Liquor - An overview

Whether you drink regularly or drink socially or even just for medicinal purposes you may not know all that much about the alcoholic beverages you drink. Sure, you don't need to know, but trust me, it is fun to know. Besides, once you do know you can use this knowledge to make better drinks and (fanfare please) have more fun.

Now all alcoholic beverages start as some sort of organic substance such as fruits, grains or even vegetables. The juice or a mash of these substances are then fermented to make alcohol. For some alcoholic beverages the mash or juice is merely strained or filtered to obtain the desired beverage such as wine and beer. The beverages or beverage ingredients that we know as liquor take a more complicated path. After the mash is fermented the alcohol is then boiled off and recondensed in another container. Now any well-distilled alcohol from any source can be called "spirits". It is the particular source grains, fruit or vegetables and how the distillate is aged or further handled that define the six standard liquor types we generally drink. The six liquors being: brandy, vodka, gin, whiskey, rum and tequila. I say six standard liquors because these are the common liquor types found in North America and Europe but not the only liquors possible.

Now, perhaps I should present a short glossary to define terms before I go on.

Beer An alcoholic beverage brewed mainly from malt and hops
Wine The fermented juice of a plant product, such as grapes, plums or rice, used as a beverage. Most particularly the fermented juice of grapes.
Spirits Any distilled alcohol.
Liquor A liquid substance. Commonly a distilled alcoholic beverage.
Liqueur A distilled alcohol flavored with aromatic substances and usually sweetened.
Brandy A liquor distilled from wine or other fermented fruit juices.
Vodka A colorless liquor distilled from a grain or vegetable mash.
Gin A liquor distilled from a grain mash and flavored with juniper berries and other aromatic herbs.
Whiskey A liquor distilled from the fermented mash of grain; rye, corn, barley.
Rum An alcoholic liquor made from molasses or sugarcane.
Tequila A liquor distilled from the juice of the Blue Agave plant in Mexico.

OK, now let us move on. We will skip the discussions on beer and wine, as they are whole worlds unto themselves. Let us focus on the liquors.

Brandy

Legend has it that brandy was invented by Dutch merchants who were shipping wine from Italy to Holland and Germany. Since they wanted to make more profit, and they realized the fun part of wine was the alcohol, the merchants decided to distill the wine down to its important ingredients so they could ship more, adding water at their destination to regain the bulk. However, their customers at their destination quickly discovered that they liked the distilled product just fine. Which led to a new industry distilling wines in northern Europe to make Brandywine, from Dutch brandewijn (burning wine) or as shortened, brandy.

The term Brandy by itself refers to distilled grape wine. Pommace refers to brandy made from the fermented pulp or grapes left over from juice pressing. The distilled products of other fruits can bear the name Brandy but are precursed by the type of fruit, such as blackberry brandy. Some brandies are typed by the geographical location where they are made. Cognac is from the Cognac region of France, and Armagnac is from the Gascony region of France. Schnapps can be considered a brandy and is from the Germanys. Brandy is generally aged in oak barrels, however some fruit brandies are bottled without aging.

Brandy is meant to be drunk "neat" often in a snifter glass to enjoy the aroma. Like all liquors Brandy can be mixed with other ingredients to make a variety of cocktails.

Vodka

Vodka is a clear, colorless liquor with little taste or aroma. Originally distilled from rye and barley malt, but now distilled from other grains, potatoes and beets. Vodka probably originated in a grain-growing region that now embraces Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, and western Russia, and is considered the national drink of Russia. Vodka is often drunk "neat", without mixtures, in Europe, but rarely so in America. Lacking in color, taste and aroma, Vodka mixes well a variety of juices, and other liquors and liqueurs.

Gin

Gin is a clear, colorless liquor distilled from a grain mash, such as barley, malt, maize, and rye, which varies according to place of origin and distilleries and flavored with juniper berries and other botanicals during the distillation process and usually not aged.

Gin originated as a medicine. Invented by Dr. Franciscus de La Boie, a medical professor at the University of Leyden and more widely known as Dr. Sylvius, in 1650. Gin was intended as a diuretic to use in the treatment of kidney disorders. Calling his new medical concoction "genever", from the French word for Juniper, he mixed oil of Juniper berries with grain alcohol, both of which have diuretic properties. Juniper berries are always the main flavorant of gin although many other botanicals are also used. All Gin makers have their own secret combination of botanicals, the number of which can range from as few as four to as many as fifteen. Most gins are not aged, although there are some genever made in Holland that are aged in oak casks.

It was the English who shortened the name to Gin and gave it its notoriety of today. Consumed straight in the 17th and 18th centuries and mixed with "tonic" water in later colonial times it became identified as the national drink of England. The original martini consisted of 1 part gin and 1 part vermouth. In America today, gin is usually consumed mixed with fruit juice and/or soda water.

Whiskey

Whiskey is liquor distilled from a grain mash and aged in oak barrels to obtain color and flavors. The term whiskey comes from the Celtic term uisquebeatha or usquebaugh meaning "water of life". The origins of whiskey are to be found in Scotland and the manufacture spread from there to Ireland and North America. Whiskey is often typed and named for the geographical location in which it is made, but also for the ingredients, type of distillation and handling. Many whiskies are blended to produce a uniform taste over the years for marketing. Whiskey is predominately sold as 80 proof, however higher proofs are available.

Some whiskey varieties:

Scotch Whiskey made in Scotland are usually malt whiskies.
Irish Whiskey made in Ireland and can be malted or unmalted grain whiskey.
Canadian Whiskey made in Canada and are mostly blended and considered rye whiskey. Aged a minimum of three years.
Rye American whiskey made primarily from rye grain.
Corn American whiskey made primarily from corn (maize).
Sourmash An American process where some of the mash of the previous batch is used in the process to insure proper Ph of the current batch.
Bourbon Kentucky whiskey made from corn, wheat and/or rye. Aged in new charred oak barrels a minimum of two years.

Whiskey can be drunk "neat", as shots, on ice or on the rocks, and it mixes well with many juices and soda pops. A famous drink made with whiskey is a Mint Julep. Where a spoonful of sugar and a couple of spoonfuls of water are muddled with mint leaves in a tall glass and then filled with ice and bourbon, garnished with fresh mint sprigs.

Rum

Rum is a liquor distilled from the products of sugar cane. Popularly known as the drink of Pirates, Rum originated in the West Indies and is now made there, The United States, and most sugar cane producing areas. Rum from the islands are primarily fermented from the scum and washings from the boiling of sugarcane in sugar making. Rum made in the United States and Bermuda is made from blackstrap molasses. Rum can be flavored either during the fermentation process, during the distillation process or by adding flavorings afterwards making it more of a liqueur. Rum can be aged or unaged, however most modern rum is aged in some way. Aged Rum is stored in used oak casks the have previously contained Whiskey or Bourbon. Rum is predominately sold at 80 proof, but 151 proof Rum can be found. Rum mixes very well with fruit juices and many types of soda pop. The most famous of rum drinks is the Daiquiri. Although there are many different varieties of Daiquiris they all contain Rum, and a flavorant such as lime juice.

Some Rum varieties:

White Rum Colorless and transparent this Rum is bottled directly after distilling and is aged either in Oak Barrels or in stainless steel tanks with oak chips and filtered to remove any color.
Dark Rum Colored anywhere from light golden to dark brown, this Rum is aged in oak barrels, either charred or uncharred, for a minimum of on year
Spiced Rum Usually a medium brown color Spiced Rum is aged like dark rum only with the addition of spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Overproof Rum Overproof Rum is essentially barrel strength Rum, aged and filtered like White Rum. This Rum is usually sold at 151 proof.
Cachaca Cachaça is a spirit made, in Brazil, from fermented sugar cane juice and typically distilled to between 40 and 45% alcohol by volume. In Brazil, rum is a spirit made from fermented molasses but in the US, Cachaça is considered rum and must be labeled as such.
Rhum Agricole Rhum Agricole is made from freshly-squeezed sugar cane juice, fermented, and then distilled to about 70% alcohol by volume in the French West Indies.

Tequila

Tequila is a specific name for a variety of liquor known in Mexico as Mezcal. The Agave plant is a succulent native to Mexico and the southern parts of North America. The liquor, Mezcal, is fermented and distilled from the juices of the heart of the plant. Tequila is made from Blue Agave and is named for the town where production originally began, Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico. There are other varieties of Mezcal available and one to look for would be Papalomé. Tequila is most famous for being drunk straight, usually as shots with a little salt and a lime wedge. Tequila mixes well with fruit juices. The most famous tequila drink is the Margarita, Made with Tequila, Triple Sec, and Lime Juice. Tequila does not have to be aged and is classified into five types:
Blanco Blanco or silver Tequila is clear and transparent, and bottled immediately after distillation.
Oro Oro or gold Tequila is mellowed by the addition of colorants and flavorings, caramel being most common.
Reposado Reposado or rested Tequila is blanco that has been aged in white oak barrels for a minimum of two months or up to a year. Reposado has a pale color and a mellowed taste.
Anejo Anejo or aged Tequila is blanco that has been aged in white oak casks of no more than 600 litersfor more than a year. Anejo has an amber color and a woody flavor.
Reserva Reserva is Anejo Tequila that has been aged longer. Most Reserva has been aged for eight years.

Now you know a little about the liquors you will find in a well stocked bar. I would suggest performing a taste and aroma test of any liquor before mixing in a drink. To test pour a shot in a rock glass. Swirl the liquor around and smell the aroma carefully. After registering the aroma, take a small sip and swirl the liquor around your mouth noting flavors and sensations. After a few sips and you are satisfied that you have both aroma and taste noted and registered, knock the rest of the shot back and take careful note of the effects of a shot. If not satisfied that you have an understanding of the new liquor, pour another shot and knock that one back. By now you should have an understanding of the aroma, taste and effects of the liquor before you and are ready to make desicions on how and what mix.

Bottoms up!

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