ManhattanBrandy Manhattan

2 oz. Cognac1 oz. Sweet Vermouth3 dashes Angostura bittersMaraschino cherry or three Brandied Cherries

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Stir well for 20-25 revolutions. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with maraschino cherry.

Brandy SourBrandy Sour

1½oz. Cognac¾ oz. Fresh squeezed lemon juice¾ oz. Simple Syrupsplash of fresh squeezed Orange juiceOrange sliceMaraschino cherry

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into chilled sour or old-fashioned glass filled with ice. Garnish with orange slice and maraschino cherry.

Bronx CocktailBronx Cocktail

2 oz. Gin½ oz. Dry Vermouth½ oz. Sweet Vermouth1 oz. Fresh squeezed Orange Juice2 dashes of Regan’s Orange bitters

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Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass.

C. C. (Campari Champagne)C. C. (Campari Champagne)

1 oz. CampariChilled Champagne

Pour Campari into champagne flute and top with champagne. Twist lemon peel over the cocktail.

CaipirinhaCaipirinha

2 oz. Cachaça3 lime slices3 brown sugar cubes2 dashes of Angostura bitters½ oz. Fresh squeezed Lime juice

Put limes, sugars, bitters and lime juice into an empty old-fashioned glass. Muddle the ingredients in the glass till the sugar has dissolved and the limes are crushed. Add Cachaça and ice. Cover the glass with the metal part of the Boston shaker and shake vigorously. Pour unstrained back into the old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a stirrer, straw and a lime slice.

CaipirissimaCaipirissima

1½ oz. Light rum3 lime slices3 brown sugar cubes2 dashes of Angostura bitters¼ oz. Fresh squeezed Lime juice

Put limes, sugars, bitters and lime juice into an empty old-fashioned glass. Muddle the ingredients in the glass till the sugar has dissolved and the limes are crushed. Add Rum and ice. Cover the glass with the metal part of the Boston shaker and shake vigorously. Pour unstrained back into the old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a stirrer, straw and a lime slice.

Caipiroska (Caipirinha made with Vodka)Caipiroska (Caipirinha made with Vodka)

2 oz. Vodka3 lime slices2 brown sugar cubes1 tsp. Bar sugar½ oz. Fresh squeezed Lime juice

Put limes, sugars and lime juice into an empty old-fashioned glass. Muddle the ingredients in the glass till the sugar has dissolved and the limes are crushed. Add vodka and ice. Cover the glass with the metal part of the Boston shaker and shake vigorously. Pour unstrained back into the old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a stirrer, straw and a lime slice.

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Campari-SodaCampari-Soda

2 oz. CampariSparkling water or club sodaOrange slice

Fill a highball glass with ice and pour Campari. Top with sparkling water or club soda. Garnish with orange slice.

Cape CodderCape Codder

2 oz. VodkaCranberry Juice

Fill highball glass with ice. Add ingredients and stir well. Garnish with lime wedge.

Citrus MartiniCitrus Martini

1 ½ oz. Lemon Flavored Vodka1 oz. Cointreau 1 oz. Fresh squeezed lemon juiceLemon twist

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Champagne CocktailChampagne Cocktail

Chilled Champagne½ oz. Grand Marnier1 Sugar cubedashes of Angostura bittersLemon or Orange twist

Place sugar cube in separate vessel and saturate with bitters. Pour Grand Marnier into a champagne flute and fill with chilled Champagne. Drop in the sugar. Stir gently. Garnish with a twist.

Cherry Caipirinha Cherry Caipirinha

1½ oz. Cachaça2 lime slices3 ripe black cherries2 brown sugar cubes2 dashes of Angostura bitters¼ oz. Fresh squeezed Lime juice

Put limes, cherries, sugars, bitters and lime juice into an empty old-fashioned glass. Muddle the ingredients in the glass until the sugar has dissolved and the limes are crushed. Add Cachaça and

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ice. Cover the glass with the metal part of the Boston shaker and shake short and vigorously. Pour unstrained back into the old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a stirrer, straw and a lime slice.

CosmopolitanCosmopolitan

1½ oz. Lemon flavored Vodka ¾ oz. Cointreau¾ oz. Fresh squeezed Lime juice½ oz. Cranberry juice

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with orange twist.

Cuba LibreCuba Libre

2 oz. Light rumColaLime wedge

Pour the rum into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with cola. Garnish with a lime wedge.

DaiquiriDaiquiri (original recipe from 1898)

2 oz. Light rum¾ oz. Fresh squeezed lime juice¾ oz. Simple syrupLime Wedge

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Dirty MartiniDirty Martini

3 oz. Gin or Vodka½ oz. Olive brinesplash of Dry vermouth3 cocktail olives

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well. Strain into a chilled martini (cocktail) glass. Garnish with three cocktail olives.

El DiabloEl Diablo

1¾ oz. Reposado Tequila¾ oz. Crème de Cassis½ oz. Fresh squeezed Lime JuiceGinger BeerLime wedge

Build the drink in a Collins glass over ice. Pour the Tequila, lime juice and ginger beer and finish with Crème the Cassis. Garnish with a Lime Wedge.

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FlamingoFlamingo

1½ oz. Añejo rum1 oz. Pineapple juice ½ oz. Fresh squeezed lime juice3 dashes of Grenadine syrup

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well. Strain into a chilled martini (cocktail) glass.

Fraise SauvageFraise Sauvage

1 ¼ oz. Plymouth Gin¾ oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice¼ oz. Simple Syrup½ oz. Strawberry Puree*2 oz. Mumm Joyesse Demi-Sec Champagne

Directions: Pour all ingredients except Champagne into a mixing glass. Add large, cold ice, cover and shake vigorously for 7-8 seconds. Pour champagne into a chilled cocktail-martini glass and pour the cocktail over it. Garnish with half a strawberry.

*Tahitian Vanilla infused Wild Strawberry Puree

2 kg. Wild strawberries1 cup sugar½ lemon peel1 Tahitian Vanilla bean: cut down the middle

Directions: Place all ingredients into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil while stirring to make sure that all the strawberries break down. Remove from heat and allow cooling. Remove lemon zest and vanilla bean and pour into a store and pour container. Keep refrigerated. Shelf life: 7 days.

French 75French 75

1½ oz. London Dry Gin1 oz. Simple syrup¾ oz. Fresh squeezed lemon juiceSplash of Fresh squeezed Orange JuiceChilled ChampagneOrange Wheel

Shake all but champagne well with cracked ice. Strain over ice cubes into large wine goblet. Fill with chilled champagne. Stir gently. Garnish with Orange Wheel.

French Martini French Martini

1½ oz. Vodka½ oz. Chambord¾ oz. Pineapple juice

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled 5 oz. cocktail (martini) glass.

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GibsonGibson

3 oz. Gin or Vodka½ oz. Dry Vermouth3 Cocktail onions

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with 3 cocktail onions.

GimletGimlet

2½ oz. Gin or Vodka½ oz. Rose’s Lime Cordial½ oz. Fresh squeezed Lime JuiceSplash of simple syrupLime slice

Rub rim of a chilled cocktail (martini) glass with a lime slice. Pour all ingredients, except sparkling water or club soda, into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass.

Gin & SinGin & Sin

1 oz. Gin1 oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon juice1 oz. Fresh squeezed Orange juice2 dashes of Grenadine syrup

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass.

Ginger Smash – Summer SeasonGinger Smash – Summer Season

2 thin slices of fresh Ginger Root2 ½ inch cubes of Fresh Pineapple2 demitasse spoons of sugar1½ oz. 10 Cane Rum¾ oz. Fresh squeezed Lime Juice¾ oz. Stock Maraschino Liqueur¾ oz. Berentzen Apfel Korn Pineapple Leaf.

In the bottom of a mixing glass sing a muddler tool muddle the ginger, pineapple and sugar into a consistent paste until the aroma starts to rise. Then add the rest of the ingredients and add enough ice to fill a rocks glass. Cover and shake briefly. Pour untrained back into a rocks glass. Garnish with a pineapple leaf.

Ginger Smash – Winter SeasonGinger Smash – Winter Season

2 thin slices of fresh Ginger Root9-10 fresh cranberries3 demitasse spoons of sugar1½ oz. Plymouth Gin

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¾ oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice1½ oz. Berentzen Apfel Korn In the bottom of a mixing glass sing a muddler tool muddle the ginger, cranberries and sugar into a consistent paste until the aroma starts to rise. Then add the rest of the ingredients and add enough ice to fill a rocks glass. Cover and shake briefly. Pour untrained back into a rocks glass and serve.

Gin SourGin Sour

1 ½ oz. Gin¾ oz. Fresh squeezed lemon juice½ oz. Simple SyrupSplash of fresh squeezed Orange juiceOrange sliceBrandied cherry

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into chilled sour or old-fashioned glass. Garnish with orange slice and Brandied cherry “flag”.

GodfatherGodfather

2 oz. Scotch1 oz. Amaretto

Pour ingredients into old-fashion glass over ice. Stir well.

GodmotherGodmother

2 oz. Vodka1 oz. Amaretto

Pour ingredients into old-fashion glass over ice. Stir well.

Golden MargaritaGolden Margarita

2 oz. Partida Añejo Tequila¾ oz. Orange Curaçao (Grand Marnier)1 oz. Fresh squeezed Lime juiceSplash of Agave NectarLime Wheel

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into prepared cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Greenwich SourGreenwich Sour

2 oz. Blended or Rye Whiskey1 oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon juice¾ oz. Simple syrup½ of an egg whiteSplash of Fresh squeezed Orange Juice

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¾ oz. Dry Red wineOrange sliceBrandied cherry

Pour all ingredients except red wine into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 30 seconds. Strain into chilled sour or old-fashioned glass over ice. Now using your bar spoon float a layer of red wine on top. Garnish with orange slice and brandied cherry “flag’.

GreyhoundGreyhound

2 oz. VodkaFresh squeezed Grapefruit juice

Pour Vodka over ice into highball glass. Fill with grapefruit juice. Stir.

Harlem Cocktail Harlem Cocktail

1½ oz. Gin1oz. Pineapple juice¼ oz. Maraschino liqueur1 tbsp. Diced fresh pineapple

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a old-fashioned glass over ice.

Hemingway Daiquiri (aka La Floradita Cocktail aka Papa Doble)Hemingway Daiquiri (aka La Floradita Cocktail aka Papa Doble)

1 ¾ oz. 10 Cane Rum¾ oz. Stock Maraschino Liqueur1 oz. Fresh squeezed Lime Juice¾ oz. Fresh squeezed Grapefruit JuiceSplash of Simple SyrupLime wheel and brandied cherry “flag.”

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add large, cold ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini-cocktail glass. Garnish with the lime-cherry “flag”.

Irish CoffeeIrish Coffee

2 oz. Irish WhiskeyGranulated SugarHot black CoffeeWhipped Cream

Pour whiskey into Irish coffee glass or large wine goblet. Add sugar and fill with hot, black coffee.

Stir to dissolve sugar. Float whipped cream on top, do not stir. Add straw if desired.

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KamikazeKamikaze

1¾ oz. Vodka¾ oz. Cointreau½ oz. Fresh squeezed Lime juiceLime wedge

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass.

Kir RoyaleKir Royale

Chilled Champagne¾ oz. Crème de Cassis

Fill champagne flute 4/5 with champagne. Add cream de cassis. Stir gently.

Lemon Drop Lemon Drop

2 oz. Frozen Vodka1 slice Lemon dipped in sugar

Serve Vodka and sugar dipped lemon separately. Lemon is to be sucked right after Vodka is drunk.

Lemon Drop MartiniLemon Drop Martini

3 oz. Lemon flavored Vodka½ oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon juiceBar sugarLemon wheel

Rub rim of cocktail glass with lemon slice. Dip rim in sugar. Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into prepared cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon wheel.

Mai TaiMai Tai

1½ oz. Flor de Caña 4y Rum (light)¾ oz. Marie Brizzard Orange Curacao¾ oz. Almond (Orgeat) Syrup1 oz. Fresh squeezed Lime JuiceFloat of Flor de Caña 12y Rum (dark)

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add large, cold ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a mint leaf, lime wheel, pineapple chunk and brandied cherry. If you can find a cocktail umbrella somewhere - stick it in!

MadrasMadras2 oz. VodkaCranberry JuiceOrange JuiceLime wedge

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Pour vodka into highball glass over ice. Add juices. Stir gently. Garnish with lime wedge.

ManhattanManhattan

2-½ oz. Straight Rye whiskey1 oz. Sweet Vermouth2 dashes of Angostura bittersMaraschino cherry

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Stir well with a barspoon for 40-45 revolutions. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with maraschino cherry.☺ NOTE: Never shake a Manhattan and its variations. Remember, Manhattan has to be clear, without any ice crust on the surface, amber in color and remarkably aromatic.

Manhattan (Dry)Manhattan (Dry)

2 ½ oz. Rye¾ oz. Dry Vermouthdash of Angostura bittersLemon twist

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Stir well with a barspoon for 40-45 revolutions. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Manhattan (Perfect) Manhattan (Perfect)

2 oz. Rye½ oz. Dry Vermouth½ oz. Sweet Vermouthdash of Angostura bittersLemon twist

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Stir well with a barspoon for 40-45 revolutions. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Jerry Thomas Manhattan (original Manhattan recipe) Jerry Thomas Manhattan (original Manhattan recipe)

☺Note: Classic Manhattan recipe from 1860 as published by “Professor” Jerry Thomas (author of the first ever published Drink recipe book, and father of Bartending) is slightly different and in my opinion much more exiting. Here’s the recipe:

1 oz. Straight Rye Whiskey1 ¼ oz. Sweet Vermouth½ oz. Grand Marnier3 dashes of Angostura bittersLemon Twist

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Stir well with a barspoon for 40-45 revolutions. Strain into a chilled 5 oz. cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

MargaritaMargarita

1¾ oz. Grand Centenario Plata Tequila¾ oz. Cointreau

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1 oz. Fresh squeezed Lime juice½ oz Agave nectarLime wheel

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into prepared cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with lime wheel. ☺ Note: Margaritas are never made with salt unless a guest insists on it. They can be served straight up or on the rocks.

Martinez Martinez (Modified)(Modified)

2 ½ oz. Beefeater Gin½ oz. Stock Maraschino Liqueur¾ oz. Cinzano Martini Bianco1 dash of Home-Made Absinthe Bitters

Take a chilled martini-cocktail glass and make a thin sugar rim. Place the prepared glass back into the freezer. Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add large, cold ice. Using a bar spoon stir for 40 revolutions. Strain into the prepared, sugar rimmed, chilled martini-cocktail glass. Garnish with a Lemon Twist.

* Absinthe bitters can be substituted with Absinthe

MartiniMartini

☺ NOTE: If you are making a Gin Martini you may add 2 dashes of Regans’ orange bitters stir the cocktail for 40 revolutions, strain into a chilled cocktail-martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist. Same applies for all the Martini variations that follow bellow:

3 oz. Vodka or Gin½ oz. Dry VermouthLemon twist or 3 cocktail olives

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with lemon twist or 3 cocktail olives.

Martini (Dry)Martini (Dry)

3½ oz. Vodka or Gin½ oz. Dry VermouthLemon twist or 3 cocktail olives

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with lemon twist or 3 cocktail olives.

Martini (Extra Dry)Martini (Extra Dry)

3¾ oz. Vodka or Gin¼ oz. Dry VermouthLemon twist or 3 cocktail olives

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with lemon twist or 3 cocktail olives.

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Martini (Perfect)Martini (Perfect)

3 oz. Vodka or Gin½ oz. Dry Vermouth½ oz. Sweet VermouthLemon twist or 3 cocktail olives

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Martini (Sweet)Martini (Sweet)

3 oz. Vodka or Gin1 oz. Sweet VermouthLemon twist

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Martini (Very Dry)Martini (Very Dry)

3 ½ oz. Vodka or GinDash of Dry VermouthLemon twist or 3 cocktail olives

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with lemon twist or 3 cocktail olives.

Mata HariMata Hari

1 ¼ oz. Courvoisier VS Cognac1 oz. Chai infused Italian Vermouth*¾ oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice½ oz. Simple Syrup¾ oz. Pomegranate Juice

Put all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add large, cold ice and shake vigorously for 7-8 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini-cocktail glass and garnish with dry rose buds.

* Chai infused Italian Vermouth (for 2 liters)

8 Green Cardamon Pods8 Cloves1 Cinammon Stick1 small piece of Ginger (chopped)2 tbsp Chai Tea2 cups of Sweet Vermouth (for concentrate)

Directions: Pour all ingredients into a small pan. Bring to a low boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool slightly. Strain mixture. Even out the 2 bottles of sweet vermouth and evenly distribute vermouth concentrate.

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MediterraMediterra

1 ½ oz. Vodka1 oz. Honey Syrup* ¾ oz. Boiron Black Mission Fig purée

½ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

Directions: Put all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add large, cold ice and shake vigorously for 7-8 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini-cocktail glass and serve with a ramekin of roasted spicy pistachio nuts** on the side.

Honey Syrup*

3 cups of water1.5 cups of Acacia honeyrind of 1 orange1 whole vanilla bean cut in half (inside scraped and added to liquid) Directions: Combine all the ingredients, bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes. Yields 1 liter.

Roasted spicy pistachio nuts for Garnish**

1 lb Shelled pistachios (preferably raw) toss in olive oil to coatsprinkle 1 tablespoon paprika sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon cayenne sprinkle 1 tablespoon salt Directions: Preheat oven to 350° F. Roast on 350 degrees tossing after 5 minutes, cook another 5 minutes or until golden in color.

MetropolitanMetropolitan

1½ oz. Absolut Kurant flavored Vodka ¾ oz. Cointreau½ oz. Fresh squeezed Lime juice½ oz. Cranberry juice

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass.

MimosaMimosa

Chilled ChampagneFresh squeezed Orange juice

Fill half of a champagne flute with orange juice. Top of carefully with champagne and stir gently.

Mint JulepMint Julep

2 oz. Bourbon½ oz. Simple syrup or 1 tbsp. Bar sugar2 dashes of Angostura bitters

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10-15 large mint leavesSplash of Sparkling water or Club sodaMint spring

Muddle mint leaves with simple syrup or bar sugar in a bottom of an old-fashioned glass. Add splash of Sparkling water or Club soda. Fill glass with crushed ice and add bourbon. Garnish with mint spring.

MojitoMojito

1½oz. Lemon flavored rum¼ oz. Fresh squeezed Lime juice2 tsp. Bar sugar3 pinches of fresh mint leaves4 lime wedgesSplash of Sparkling water or Club soda

Muddle mint leaves, lime wedges, sugar and lime juice in the bottom of a old-fashioned glass with a bar muddler. Add ice and add rum. Cover the glass with the metal part of the Boston shaker and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Remove the metal part of the Boston shaker and add a splash of sparkling water or club soda. If desired garnish with a lime wedge and a mint spring.

Mojito (Havana Style)Mojito (Havana Style)

1¾ oz. 10 Cane rum1½ oz. Fresh squeezed Lime juice3 tsp. Bar sugarSplash of simple syrup3 pinches of fresh mint leavesSplash of Sparkling water or Club soda2 dashes of Angostura bitters

Muddle mint leaves with sugar in the bottom of a Collins glass with a bar muddler. Add syrup, lime juice and rum. Fill with ice and shake briefly. Top of with club soda and add bitters. Srve with a long straw.

Moscow MuleMoscow Mule

2 oz. Vodka¼ oz. Lime JuiceGinger Beer or Ginger aleLime wedge

Pour Vodka and lime juice into Collins glass filled with ice. Fill with ginger ale or ginger beer. Stir gently. Drop in lime slice.

NegroniNegroni

1 oz. Gin1 oz. Campari1 oz. Sweet VermouthOrange twist

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Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Stir well with a barspoon for 40-45 revolutions. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with orange twist.

NerinaNerina

1 ¼ oz. Plymouth Gin1 ¼ oz. Meletti Amaro1 ¼ oz. Punt E Mes Orange Twist

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add large, cold ice. Using a bar spoon stir for 40 revolutions. Strain into a chilled martini-cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

New YorkerNew Yorker

1 ½ oz. Blended or Rye Whiskey¾ oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon juice¾ oz. Simple syrupClub Soda¾ oz. Dry Red WineLemon Wheel and brandied cherry “flag”

Pour all ingredients except red wine into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a Collins glass over ice. Top off with Club Soda. Float the red wine on top. Garnish with the lemon-cherry “flag”.

Old-Fashioned (Modified)Old-Fashioned (Modified)

2 oz. Straight Bourbon or Rye WhiskeySugar cube1 demitasse white sugar3 dashes of Angostura bittersSplash of Club soda3 Brandied Cherries1 Orange half-wheel Place the sugar and fruit at the bottom of a old-fashioned glass. Dash with bitters and muddle the fruits and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Fill the glass with ice and add whiskey. Top with a splash of soda water and stir well. Garnish with another cherry and orange wedge if desired.

Passion CaipirinhaPassion Caipirinha

1½ oz. Cachaça2 lime slices3 brown sugar cubes2 dashes of Angostura bitters¼ oz. Passion fruit syrup

Put limes, sugars, bitters and passion fruit syrup into an empty old-fashioned glass. Muddle the ingredients in the glass till the sugar has dissolved and the limes are crushed. Add Cachaça and ice. Cover the glass with the metal part of the Boston shaker and shake vigorously. Pour unstrained back into the old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a stirrer, straw and a lime slice.

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Peche BourbonPeche Bourbon

2 oz. Peach infused Bourbon* ½ oz. French Peach Cordial e.g. Massenez or similar 1 brown sugar cube½ tsp. Bar sugar3 dashes of Peychaud Bitters3 dashes of Peach Bitters1 fresh mint leave

Take the rocks glass and pour in the French Peach Cordial. Swirl it around until the inside of the glass is completely coated. Place in the freezer to chill. In the bottom of a mixing glass place the sugars and saturate them with Peychaud and Peach bitters. Using the muddler tool muddle the sugars until dissolved. Add the Whiskey and fill up with large cold ice cubes. Stir the Whiskey with ice for about 20 revolutions and using a julep strainer pour into the prepared glass. Take a fresh mint leave, place it on the palm of your hand and smack it with your other hand. This will release the oils from the leave and help with the cocktail aroma. Now gently place the mint leave on the surface of the cocktail and serve. * Peach Infused BourbonPeach infused Bourbon is a summer time favorite. You can use fresh ripe peaches or dried ones when fresh peaches are out of season. Please note that the peach infused bourbon will not taste like Whiskey-Peach liqueur – it will be much stronger and have a powerful peach finish. This Infusion is intended to me mixed in cocktails, not to be consumed by it self. - Fresh Peach recipeTake 3 fresh ripe yellow peaches and cut them in slices while removing the pit. Place them in a quart size mason jar and fill up the jar with 80° proof Bourbon whiskey. Let it sit for 3 days and then strain the contents through a fine sieve. The remaining whiskey soaked peaches will make for an excellent addition to any Ice cream or Gelato serving. - Dry Peach recipeTake six dried peaches (available in health food or herbal stores) and soak them in a 750 ml of 80° proof Bourbon whiskey for 3 days. Strain and pour into a clean bottle.

Pimm’s Cup Pimm’s Cup

2 oz. Pimm’s Cup No.1¾ oz. Fresh squeezed Lime juice¾ oz. CointreauGinger Ale3 thin Cucumber slices1 fresh mint springLime wedge

Build liquid ingredients in a 12oz Collins glass. Add ice, cucumber and mint. Shake briefly. Top of with Ginger Ale.

Pisco SourPisco Sour

2 oz. Pisco brandy1 oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon juice¾ oz. Simple syrupsplash of Fresh squeezed Orange Juice½ of an Egg White

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Orange sliceMaraschino cherry3 dashes of Angostura bitters

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain over ice into wine goblet, garnish with orange slice and maraschino cherry.

Planter’s PunchPlanter’s Punch

1 oz. Dark rum1 oz. Añejo rum1 oz. Light rum½ oz. Fresh squeezed Lime juice½ oz. Fresh squeezed Orange juice½ oz. Pineapple juice2 dashes of Angostura bitters2 dashes of Simple syrupdash of Grenadine syrupOrange sliceLime sliceMaraschino cherryPineapple spear

Pour ingredients, except fruits, into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a Collins glass over ice. Garnish with fruits and serve. ☺ Note: Back in the days of the big sugar plantations every plantation was proud of their own rum and fruits they grew, so that the original recipe of this cocktail is very hard to trace back. However, this is the classic version with at least 3 different kinds of rum and bitters that are found in every recipe. The choice of juices and garnishes is almost free and it is up to your creativity to make it perfect. Some recipes also call for a splash of sparkling water or club soda, but remember that if you decide to go with that, add the splash of sparkling water or club soda after shaking the liquors and juices.

ProvençaleProvençale

1 ¾ oz. Lavender Infused Plymouth Gin*1 ¼ oz. Vermouth de Provence**¾ oz. Cointreau

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add large, cold ice. Using a bar spoon stir for 40 revolutions. Strain into a chilled martini-cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

* Lavender Infused Plymouth GinThe Lavender Gin infusion was inspired by the slightly floral nature of Plymouth Gin. By accenting it with dry lavender, we got a fast and easy infusion that opened the door to many possibilities of which we just chose one.

2 tsp Dried Organic Lavender1 Liter Plymouth Gin

Place lavender in a small sauce pan. Add 2 cups of Gin. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Let stand till cool. Add remaining gin. Strain the mixture through a cheese cloth into a bottle and discard spices. Shelf life: unlimited; color – 1 week.

** Vermouth de Provence Many of these herbs are already found in small amounts in vermouth. By using the hot infusion method, the flavors are accentuated.

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2 tbsp Herbs de Provence (available in any gourmet store)1 liter Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth

Place all herbs in a small sauce pan on medium heat for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of dry vermouth. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Let stand till cool. Add remaining vermouth. Strain the mixture through a cheese cloth into a bottle and discard spices. Shelf life: unlimited; color – 1 month.

Ramos Gin Fizz (modified)Ramos Gin Fizz (modified)

2 oz. Beefeater London Dry Gin1 oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice¾ oz. Simple syrup½ of an egg white5 drops of Orange flower waterSplash of Fresh squeezed Orange juice1½ oz. Club Soda¼ oz. Green ChatreuseOrange Half Wheel

Take a Collins glass and pour Green Chatreuse. Then fill with ice, add Club soda and orange wedge and put the glass into a fridge. Now pour the rest of the ingredients into a mixing glass. Shake relentlessly for at least 15 seconds. Pour the cocktail over the prepared glass. Garnish with an orange half wheel.

Rob RoyRob Roy

2½ oz. Scotch1 oz. Sweet Vermouth2 dashes of Angostura bitters3 brandied cherries

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Stir well with a Bar spoon for 40-45 revolutions. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with maraschino cherry.

RoselleRoselle

1 ½ oz. Tanquerey 10 Gin1 oz. Hibiscus Cordial* ¾ oz. Fresh squeezed Lime Juice¾ oz. Grapefruit Juice

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add large, cold ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini-cocktail glass.

Ruby TuesdayRuby Tuesday

1 ½ oz. Wild Turkey Straight Rye Whiskey 101˚ 1 oz. Benedictine ¾ oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice ½ oz. Simple Syrup ¾ oz. Fresh Black Cherry purée Lemon Twist

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Put all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add large, cold ice cubes and shake vigorously for 7-8 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini-cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Rusty NailRusty Nail

2 oz. Scotch1 oz. Drambuie

Pour Scotch into a old-fashioned glass filled with ice. Float Drambuie on top and serve.

Sake CocktailSake Cocktail

2 oz. Plymouth Gin ½ oz. Dry Sake½ oz. Plum Winethree cucumber wheels

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with Cucumber wheels.

Salty DogSalty Dog

2 oz. VodkaFresh squeezed Grapefruit juiceCoarse saltLime wedge

Rum the rim of a highball glass with lime wedge and dip it into coarse salt. Fill the glass carefully with ice and pour vodka. Top of with grapefruit juice and stir gently.Garnish with lime wedge.

Sazerac Sazerac (Rye Whiskey)(Rye Whiskey)

☺ Note: this is one of the first cocktails ever made. In the early days it was made both with either Rye Whiskey or Cognac.

2 oz. Wild Turkey 101˚ Rye Whiskey¼ oz. Absinthe 1 brown Sugar cube3 dashed of Peychaud’s Bitters1 dash of Angostura BittersLemon Twist

Put sugar cubes in the bottom of a mixing glass and saturate them with bitters. Then take a bar muddler and crush the sugar and bitters into a consistent texture. Now add Whiskey and ice. Let it sit for a moment. Take an Old-Fashioned or Rocks Glass. Pour Absinthe in the bottom and coat the inside of the glass with it and discharge the rest. One of the ways to coat the inside of the glass is to throw it i swirling in the air while simultaneously yelling “SAZERAC”. Stir the cocktail using your bar spoon for about 20 revolutions. Strain into the prepared rocks glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

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Sazerac Sazerac (Cognac)(Cognac)

2½oz. VSOP Cognac¼ oz. Absinthe or Absinthe Substitute2 brown Sugar cubes3 dashed of Peychaud’s Bitters1 dash of Angostura BittersLemon Twist

Put sugar cubes in the bottom of a mixing glass and saturate them with bitters. Then take a bar muddler and crush the sugar and bitters into a consistent texture. Now add Cognac and ice. Let it sit for a moment. Take an Old-Fashioned or Rocks Glass. Pour Absinthe or the Substitute in the bottom and coat the inside of the glass with it and discharge the rest. One of the ways to coat the inside of the glass is to throw it i swirling in the air while simultaneously yelling “SAZERAC”. Stir the cocktail using your bar spoon for about 20 revolutions. Strain into the prepared rocks glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

SidecarSidecar

1 ¼ oz. Cognac1 ¼ oz. Cointreau1 ¼ oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon JuiceBar sugar

Rub rim of cocktail glass with rind of lime or lemon. Dip rim in sugar. Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into prepared cocktail glass.

Seven & Seven ( 7 & 7)Seven & Seven ( 7 & 7)

1¾ oz. Seagram’s 7-Crown7-Up

Pour whiskey into chilled highball glass filled with ice. Fill with 7-Up and stir gently.

ScrewdriverScrewdriver

2 oz. VodkaFresh squeezed Orange juiceOrange slice

Pour Vodka over ice cubes in a chilled highball glass. Fill with chilled orange juice. Stir well. Garnish with orange slice.

Sea BreezeSea Breeze

2 oz. VodkaCranberry juiceFresh squeezed Grapefruit juiceLime wedge

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Pour vodka into chilled highball glass filled with ice. Top of with equal parts of cranberry and grapefruit juice. Stir gently and garnish with lime wedge.

Silver FizzSilver Fizz

2 oz. Martin Miller’s Westbourne Strength Gin1 oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice¾ oz. Simple syrup½ of an egg white1½ oz. Club SodaLemon wedge

Pour all ingredients except Club Soda into a mixing glass. Shake relentlessly for at least 15 seconds. Now take a Collins glass, fill with ice and add Club soda. Pour the cocktail over ice and soda. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

Singapore SlingSingapore Sling

1 ½ oz. Gin¾ oz. Cherry Heering¼ oz. Cointreau¼ oz. Benedictine½ oz. Fresh squeezed Lime juice3 oz. Pineapple juicedash of Angostura bittersOrange slicePineapple WedgeMaraschino cherry

Pour all ingredients, except cherry brandy, into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled Collins glass filled with ice and add a. Float cherry brandy on top and garnish with orange slice, pineapple wedge and maraschino cherry.

Smokey MartiniSmokey Martini

3 ½ oz. Vodka ½ oz. Islay Single Malt Scotch dash of Dry VermouthLemon twist

Pour vodka and vermouth into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Float scotch on top. Garnish with lemon twist.

Tequila SunriseTequila Sunrise

2 oz. TequilaFresh squeezed Orange juice½ oz. Grenadine syrup

Fill highball glass with ice. Add Tequila and fill with orange juice. Stir. Add grenadine (do not stir).

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The SpritzThe Spritz

1½ oz. Aperol1 oz. Club Soda3 ½ oz. Chilled ProseccoLime wheel

Build the drink in a rocks glass by pouring Prosecco first, club soda second then fill with ice and finally finish with Aperol. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Toasted AlmondToasted Almond

2 oz. Coffee liqueur (Kàhlua)1½oz. Amaretto2 oz. Half & Half

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled old-fashioned glass filled with ice.

Tom CollinsTom Collins

2 oz. Gin¾ oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon juice¾ oz. Simple syrupSparkling water or Club sodaOrange sliceBrandied cherry

Combine all ingredients, except sparkling water or club soda, in a chilled Collins glass filled with ice. Fill with sparkling water or club soda and stir gently. Garnish with orange slice and brandied cherry ‘flag”.

Vanilla ShantyVanilla Shanty

1½oz. Vanilla flavored Vodka¾ oz. Cointreau1½oz. Pineapple juicedash of fresh squeezed Lemon juicedash of fresh squeezed Lime juice

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass.

Vanilla Passion CoolerVanilla Passion Cooler

1 oz. Stolichnaya Vanil Vodka½ oz. Amaretto di Saronno ¼ oz. Passion Fruit purée¾ oz. Fresh squeezed Orange Juice

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Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well for 10 seconds. Strain into a 5 oz. chilled martini (cocktail) glass. Garnish with an orange half wheel.

Vesper Vesper

1 oz Gin2 oz Vodka ¾ oz Lillet BlancLemon Twist

Pour all ingredients into a Boston Shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Vodka CollinsVodka Collins

2 oz Vodka¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice¾ oz Simple SyrupClub SodaLemon Wedge

Pour all ingredients except soda into a Boston Shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Pour out all contents into a Collins glass and fill with club soda. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

Walnut CocktailWalnut Cocktail

2 oz. Potato Vodka¼ oz. Tuaca½ oz. Nocello Walnut Liqueurwalnuts

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well. Strain into a chilled martini (cocktail) glass. Garnish with walnuts.

WaterlooWaterloo

3 sweet, fresh Watermelon chunks1 ½ oz. Plymouth Gin¾ oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice¾ oz. Simple Syrup½ oz. Campari

Using the muddler tool, muddle the watermelon in a tall Collins glass until the fruit has turned into a juice. Then add the rest of the ingredients, fill up with large, cold ice and cover with a small shaker top. Shake briefly, remove the shaker, garnish with a piece of Watermelon rind and serve with a straw.

West SideWest Side

2 oz. Lemon Flavored Vodka1 oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon juice¾ oz. Simple syrup

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pinch of fresh mint leaves1 oz.Sparkling water or Club soda

Pour ingredients except Club Soda into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Add Club Soda and using your julep strainer - strain into a chilled old-fashioned glass filled with ice.

Whiskey CollinsWhiskey Collins

2 oz. Whiskey1 oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon juice¾ oz. Simple syrupSparkling water or Club sodaBrandied cherryLemon slice

Pour all ingredients, except sparkling water or club soda and fruits, into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled Collins glass filled with ice and carefully fill with sparkling water or club soda. Garnish with brandied cherry and lemon slice.

Whiskey SourWhiskey Sour

2 oz. Blended or rye Whiskey1 oz. Fresh squeezed Lemon juice3/4 oz. Simple syrupsplash of Fresh squeezed Orange JuiceOrange sliceBrandied cherry

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 10 seconds. Strain into chilled sour or old-fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with orange slice and brandied cherry.

White LadyWhite Lady

1½ oz Gin1 ¼ oz Cointreau1½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice1 Lemon Twist Pour all ingredients into a Boston Shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

White Russian (Caucausian)White Russian (Caucausian)

1 ½ oz. Vodka¾ oz. Kahlua Especial 70° proof¾ oz. half & half

Pour ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake well up to 15 seconds until frothy. Strain into a chilled old-fashioned glass filled with ice.

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BeerBeer

Pouring BeerPouring Beer

Standard Tap BeerStandard Tap Beer

The proper way to pour draft beer is to hold the glass straight under the tap for a split second, then snap the glass to a 45° angle. This first shot allows a head to form, when you hold the glass on an angle is stops the head from forming. As the glass fills up you want to slowly straighten the glass. This method will make a great looking beer with a 3/4 thick inch head on top. When pouring draft beer you have to know your system. Certain taps vary in pouring strength due to reasons such as pressure and line length. If yours pours especially foamy, let the first shot of foam miss the glass and hold the glass on an angle from the beginning.

Guinness and Other Creamy BeersGuinness and Other Creamy Beers

Guinness is poured through a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The special spout used by Guinness (as well as other creamy ales) has tiny holes that force the nitrogen to mix with the beer otherwise it would just dissolve into air. The Nitrogen in the beer is what makes the beer thick and foamy. When you pour these beers, you should start the beer on an angle and after a second or so, straiten the glass and fill it up two thirds of the way. Let it rest now for a few moments till the beer seems still. Then fill to the top. With Guinness many bartenders make a shamrock in the foam during the final pouring in the foam that has settled during the initial pour. You can easily do this by moving the glass under the taps in a figure-eight motion. You may get good enough to write your phone number in the beer.

Bottled Beer* Bottled Beer* When pouring bottled beer, you should hold the glass on a 30° angle

and slowly fill the glass half to two thirds of the way up.*Since most bars serve bottled beers with the glass on the side, it is important to ask whether or not your bar pours the beer for the customer before doing so.

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Beer TodayBeer Today

We don’t want to get too much into detail about the history of beer, but there is no denying that more than 50% of all alcoholic beverages consumed is beer. Over the last few years the identity of beer has made some drastic changes.

About ten years ago, the micro-brew mystique hit the American market. Other large breweries such as Sam Adams, Oregon, and Sierra Nevada began to win their way into bars and the hearts of beer drinkers. Tap houses followed and a vast selection of beer styles became available to the drooling pallets of Nuevo-beer connoisseurs. European exporters followed suit, bringing back time-tested masterpieces like Guinness Stout, Bass Ale, and Pilsner Urquell. Beer was flowing from the taps, but America wanted more. The brewpub-style restaurant was born from this need. The beer drinking society became split between these “beer-heads” and the Bud/Coors Light-drinking crowd. America's infatuation would soon begin to waver.

The market became flooded with micro-brews from every which way you could see. The caliber of beer that would hit shelves began to diminish. Many breweries big and small tried to cash in on the micro-brew wave, without providing the same quality products seen in earlier years. America simply grew tired of the overwhelming selections offered in bars and liquor stores. The result of this phenomenon did leave us with a better educated drinking public.

Several quality beers have survived and we have a wealth of imports available to us today. The search of beers opened America’s taste buds up to new sensations. Following the beer explosion, single malt Scotch whiskeys hit the market in force. Right along with Scotch, small batch bourbons and premium tequilas became readily available. It wasn’t long before America rediscovered vodka again. The outcome was a re-invention of the Martini and the consequent compulsion to create new and better cocktails.

Beer ProductionBeer Production

Beer is made from four ingredients, water, malt, yeast and hops. All beers must contain these magic four, though some breweries add other ingredients to change the flavor and character of their product. Water, the first ingredient is also maybe the most important. The water not only affects the taste, but also the body depending on its mineral content. The malt provides color and body to the beer. The more the malt is toasted the darker the color. The malt is also the fuel for the yeast. Yeast eats the natural sugars found in the malt and converts it into alcohol. The byproduct of this reaction is carbon dioxide. This is how beer gets its fizz. The last element in beer is hops. Hops (a distant relative of marijuana) are a bitter bud that grows on a vine. When added to the brew they not only add flavor to beer, but they also naturally preserve it.

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Styles of BeerStyles of Beer

The two main subdivisions of beer are ale and lager. Beneath these two divisions there are countless styles, many of which we will describe. What separates an ale from a lager is the type of yeast that is used. Ales use top fermenting yeast. This means that the chemical activity happens at the top of the batch letting all the residue fall to the bottom. For this reason the base of ale’s cream texture and flavor are reliant on the type of malt. On the other hand, lagers use bottom-fermenting yeast. The bodies of lagers are clean and crisp. All of the activity occurs on the bottom of the barrel. Lagers tend to get most of their flavor from the type of hops used.

AlesAles

Pale AlePale ales are usually slightly bitter in flavor with a light amber color to them. Sierra Nevada makes a wonderful pale ale that is slightly bitter than the English classic.

Copper, Amber and Red AlesThis group of ales is slightly darker in color, yet still very translucent. They contain different mixtures of roasted malts that rage in color depending on the brewery. Each brewer makes their ale in varying degrees of bitterness.

BittersThese English style ales are usually amber in color and are heavily hopped. They range in degrees of bitterness and even have names such as Extra Special Bitter (E.S.B.). A great example of this style of beer is Fuller’s E.S.B.

Brown AleBrown ales tend to be highly malty. They vary in body, some being cloudier than others. A great example of this is New Castle which is extremely translucent, compare to Brooklyn Brown Ale which is opaque. Both are wonderful beers, but both are completely different.

PorterPorters are traditionally dark and sweet. They are very malty which gives them a syrupy taste. One great example of a porter is Ruffian Porter from the Long Valley Brewery.

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StoutMuch drier than the porter, the stout is the darkest in the ale family. It uses heavily roasted malts that are rich to the taste. Samuel Smith makes an incredible Oatmeal Stout.

I.P.A. (India Pale Ale)India pale ales where created by brewers who shipped beer to India during British occupation. To keep the beer fresh for this long voyage they loaded the beer up with hops, which act as a natural preservative. As a result, they invented a pale ale with wonderful bitterness. The beer soon became popular in Britain itself and became its own entity.

Dry Irish StoutThe dry Irish stout is a modern day masterpiece. It is black in color and ever so creamy. The best dry Irish stout is Guinness. This style of beer gets its creaminess from nitrogen that is pumped into the beer and mixed trough the nozzle. Since it is heavier than oxygen, it remains in the beer giving that frothy body.

Cream AleCream ales are actually very pale ales that are not that bitter. They are traditionally poured through hand pumps, but today they use the same nitrogen system that gives dry Irish stout its body. One of the most popular cream ale is Boddington’s.

Barley WinesBarley wines are sweet tasting malty beers that are higher in alcohol content. They are served in huge goblets or wineglasses. This is beer style that hasn’t really caught on in the bar scene.

LagersLagers

LagerLagers is the general term used to describe most bottom-fermented beers. They vary in color and bitterness depending on the brewer. Sam Adam’s Boston Lager as a great dark lager while Harp is a wonderful example of a light lager.

PilsnerPilsner style originated with Pilsner Urquell from Czechoslovakia. It is light and crisp with a distinctive hop characteristic. Over the years we are most familiar with American-style Pilsners like Budweiser and Miller which are watered down versions of the classic.

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Bocks and DopplebocksBocks are strong lagers that have a hint of sweetness to them. Dopplebock is the name used to indicate a stronger flavored beer. Paulaner Salvator Dopplebock is an incredible example of this style of beer.

Octoberfests and Vienna-Style LagersBoth names represent the same style of beer. Every beer-bar will break out this slightly sweet copper colored lager for Octoberfest, but it is a beer that is drunk all year round. The German brewery Spaten exports a delectable Octoberfest.

Wheat BeersWheat Beers

Belgian Wheat BeerThis beer has a mellow yellow color and a slightly citrusy taste to it. Many styles of this beer are lightly spiced and/or have citrus added to them. Throw a wedge of lemon in a Hoegaarden during those summer months and enjoy.

WeisseWeisse beer is a German style of beer that is a little richer than the Belgian style brew. Berliner Weisse tends to have a higher alcohol content.

Hefe-Weizen and Dunkel-WeizenThis top fermented beer is an unfiltered wheat beer. It is really cloudy and rich with yummy goodness. Dunkel-weizen is its darker cousin and has a slight maltyness to it. Paulaner is a favorite among hefe-weizen lovers.

Trappist style beersTrappist style beers

These wonderfully light beers are so complex in flavor and body that their recipes are shrouded in mystery. Not conforming to ones particular style, they are age-old formulas that have been handed down from generation to generation through Western European Trappist Monasteries. They go through their final fermentation process in corked Champagne-style bottles. They always should be served in either goblets or in wineglasses. Like red wine they should have a broad exposed surface area so that they may breathe. Though they come in 11 and 12 ounce bottles, they larger 1.5 liter is best when enjoyed with a friend or loved one. Corsendonk and Chimay are the tow most popular examples of the Trappist style.

LambicsLambics

Lambics are light Champagne-like beers produced in the Lambic region of Belgium. They undergo a fermentation process in cask kegs witch are exposed to wild yeasts in the air particular to this region. Lambics are often found flavored

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with cherries, peaches and even pineapples. Boon Kriek, the cherry flavored lambic is maybe the most recognized lambic exported.

Fruit and Other Flavored BeersFruit and Other Flavored Beers

Besides lambics many breweries have found a niche with flavored beers. These beers are in a class of their own not because they conform to a style of brewing, but because they are labeled by the overpowering flavor of the fruits residing in them. They tend to be very sweet and light in body. Wheat beers are ones that are commonly flavored with fruit. While Oregon Brewing Company makes a Raspberry Wheat, other breweries have even made ginseng flavored beers.

Recommended reading on Mixology and the restaurant world:

• The joy of Mixology – Gary Regan• Imbibe! – David Wondrich• Straight up or on the rocks – William Grimes• American Bar – Charles Schumann• The Savoy Cocktail Book – Harry Cradock• The Craft of the Cocktail – Dale DeGroff• Kindred Spirits – Paul Pacult• Drink – Andrew Barr• Kitchen Confidential – Antony Bourdain

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The BartenderThe Bartender

As we can see from the above diagram a fully developed bartender is a union of three equally developed parts. What these three parts have in common is Confidence. Confidence is essential since it provides you with guidance. This union is consciously constructed and is a constant evolving unit within each bartender’s personality. With every experience certain aspect of the three parts will grow and evolve. As the understanding grows so will the output, performance and of course - confidence. It is important to emphasize the fact that such development is only possible through conscious effort, objective evaluation and self-observation.

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Rock

RockRock

The MixologistThe Mixologist

The SageThe Sage The Rock StarThe Rock Star

ConfidenceConfidence

The Mixologist The Mixologist

The Mixologist or the walking drink encyclopedia is a part of your working character that displays the craftsmanship and the art of mixing and serving drinks. It is so important that you build your theoretical knowledge about the products you serve and work with. The more you know – the more you will be able to give to others and enhance their experience at your bar. Remember you have behind you a full arsenal of liquid ingredients and they all have a story. Not only do they individually have a story but combinations of them (cocktails) also have a story. The Mixologist uses these elements to create an experience for his/hers customers and guests. It is important to recall at this point the fact that people do not go out simply because they want to consume extra quality concoctions from a bar or restaurant, but impeccable products and service on the part of the Bartender will give them an internal alibi so as not to see what is it they are really after – The Possibility. It seems to be an addiction with people - this hunt for The Possibility and our job is to encourage it. We are after all dealing dreams.

The SageThe Sage

The Sage or the Wise Man is the part of your working character that keeps you remembering your intention. This part is the one that observes objectively everything that is going on 3 feet away from you. Work on The Sage aspect will give you the ability to speak when needed without expressing an opinion, to listen to the customers with a genuine interest or at least make a serious effort to do so, to distance-detach yourself emotionally from nightly experiences and it will give you the understanding and awareness of other peoples existence – both physically and emotionally. The Sage will not judge the people around him, he/she will understand, forgive and tolerate. At the end of the night The Sage takes a big sponge and erases the blackboard. There is nothing worth holding on to - so The Sage knows and gains from such understanding. The most important thing for the work on The Sage is to always:

“Pay attention to the intention!”

This mantra, if you will, is very significant for The Sage because it keeps his/her focus on the real reasons why one is performing a particular effort. As we have said before the primary duty of The Bartender is to fill the register and the tip bucket. And making sure that The Bartender does this is the job of The Sage.

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The Rock StarThe Rock Star

Remember the cheesy movie Cocktail with Tom Cruise? Well, this character who flips bottles, flirts with women and high-fives with men, raises the atmosphere and is the MC of the Bar is the third and equally important part of a fully developed Bartender. It is the picture of him that the Bartender wants other people (his customers) to see. Big smile, generous and caring. Sexy, daring and provocative. And confident, so confident. The Rock Star appears to party more then anyone, has a better time then all of the customers and still goes on long after they are gone home to cure a hangover. Building this aspect is a little tricky and dangerous since it can lure you into the trap that if you identify too much with it you will start believing that The Possibility does not apply to you or you will become The Possibility yourself. As a rule The Rock Star is employed as a Possibility salesman and if skilled enough he/she will sell it to the Devil himself.Remember tough that this is all an act. It is not you – you are just acting “as if”. Do not identify with this aspect and you will have a great time. Remember the boundaries and keep them clear in your head. Every time you decide to intentionally act have a plan where you want to go and then get there. If you decide to cut someone off then do it and do not re-think your decision once it’s made and especially not if you already said it to the person in question. If a man appears to be bothering and “strangling” a girl or girls at your bar, inform yourself at a convenient moment if the girls would like you to interfere and if so – do it, but do it smartly. Call him to the side and explain to him that the girls are not comfortable with his advances and ask him to understand. If you did it right – he will step back and refrain from further advances. If you are buying someone a drink make sure you tell them that at the appropriate moment, not too early and certainly not too late. The Rock Star aspect is so important since not only will your customers come back for the experience but also your employer will recognize and cherish such an act and will be very grateful for this.

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Understanding the Bar &Understanding the Bar & Points of servicePoints of service

The Bar and the Bartender have a very defined place in a restaurant. Depending on the type of restaurant and establishment that place and definition might change a little but some general guidelines are the same – no matter if you work in a dive bar or behind a very trendy restaurant bar.

From at least 50% in a restaurant to up to 80% of all the sales in a bar lounge comes from the revenue at or from the Bar. This is an important fact because the liquor and wine cost is generally around 15-20% and there is no overhead (they don’t pay you – your customers do) so the profits from the Bar are very lucrative and the restaurant owners want them.

The first duty of a Bartender is to fill the register and the tip bucket. The second is to represent the establishment to the best of his/hers abilities. We have spoken earlier about the importance of craftsmanship and confidence but now another aspect of the Bar reality needs some clarification.

Buyer Reality vs. Seller RealityBuyer Reality vs. Seller Reality

You are a Salesman and a Server. The Customer is a Buyer and a Consumer.

These two sentences have to be understood fully in their right meaning. Like every salesman you have to have what is known as “sales tools and techniques”. You are the active force and the customer is the passive force. Pressing the right buttons on the consumer machine will result in the positive effects of your effort. Than again, if you happen to push the wrong button the consumer will not play along and it usually results in less tips and unnecessary explanations, apologizes and loss of focus and time. A very important thing to remember when working is that contrary to the retail business when a customer walks in through the door of your establishment he or she has already decided to spend money. It’s now up to you and the rest of the service and hospitality team to make sure that the amount of money spent is as high as possible.

First of all a Bartender has to be well informed about the products (food, wine and drinks) his restaurant and the bar itself have to offer. That means that not only he or she must recommend dishes and beverages to go with them but also he has to know how to pace the meal and overall experience in such a way so that the customers are left with a complete fulfillment of their own subjective expectations. It is our experience that in order to achieve this a certain time has

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to pass before one is completely confident and thus able to project a relaxed and fun atmosphere. A big help is of course a good relationship with the Chef and the kitchen in general. There are fortunately more and more Chefs out there who do understand the value of a well composed bar that is serving as a completing ingredient in their gastronomical idea. So get yourself familiar with the food menu. See what ingredients the Chef is using and how he prepares the food. You will soon discover that what the Chef does is not much different from what you want to do, meaning, he combines various ingredients into balanced dishes that like your cocktails should be deep, fairly complex and above all balanced in such a way that it makes sense and provides a strong sense of sensory satisfaction. Further you’ll notice that there are rules that apply to serving food just like the ones we have when serving beverages. That suggests that you have to be as good and proficient in food service and knowledge like a good waiter. You must have an answer to specific questions and requests regarding the food simply because no matter where you work you’ll be faced with them every night. So this is the reason why you should know what the Chef is able or willing to substitute. You are after all in the service industry and are before all a Server. One of the newer trends in dining is that more and more people choose to dine at the Bar. We have observed that trend for a while now and it is clear that with the restaurant owners and chefs discovering it that there will be more emphasis put on the food experience at the Bar in times to come.

Second aspect is of course the Bar as the “watering hole” or source of Alcohol. The prime function of the Bar is to serve spirits, drinks, beer and wine. So now again there is the knowledge that comes in very, very handy. It enables you to be decisive, fast and confident. Knowing your wines is as important as knowing that you can’t make a Negroni with vodka and still call it that. How to pair certain appetizers with aperitifs or lighter wines will win you your customers trust. Guess what - with that trust come higher tips and appreciation. Yes – they will feel special and treated and they will (in most cases) show gratitude reflected in tips.

So, my fellow bartenders - you together with your bar backs have the toughest and most responsible job in the modern service industry.

You come first and leave last. You set up and break the bar. You make sure the bar is sufficiently stocked up for service. You handle money and are responsible for it.You handle people’s credit cards and their tabs.You sell and serve alcohol. You may sell food. You have to remember the underage drinking law even if the cleavage seems to suggest otherwise.You sell and serve food.You are being watched constantly.You cannot leave the bar and go for a cigarette or any other break if you are the only bartender behind that bar.

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You deal with people whose moods, judgment and behavior get impaired gradually through the course of the night.You are aware when there is a full moon and are ready for it. You are acting.You are alert and awake as possible.And finally - You should not be drinking while you work – There is not much hope that you wont but how can I explain to a born blind person what color red is? Unfortunately we humans are so nuts that no matter who shares their advice we will not really believe that it applies to us until we make the experience ourselves. Funny, ha? We’ll talk more about that in the Developing the Personality Chapter.

Wow, there is surely a bunch of things that are in your job description. But don’t worry – in time, with the right effort and attitude all those above-mentioned requirements will fall gradually into place and you’ll be running that bar like you designed it yourself.

Points of ServicePoints of Service

Every establishment has their own specific house rules of service, which are developed to more efficiently and with same consistency serve their customers. Objectives vary depending on the different type of restaurant/bar. From more relaxed bistro where the emphasis is put on leisure and family style up to 3 or 4 star restaurants where the skilled busboys change linen on tables without clearing the plates and cutlery rules exist and you’ll definitely meet them. However there are some general points or rules of service that should apply no matter where you work. Being observant of them will not only reflect on your employer and management but also more personally on your work ethic. Since we do encourage the professional attitude when working behind the bar it is natural that we hold those points of service sacred and gladly accept them since once observed in action those rules will provide a certain refuge and will get you out of unnecessary situations which in our opinion will just cost you energy and money. So remember the first duty of the Bartender, which is to fill the register and the tip bucket.

GreetingGreeting

First step is to learn how to greet your guests. Be observant and notice when the party of guests arrives at your bar and directs their attention to you. Do not interrupt their conversation with your greeting - wait until they address you. At this time reply cordially, place beverage napkins in front of the customers and offer your drink menu or if your bar doesn’t have one just inquire how you can be of service. The napkins are one of your secret tools. They provide the customer with a visual piece of real estate and act as a welcome gesture. If more than one party of people approaches your bar at the same time make sure you acknowledge them both and then decide which one you’ll serve first. Respond to

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the other party with eye contacts, smiles and a brief promise that you’ll be with them as soon as possible. Remember, this is the first clash between the buyer and the seller. Their realities collide but only you are conscious of this fact. You are in charge – you have the goodies that they want (the waiter doesn’t), so be confident and make your choices so that your guests all feel welcome and comfortable. Greeting customers is so important because it sets the tone of their whole experience that is to follow. A lot depends on it and make sure you are doing this more psychological work as conscious as possible. Don’t forget - the people in front of you are out hunting the possibility. Put yourself in their position and consider how you might react and what you would like to happen to you. This should be more than enough to successfully guide you through the greeting process.

Taking the orderTaking the order

Once you have greeted the customers allow for some time to pass so they can settle down, take in the atmosphere, feel the draw of the possibility and study the drink menu. Than approach and ask to take their order. Now be very alert, in order to project the desired confidence, make sure you understand their order completely. It is far better to inquire and ask questions when taking orders than to pretend you understood and come back half way in making the order asking questions.

Some people will order drinks that your establishment doesn’t have or doesn’t want to serve (i.e. Long Island Iced Tea and similar concoctions). What to do? Well in case you do not carry a certain product please explain the situation, apologize and always offer something else. Now is the time when you are the active force most obvious. Suggest something down that road or offer a cocktail that has the same taste sensation (i.e. if you don’t have Jägermeister offer Fernet Branca). In case your establishment doesn’t want you to make certain cocktails for whatever reason please be diplomatic. One of better explanations is to respond to the customer “I’m sorry but I don’t have the ingredients for that cocktail”. 99% of them will buy this and not hold it against you. The worst thing you can say is “we’re not making these kind of drinks here”. So wrong. You successfully embarrassed your customer and if you have any awareness left at that point you can just observe the dollar bills growing wings and flying away from you and your tip bucket. Always have your cocktail menu ready to steer them where you want them to go.

If the customers would like to order some food at the bar it is often better to take a dupe pad and write the order down. It looks more proficient and cordial. However you can skip this but only if your menu knowledge can sustain remembering the entire order. One very wise saying goes as follows: “The smart man writes it down and the stupid man remembers”. Make sure you set up all the utensils required for dining in front of the people who ordered food and offer salt, pepper, bread, butter, water and any other mise en place they might need in order to enjoy their meal. Fire courses on time and make sure you are actually waiting on those people.

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Serving the orderServing the order

Always serve the ladies first. Older ladies get their drinks before the younger ones. Than serve the gentleman. Please don’t forget – men pay – so treat them with respect.

Make the order swift, making sure you are serving it in the appropriate glassware with the right garnishes. If a customer calls for a drink that you do not know how to make don’t panic and get into drama. Simply move away a little and consult your notes, cards or bar book. Do it quickly though. Then return and make it like you did it many times before. Hey again, remember that you are a threefold: Sage, Chemist and Rock star. No hesitation. Trust us - it’ll work.

Payment and tabsPayment and tabs

When the drinks are served inquire if there is anything else they might need at that point and then ask if they would like to run a tab or pay as they go. Very important – again you are the active confident force. If they decide to pay right away have the price ready and collect the payment. If they decide to run a tab, cordially ask for a credit card. Most bars nowadays have computer systems the industry calls Points of Sale. They run on software that enables you to run multiple tabs during a night and have them visually on your screen in front of you. When running tabs for people make sure you update them in timely fashion and have a copy of itemized check handy. As mentioned before people might change their behavior considerably during a night at a bar. Someone who appeared really tame, well mannered and nice might in an hour or more turn into the most obnoxious asshole and you should be always ready for such a turn of events. That’s why a copy of their itemized check in front of them is your security that everything you did was correct.

Some customers will place cash money on the bar when they sit down. That means that they expect you to collect their payment right after you served them. Do it and return with their change and place it again in front of them. A good thing to do is also to give them a receipt with every transaction so there is record of consumption.

Bar maintenance during serviceBar maintenance during service

“Tipping – is not a city in China”“Tipping – is not a city in China”

Tips - also known as gratuity. It is our bread. It’s the monetary compensation for our work. The restaurant owners do not compensate us with an adequate hourly

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wage for our work. Most bars and restaurants will pay you somewhere between $2.75 and $3.25 an hour. This money is barely enough to cover your social security, city and state tax so you’ll probably end up owing your federal tax at the end of the year. So you depend on tips. And all these tools, sales techniques and advices we give you are meant to help you make better tips. Americans tip – no problem. Europeans, Latin Americans and other tourists generally don’t. So let’s break it down a little just to help you to better deal with situations.

People either tip well or they don’t. First understand that you will be stiffed at least once a night. Don’t sweat it. It will even out eventually. It is funny how that math works out. You will in average always make your 20 % no matter what happens so don’t get involved with that. Focus on customers who you know will tip you and just work your shift. Trust us there is a point during every shift that the end seems to be so far away but it always comes. So let go of the negativity. Another customer will come and you’ll make a five on one drink and will forget all about that group of British tourists that ran up a $120.00 tab and left you zilch.

It’s helpful to grasp that Europeans simply don’t expect that your employer does not pay you for your work. For them that is something that is inconceivable. Those fine people also enjoy a five-week paid vacation and we don’t – so there is a significant cultural difference. Be understanding of that. If you decide to enlighten them about our customs – again please be very diplomatic. Try to explain what is expected of them and do not insist. It is always better to actually involve a manager. Contrary to you the management is paid by the owners to run their business for them so one of their duties is to protect the staff. They are hopefully trained for situations like that and will deal with those issues.

So how much tips should you expect? Well - a dollar for every drink is fine, not great but OK, especially since the devaluation of our national currency has stepped up in recent years. If however someone is running a tab than a 15-20 % gratuity is customary. So a 20 % tip is good and everything above that is a great tip and those customers should be cultivated and nourished. Fellow restaurant workers fall into this category. Some people double the tax and leave that amount. It’s helpful to know that when buying drinks at the bar the customers do not have to pay tax. So that’s a bad reference to use for a tip. Be alert for various professional bar goers and their scams. Those guys are out to get you. We can officially now condemn them but they do exist and they prey in bars, they prey on your money, your booze and the girls at your bar. They are in general lousy tippers but pretend to be your buddies and always make sure to mention how they know you and call up your name. Be careful when you decide to play them. It works best to do that when you work with another bartender as your partner. Than you can play the “good cop-bad cop” routine which drives them nuts, since one of you is always nice, receptive and appears to play along while the other one is tough, looks them in the eye and with cordial distance does not engage in familiarities. This routine is the best defense against the dark arts of the professional bar goer and they usually give up after a few tries.

For female bartenders and waitresses this issue is especially sensitive. They are often subject of harassment based on their looks and the idea of their customers

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that they are something more than bartenders and have in their job description a mandatory flirt session with their customers. Most of those poor souls who look for approval and cure for their loneliness in bars have to be understood and have compassion with but also it has to be made clear to them where the boundaries are.

A word or two about the Boss …A word or two about the Boss …

The Boss is the Boss. He or she is always right. Detach, detach, detach … Try to be wise. It is his or her bicycle and they are doing the steering – you are doing the pedaling. One day when you have your own bicycle you can ride it however you want. It is irrelevant if the Boss is not right in your opinion - you are working for them. If you can not deal with this maybe you should not be in this line of work. Sorry.

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Developing the PersonalityDeveloping the Personality

In this final chapter we will explain to you the other aspect in bartending, the other side of the bar and hopefully help you recognize the different facets of your professional life.

Let us start with a very simple observation that every one of us is composed of a multitude of different characters that form our personality. These characters are what is described in psychology a result of numerous repetitive external influences, conditioning (upbringing) on the part of the society and family and finally one’s accumulated experiences. Every moment of our lives one of those characters takes the center stage and dominates the show of our personality. So it happens that one moment we are happy, and the other one we are sad, one moment we are angry and the other peaceful. We are never one and the same. And to add more confusion to this mixture of noise, illusion and disorder we call this multitude of characters “I”.

Me as I think I am Me as I really am

None of us has a true “I” that is permanent, immutable, eternal, ineffable, etc. Indeed; none of us has a true and authentic Unity of Being. Unfortunately, we do not even possess a legitimate individuality.If we think of each “I” as a different person, we can then emphatically state the following, “Many people exist within each person living in the world.”

Unquestionably, many different persons live inside each one of us, some of them

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I I I I I

I I I I I

I I I I I

I I I I I

I I I I I

I I I I I

I I I I I

I I I I I

I I I I I

I I I I I

I I I I I

I I I I I

I

are better than others, and others are worse...Each one of these “I”s, each one of these persons, struggles for supremacy. As often as possible, each one of these “I”s wants to be exclusive. Each one wants to control the intellectual brain or the emotional and motor centers until another substitutes it...

The result of such psychological state is called “sleep”. Everything happens to us as a result of us being unconscious of ourselves and believing that we are always one and the same.

Unfortunately this happens entirely automatically and we -as we are- have absolutely no control over it. When we are told about this, we are actually quite surprised since it is so obvious that it is so but we haven’t thought about it earlier.

It is very easy to experimentally prove this condition to our critical mind who struggles to comprehend the inner and outer world. Give yourself a simple task. Such as: For a period of 14 days, at exactly the same time of the day, perform a simple action of your choice for a certain but short amount of time. The action should really be something simple like reading the news every morning for 15 minutes, or writing in your diary for 10 minutes, or taking a walk for 20 minutes. The point is that it has to be simple, preferably enjoyable, it has to be done every day for the duration of the aim and it has to last for the exact, predetermined time – not a minute shorter or longer. You will be very surprised when you realize how difficult it is to actually do this experiment successfully. It is very hard and the reason is that since we are never one and the same “I” – the “I” that is currently taking the pedestal will not remember or even know what the other “I” has promised. Remember how many times did you go to bed at night “determined” that from the next morning you will do things differently and how surprised you were when you realized in the morning that you forgot all about it.What one “I” promises does not mean that the whole human machine will actually do. It implies that it is very hard to do what one said he/she will do.

What does this observation has to do with working behind the bar and serving people? The answer is like in rest of our life – everything! You really want to pay attention and to be as aware, present and conscious as possible when you are bombarded with so many stimuli and automatic reactions on a night behind the bar. Every reaction a human machine produces is a result of a certain action that provokes that exact automated reaction. Somebody tells you – You look really nice today – and without being conscious about their observation – you smile. Like a software program when given a command – you respond with a predetermined answer. It is a result of a permanent state in our personality, which we call the “waking state”. A man spends roughly a third of his life sleeping. The rest of one’s life is spent in the “waking state” in which we learn, work, enjoy ourselves, are physically active, get married, etc. Regrettably even if we think we are awake and conscious we are actually acting very mechanical and have absolutely no control about what will and is happening to us. This is the last place you’d want to be when you are working behind the bar. Just remember the nights when you worked so hard and were at the end of the night physically tired but were in good spirits and appear not to have lost a lot of energy.

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Remember also the nights when at the end you weren’t only physically tired and exhausted but also emotionally drained and “heavy”. The difference in those two experiences is in maintaining force and remembering ones intention. In the first example the force and energy was somehow maintained and you didn’t identify emotionally with all that was going on that particular night. In the other example – you did identify emotionally with everything and therefore got upset, or got exited, or got insulted, or got praised, or not praised, or liked, or not liked, you got bored, etc. In other words – you got personally involved. Now be careful when thinking about this – getting identified emotionally has nothing to do with being sincere, real or honest. It has on the other hand everything to do with you merely reacting to the outside stimuli. How do we change this? It is very important to realize that there is an opportunity to create a “working character” within our personality who takes charge of us when we step behind the bar and are professionally engaged. Many times you hear people say – “I’m a stockbroker, or doctor, or baker or waiter”. People identify with what they do. But this is not who they are – merely what they do. It should not be who they are. So let’s remember that we are this one unit who is alive and who in order to do its job better, a job of giving oneself and serving others, has to consciously develop a new “I” – an “I” who will be our working personality.This is by no means an easy task and it will take a while until you begin to notice the appearance of the working personality within you. But once you begin working on it and training it, slowly but surely it will grow and help you to do your job better.

Self-observation

Self-observation is a tool that will help you get a clearer picture about the way you function from the inside and will also provide you with the ability to take “mental photographs” of yourself and change the way you see and perceive the self and the world. It is in effect – uncritical spying on oneself.

Me observing object, phenomenon

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Me observing self and object, phenomenon at the same time

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Self-observation is an effort in which one observes the machine as a whole. Dividing one's attention is for the purpose of self-observation. One part of your attention is directed at uncritically observing yourself in life. Another part of your attention is not caught up in the external flow of events. It sees one's internal psychological condition.

To do it correctly, one part of your attention is focused on your external circumstances and the other part is directed inward -- in order to observe your internal states and reactions.

You see yourself interacting in the world as an objective observer might. And your changing inner states. Note contradictions. With your divided attention, observe yourself, not something else.

In self-observation, you are a silent witness to the activity within you which reveals to you your stimulus-response nature, personality distortions, imbalance of centers, and leads toward knowing what you must work on.

Self-observation needs to be free-wheeling and spontaneous. Your observations will lead to a catalog of insights about yourself which will then give you a truer picture of what you have to work with.

Practice self-observation uncritically. Do not become identified with what you observe. Try to separate psychologically from all negative thoughts, states, and feelings. Release anxiety, let personality be passive, and observe, observe, observe.

There is no doubt that honest self-observation hurts. It is painful to see in a more objective way the artifice, immaturity, selfishness, absurdities and uncontrolled tendencies of one's behavior. Most people will do anything to avoid seeing themselves for what they are or have become.Merely reaching the point of seeing ourselves as others see us requires a level of dedication to this idea which can endure severe necessary suffering. This effort is not for the fainthearted, the amateur seeker, the gatherer of eclectic information. It can be devastating and brutal when you come face to face with realizations about yourself. But then it becomes profoundly liberating and inspiring.It is true that we need to be "merciless" with ourselves in seeing things for what they are (namely, internal reactions, attitudes, states). But this mysterious practice of self-observation is about creating a new quality of awareness within yourself, and clearing the ground for a new sense of identity. Ultimately, it leads to a development of being that is characterized by great compassion, even for the mechanical and chaotic aspects of yourself.

The effort of self-observation not only gives you new information, reveals ways of seeing that were unknown before, but most especially paves the way for a new, deeper, Self to be born. This watchfulness or vigilance -- as long as it

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remains independent of features, moods, etc -- will generate a recovery of your essential nature which is buried beneath acquired personality.

In making the effort, beginning with self-observation, little by little we disempower those tyrannical “I”s. We create in ourselves a place of knowledge, perspective, and empowerment from which we can act intentionally. As self-centered “I's” lose power under the effect of that effort (through the force of self-observation) we cease to have so many requirements of the world. We become free of constantly needing what we don't have, or constantly being unhappy with what we do have. We recognize that our attitudes and opinions are relative and our likes and dislikes are irrelevant to reality. So it is essential to see yourself objectively or you will not recognize what it is you must work on.

What you need to be observing is what state you are in -- Are you confused? Are you anxious? Are you in negative imagination? Are you inner considering? Are you being critical of what you observe?

Do you notice when you are insincere? Do you see yourself lying, pretending to know, care, understand, be sympathetic, etc.? Can you feel identification when you are in it? Do you see changing I's? Contradictions between “I”s? Buffers?

Do you see vanity? The need to be right? Insisting on having your own way? Being disappointed that you don't have what you want? Do you notice how much of your behavior is based on what you like or don't like?

Below is a way to begin the process of self-observation by starting to identify your cognitive (or thought) distortions. These are the kinds of thinking process we all engage in at different times, especially when under stress or feeling anxious. These distortions lead to all kinds of inappropriate behaviors and unhappy feelings.

Begin by studying the list and identifying which one's you use. Then begin to look for the situations in which you are using them; what you are feeling when you start you engage in one of them, and how you wind up feeling.

Cognitive Distortions

1. All or Nothing Thinking: You see things in black and white categories. If your performance falls short of perfect you see yourself as a total failure.

2. Overgeneralization: You see a single negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat.

3. Mental filter: You pick out a single negative detail and dwell on it exclusively so that your vision of all reality becomes darkened, like the drop of ink that discolors the entire beaker of water.

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4. Disqualifying the Positive: You reject positive experiences by insisting they “don't count” for one reason or another. In this way you can maintain a negative belief that is contradicted by your everyday experience.

5. Jumping to Conclusions: You make a negative interpretation even though there are no definite facts that convincingly support your conclusion.

a) Mind Reading: You arbitrarily conclude that someone is reacting negatively to you, and you don't bother to check it out.

b) Fortune Telling: You anticipate that things will turn out badly, and you feel convinced that your prediction is an already established fact.

6. Magnification (Catastrophizing) or Minimization: You exaggerate the importance of things (i.e., your mistake, someone else's achievement) or you inappropriately shrink things until they appear tiny (your own desirable qualities, or the other's imperfections).

7. Emotional Reasoning: You assume that your negative emotions necessarily reflect the way things really are. “I feel it, therefore it must be true.”

8. Should Statements: You try to motivate yourself with should have and should not's as if you had to be whipped and punished before you could be expected to do anything. “Musts,” and “oughts” are also offenders. The emotional consequence is guilt. When you direct should statements towards others, you feel anger, frustration, and resentment.

9. Labeling and Mislabeling: An extreme form of overgeneralization. Instead of describing your error, you attach a negative label to yourself. “I'm a loser.” When someone else's behavior rubs you the wrong way, you attach a negative label to them. Language is usually highly colored and emotional.

10. Personalization: You see yourself as the cause of some negative external event, which in fact you were not primarily responsible for.

What to do when anger arises?

People who act rudely many times think they have been hurt or wronged. They may think they are not getting “the treatment they deserve or believe they are entitled to.” They then feel angry and act as if what they were thinking is the reality. Their thinking has created, in effect, a distorted reality, which they then accept as the real reality. They may also not feel very self-confident about achieving their goals. For some people, putting other people down, or being rude, is a way they build up their self-confidence. Weird isn't it? Would you like to be such a person?

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Notes:

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