Liquid-Solutions

Eucalyptus Liqueur

2007-08-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

This new liqueur is made with a choice of rich elements, [eucalyptus] and other natural ingredients.
It makes an excellent digestif and must be drinked chilled , also good in Gin based cocktails .
Less strong taste than my eucalyptus syrup but still make it a great substitution .

Taste: notes of menthol and citrus, also slightly sweet, tangy, and spicy with a fresh cool after taste.

Country of origin: Madeira island- Portugal

ABV: 20%

Produced by J. faria & Filhos lda
+351 291742935

anCnoc 12 years Single Malt whisky

2007-06-26T10:50:00.001-07:00

Nose: Soft, very aromatic with a hint of honey and lemon in the foreground.

Colour: Amber with a slight yellow hue.

Taste: Sweet to start with a fresh appetising fruitiness and a long smooth finish.

Alc/Vol. 40%

Tasting Notes by Inver House Distillers

Knockdhu Whisky Distillery History

The Knockdhu Distillery, from which AnCnoc comes, was founded in 1894 following the discovery of several springs of the purest, crystal clear water on the southern slopes of the Knock Hill

Situated beneath the Knock Hill, known to local villagers by its Gaelic name of AnCnoc. Transformed by the Scottish wind and heather, the Knock Hill appears black from a distance, hence the Gaelic name Cnoc Dhubh, from which Knockdhu originates

Knockdhu Distillery is situated on the eastern perimeter of Speyside, which is renowned for its pure spring water and fresh crisp air

When production started in 1894 the Distillery was a showpiece, the two pot stills could turn out 2500 gallons of spirit per week

Today, the two original pot stills remain in the Distillery, providing AnCnoc with its traditional distinctive flavour as tasted over 100 years ago.

Knockdhu has two tall ball shaped stills that produce 11,000 litres of spirit, which equals 4,750 six-pack cases

The conventional, cast iron mashtun’s produce a very clear wort, with a mash size of 4150kg

With six wooden washbacks in total, the average volume produced is 21500 litres. The wooden washbacks generate a more consistent wash, most distilleries today use new steel versions

Traditional worm tubs which were used in the original whisky making process are still used today to produce the finished whisky

The new make characteristics are clean, sharp, citrus, estery and floral

The typical spirit Vat strength is 69% Volume.

FAMILY OF DRINKS

2007-06-18T16:08:00.000-07:00

-COCKTAILS

“Cocktail is stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, juice and bitters”

There are two categories of Cocktails:

Before Dinner- They are aperitifs, composed mostly by dry and medium dry Spirits, or with a low percentage of sugar with the objective to “Open the Appetite”.

After Dinner- They are digestives, composed mostly by sweet spirits or liquors, with the objective to “Stimulate the Appetite.”

Where does the word Cocktail come from? There are many answers to that question, and none is really satisfactory. One particular favourite mine, comes from a delightful story published in 1936 in the Bartender, a British publication, details show English sailors of “ many years ago” were served mixed drinks in a Mexican tavern. The drinks were stirred with “the fine, slender and smooth root of a plant which owing to its shape was called “Cola de Gallo” which in English means “Cock’s Tail”. The story goes on to say that the sailors made the name popular in England and from there the word made its way to America.

- COBBLER

Medium sized drink with crushed ice, usually with any spirit, liqueurs, and fortified wines, fruit juices and syrups. Always garnish with fruits of the season. In warm countries they are prepared and served inside of the fruits.

Brandy Cobbler:

30ml Brandy

10ml Cointreau

10ml Grenadine

- COLLINS

A long drink combining a spirit, lemon juice, sugar, and soda water.

5oml Gin

25ml freshly lemon juice

12.5ml sugar syrup

Top with Soda

- COOLER

A long drink, usually containing wine or another spirit, syrups, and soda, recognisable through its continuous citrus spiral.

Rum Cooler:

40ml Rum

10ml Lemon juice

10ml Grenadine

Top with Soda

- FIZZ

Cousin of the Collins (spirit, lemon juice, sugar) traditionally shaken. Often topped with soda and sometimes ginger ale and champagne, if egg white is added it becomes a Silver Fizz, if egg yolk is added it becomes Golden Fizz, if cream is added it becomes a Cream Fizz.

5oml Gin

25ml lemon juice

12.5ml Sugar syrup

Top with water from a siphon

-DAISY

Similar to fizz, a medium drink (120ml-150m), consisting in a base spirit, fresh lemon juice, and soda, but always containing grenadine.

Gin Daisy:

20ml Grenadine

30ml Gin

10ml Lemon Juice

Top with Soda

- FLIP

Any fortified wine or spirit shaken with sugar and whole egg can be served cold or hot.

Porto Flip:

60ml Port wine

10ml Sugar

1 whole egg

Sprinkle of nutmeg

- RICKEY

Similar to Collins except with lime, not lemon, and not sweetened, generally shaken and garnish with a wedge of lime.

- FRAPPE

Any single spirit served over crushed ice, can sometimes be referred to as a Mist.

¤ SLING

A spirit based drink (often gin), fresh lemon juice, and sugar with sweet liqueur and or grenadine and charged with soda over crushed ice in a sling glass.

Singapore Sling

25ml Gin

25ml cherry liqueur

12.5ml Benedictine

12.5ml orange juice

12.5ml lime juice

3 dashes Angustura bitters

Top up with Soda

- SMASH

A short julep consisting of fresh mint, sugar, and spirit normally muddled with other fruits and possibly a liqueur added.

Whiskey Smash:

40ml Bourbon

6 Mint leaves

12.5ml Sugar

- SOUR

A short, sharp combination of spirit, fresh lemon juice, sugar, egg white, and bitters served in an old fashioned glass.

Whisky Sour

50ml whisky

25ml lemon juice

12.5ml sugar syrup

Dash Angostura Bitters

Dash Egg white

- PUNCH

Derives from the Hindi word for five,” panch” , being the number of ingredients used i.e. alcohol, sugar, citrus juices, water, and spices . Usually served from a bowl with fruit but can be made long in ice filled glass.

Rum Punch

25ml gold rum

25ml dark rum

25ml Lemon juice

Dash Bitters

25ml Orange juice

25ml Pineapple juice

- HIGHBALL

A basic long drink consisting of any single spirit, mixed with another fizzy drink or juice and ice.

Horses Neck

50ml Brandy

Dash Angostura Bitters

Top with Ginger ale

Garnish with lemon Spiral

- JULEP

A long drink of muddled mint, sugar and a base spirit (traditionally, bourbon) served over crushed ice.

Mint Julep

50ml Bourbon

6 mint leaves

12.5ml Sugar Syrup

- POUSSE CAFE

A series of spirits and liqueurs layered one on top of the other (dependant on sugar levels and density) served in a tall straight sided shot glass or a small port/sherry glass, more often used to aid digestion.

Kalua

Baileys

Grand Marnier

- FIXES

A close relation of the Daisy but is built and not shaken and is poured over crushed ice not cracked ice.

Brandy Fixe:

30ml Brandy

15ml Lemon juice

15ml Cherry Brandy

12.5ml sugar syrup

- HOT DRINKS

Any drink that contains boiling water or any other hot ingredient, they are very popular in colder countries, they can be made with hot chocolate, milk, coffee and certain juices.

Irish Coffee

50ml Irish Whisky

2 sugar cubes

60ml hot coffee

Float whipped cream or double cream

- SANGAREES

The word Sangarees comes from the word “Singari” which is Indian for “blood drink”. The drink can be made from liquor, wine or beer which is sweetened and served in a short glass over crushed ice.

Brandy Sangarees

40ml Brandy

12.5ml Sugar syrup

20ml soda Water

- TODDIES

Originally a hot drink made since the early Victorian era, today they can be served both hot or cold. The toddy is basically sweetened liquor with water and various spices.

spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves. Hot Toddies contain a slice of lemon, whereas cold Toddies also contain lemon juice.

Hot Whisky Toddy

50ml whisky

Dash Honey

1 lemon squeezed

1 cinnamon stick

4 Cloves

Grated Nutmeg

Top with Hot water

- CRUSTAS

A medium drink (150ml) consisting by a mixing of any spirit, liqueur, and juices served with a lemon or orange spiral in a sugar rimmed Crusta glass over crushed ice.

Brandy Crusta

40ml Brandy

20ml Lemon juice

12.5ml Sugar Syrup

Dash Maraschino

Dash Angostura

- CUPS

Madden basically by fruit macerations (apples, pears, pineapples, oranges, and strawberries, raspberries in white wine or champagne. The Cups are prepared in big recipients with the cut fruit and the wine or champagne. Cups needed to remain on the fridge least 3 hours, after they can be mixed with some liqueurs and served in champagne or white wine glasses.

- MILK SHAKES

Basically madden by fruits, milk, sugar, eggs, cream in a blender and served in a long drink glass with ice.

- EGG- NOGGS

They are traditionally shaken and served cold or hot in a long drink glass consisting by a mixing of any spirit, eggs, milk, sugar and nutmeg.

Brandy Egg- Nogg

50ml Brandy

12.5ml Sugar Syrup

25ml Milk

1 Egg

Grated Nutmeg

- SANGRIAS

They are prepared in big recipients with a mix of wine, liqueurs, fruits, brandies, lemonade, cinnamon, and mint. Traditionally they are served in jugs.

- NON ALCOHOLIC COCKTAILS

Basically they are prepared with fresh fruits, juices, cream, herbs and non alcoholic fizzy drinks. No alcohol is added.

2007-06-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

GASPER LOVES ROSEMARY

Ingredients:
50ml Campari
25ml Rosemary syrup
25ml Grand Marnier
30ml Blood orange juice
30ml Grapefruit juice
Method: Shake over ice all the ingredients, and strain into a Collins glass.
Garnish: rosemary spring

G' VINE GIN

2007-06-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

G'Vine - Gin From Grapes

Distilled from the smoother grape spirit rather than the traditional grain spirit, G'Vine gin uses the rare green grape flower and a combination of nine whole-fruit botanicals. It has the usual flavor of juniper, only mixed with lime and coriander, and a slight hint of mint.

This isn’t the harsh gin your grandfather mixed with tonic. This one is soft, full-bodied, and made to be mixed.

Available only in New York and New Jersey last year, G'Vine is now rolling out in Florida, Illinois and DC. Hit www.g-vine.com for

2007-06-11T16:44:00.001-07:00

PAULISTA

§Ingredients:

§50ml Beija- Flor Velha Cachaca

§12 Blueberries

§12.5ml Lavender Syrup

§12.5ml Blueberry liqueur

§25ml lime juice

§Method: Muddle Blueberries with lavender syrup and blueberry liqueur, add the rest of the ingredients and shake over ice, and double strain into a martini glass.

§Garnish: Rimmed Lavender sugar

2007-06-11T16:40:00.001-07:00

RHUBARBSKY

§Ingredients:

§50ml Belvedere Orange

§25ml Aperol
2 bar spoons of rhubarb& ginger jam

§3 drops of peychaud bitter's

§Method: Shake over ice all the ingredients, and strain into a old-fashioned glass with ice.

§Garnish: Orange twist

2007-06-11T16:37:00.001-07:00

SCOTTISH ROMANCE

§Ingredients:

§50ml Hendricks Gin

§25ml Lemon juice

§12.5ml Sugar syrup

§5ml Luxardo sambuca

§5ml Mozart dark chocolate

§Method: Shake over ice all the ingredients, and strain into a martini glass
Garnish: 1 star anis floating

2007-06-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

PEARFECTION

Ingredients:

50ml Xante
12.5ml Lemon juice
12.5ml Vanilla syrup
25ml Benedictine
Method: Shake over ice
all the ingredients, and
double strain into a martini glass
Garnish: slice of pear with cloves

2007-06-11T14:19:00.000-07:00

LEMON VERBENA

nTasting Notes: Lemon Verbena as an intense, fresh lemon aroma. The taste echoes the aroma but is less strong; it is more lemony than a lemon, but lacks the tartness. The aroma of dried leaves is retained for up to a year.

nCombines well with: apricots, lemons and limes, mint, coriander.

nCocktail Recipe: Verbena Martini

n12 Lemon Verbena leafs

n12.5ml Apricot liqueur

n50ml Tanqueray gin

n12.5ml Vanilla syrup

n25ml Apricot juice/puree

nShake over ice and strain into a Martini glass.

nGarnish: with 2 lemon verbena leafs

nSource: Humberto Marques

2007-06-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

"EUCALYPTUS MARTINI"

nEucalyptus leafs tasting Notes: very aromatic when crushed young leafs. Leafs are pleasantly pungent flavour backed by strong notes of menthol and citrus. Also slightly sweet, tangy, and spicy with a fresh cool after taste. Leafs can be used to make infusions and syrups.

nCombines well with: Limes and lemons, apples, chocolate, mint, honey

nCocktail recipe: Eucalyptus Martini

n25ml Eucalyptus syrup

n25ml lime juice

n12.5ml Cointreau

n50ml Tanqueray 10 Gin

n3 drops of egg white

nShake over ice and double strain into a Martini glass.

nGarnish: with 1 eucalyptus leaf floating

All about Vodka

2007-06-11T13:46:00.000-07:00

All About Vodka

Vodka shall be taxed at a rate of two kopecks [hm1] per bucketful. - 18th-century Czarist government excise tax regulation.

YVodka is the dominant spirit of Eastern Europe. It is made by fermenting and then distilling the simple sugars from a mash of pale grain or vegetal matter. Vodka is produced from grain, potatoes, molasses, beets, and a variety of other plants. Rye and wheat are the classic grains for Vodka, with most of the best Russian Vodkas being made from wheat while in Poland they are mostly made from a rye mash. Swedish and Baltic distillers are partial to wheat mashes. Potatoes are looked down on by Russian distillers, but are held in high esteem by some of their Polish counterparts. Molasses, a sticky, sweet residue from sugar production, is widely used for inexpensive, mass-produced brands of Vodka. American distillers use the full range of base ingredients.

Distillation of Vodka

The choice of pot or column still has a fundamental effect on the final character of Vodka. All Vodka comes out of the still as a clear, colorless spirit, but Vodka from a pot still (the same sort used for Cognac and Scotch whisky) will contain some of the delicate aromatics, congeners, and flavor elements of the crop from which it was produced. Pot stills are relatively "inefficient," and the resulting spirit from the first distillation is usually redistilled (rectified) to increase the proof of the spirit. Vodka from a more "efficient" column still is usually a neutral, characterless spirit.

Except for a few minor styles, Vodka is not put in wooden casks or aged for an extensive period of time. It can, however, be flavored or colored with a wide variety of fruits, herbs, and spices.

Classifications of Vodka

There are no uniform classifications of Vodka. In Poland, Vodkas are graded according to their degree of purity: standard (zwykly), premium (wyborowy) and deluxe (luksusowy). In Russia Vodka that is labeled osobaya (special) usually is a superior-quality product that can be exported, while krepkaya (strong) denotes an overproof Vodka of at least 56% ABV.

In the United States, domestic Vodkas are defined by U.S. government regulation as "neutral spirits, so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color." Because American Vodka is, by law, neutral in taste, there are only very subtle distinctions between brands. Many drinkers feel that the only real way of differentiating between them is by alcohol content and price.

Types of Vodka

Since Vodka tends to be a neutral spirit, it lends itself to blending with flavors and fortifying other beverages. In the 19th century, high-proof "Russian spirit" was held in high esteem by Sherry producers in Spain, who imported it to fortify their wines.

Neutral spirits are still used to fortify Port, Sherry, and other types of fortified wines, although the source of alcohol for such purposes these days tends to be the vast "wine lake" that has been created by European Union agricultural practices.

Flavored Vodkas have been produced from the start, originally to mask the flavor of the first primitive Vodkas, but later as a mark of the distillers skill. The Russians and Poles in particular still market dozens of flavors. Some of the better known types are:

Kubanskaya - Vodka flavored with an infusion of dried lemon and orange peels.

Limonnaya - Lemon-flavored Vodka, usually with a touch of sugar added.

Okhotnichya -"Hunters" Vodka is flavored with a mix of ginger, cloves, lemon peel, coffee, anise and other herbs and spices. It is then blended with sugar and a touch of a wine similar to white port. A most unusual Vodka.

Pertsovka -Pepper-flavored Vodka, made with both black peppercorns and red chili peppers.

Starka - "Old" Vodka, a holdover from the early centuries of Vodka production, which can be infused with everything from fruit tree leaves to brandy, Port, Malaga wine, and dried fruit. Some brands are aged in oak casks.

Zubrovka - Zubrowka in Polish; Vodka flavored with buffalo (or more properly "bison") grass, an aromatic grass favored by the herds of the rare European bison.

In recent years numerous other flavored Vodkas have been launched on the world market. The most successful of these have been fruit flavors such as currant and orange.

Vodka Regions

Eastern Europe is the homeland of Vodka production. Every country produces Vodka, and most also have local flavored specialties.

Russia, Ukraine and Belarus produce the full range of Vodka types, and are generally acknowledged to be the leaders in Vodka production. Only the better brands, all of which are distilled from rye and wheat, are exported to the West.Y

Poland produces and exports both grain- and potato-based Vodkas. Most of the high- quality brands are produced in pot stills.

Finland, along with the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, produce primarily grain-based Vodkas, mostly from wheat.

Sweden has, in recent decades, developed a substantial export market for its straight and flavored wheat-based Vodkas.

Western Europe has local brands of Vodka wherever there are distilleries. The base for these Vodkas can vary from grains in northern countries such as the United Kingdom, Holland, and Germany, to grapes and other fruits in the winemaking regions of France and Italy.

The United States and Canada produce nonflavored Vodkas, both from various grains (including corn) and from molasses. American Vodkas are, by law, neutral spirits, so the distinction between brands is more a matter of price and perception than taste.

The Caribbean produces a surprising amount of Vodka, all of it from molasses. Most of it is exported for blending and bottling in other countries.

Australia produces molasses-based Vodkas, but few are exported.

Asia has a smattering of local Vodkas, with the best coming from Japan.

Vodka: Its History and Significance

The story is told that in A.D. 988 the Grand Prince of Kiev in what is now Ukraine decided that it was time for his people to convert from their pagan ways to one of the monotheistic religions that held sway in the civilized countries to the south. First came the Jewish rabbis. He listened to their arguments, was impressed, but ultimately sent them away after remarking that the followers of Judaism did not control any land. Next came the Moslem mullahs. Again he was impressed, both with their intellectual arguments and the success of Islam as a political and military force, but when he was told that Islam proscribed alcohol he was dismayed and sent them away. Finally came the Christian priests who informed him that not only could good Christians drink alcohol, but that wine was actually required for church rituals such as communion. That was good enough for the Grand Prince, and on his command his subjects converted en masse to Christianity.

The point of this historical anecdote is that the Slavic peoples of the north and their Scandinavian neighbors took alcoholic drinks very seriously. The extreme cold temperatures of winter inhibited the shipment of wines and beers, as these relatively low- proof beverages could freeze during transit. Until the introduction of distilling into Eastern Europe in the 1400s, strong drink was made by fermenting strong wines, meads, and beers, freezing them, and then drawing off the alcoholic slush from the frozen water.

The earliest distilled spirit in Eastern Europe was distilled from mead (honey wine) or beer and was called perevara. Vodka (from the Russian word voda, meaning water) was originally used to describe grain distillates that were used for medicinal purposes. As distilling techniques improved Vodka (Wodka in Polish) gradually came to be the accepted term for beverage spirit, regardless of its origin.

Vodka in Russia

Russians firmly believe that Vodka was created in their land. Commercial production was established by the 14th century. In 1540 Czar Ivan the Terrible took a break from beheading his enemies and established the first government Vodka monopoly. Distilling licenses were handled out to the boyars (the nobility) and all other distilleries were banned. Needless to say, moonshining became endemic.

Vodka production became an integral part of Russian society. Aristocratic landowners operated stills on their estates and produced high-quality Vodkas which were frequently flavored with everything from acorns to horseradish to mint. The Czars maintained test distilleries at their country palaces where the first experiments in multiple redistillations were made. In 1780 a scientist at one such distillery invented the use of charcoal filtration to purify Vodka.

By the 18th and well into the 19th century the Russian Vodka industry was probably the most technologically advanced industry in the nation. New types of stills and production techniques from Western Europe were eagerly imported and utilized. State funding and control of Vodka research continued. Under a 1902 law, "Moscow Vodka," a clear 40% ABV rye Vodka made with soft "living" (undistilled) water and without added flavorings was established as the benchmark for Russian Vodka.

The Soviet Union continued government control of Vodka production. All distilleries became government-owned, and while the Communist Party apparatchiks continued to enjoy high-quality rye Vodka, the proletariat masses had to make do with cheap spirits. The societal attitude toward such products could be best summed up by the curious fact that mass-produced Vodka was sold in liter bottles with a non-screw cap. Once you opened the bottle it couldnt be resealed. You had to drink it all in one session.

Vodka production in the current Russian Federation has returned to the pre-Revolutionary pattern. High-quality brands are once again being produced for the new social elite and export, while the popularly priced brands are still being consumed, well, like voda.

Vodka in Poland

The earliest written records of Vodka production in Poland date from the 1400s, though some Polish historians claim that it was being produced around the southern city of Krakow at least a century earlier. Originally known as okowita (from the Latin aqua vita —water of life), it was used for a variety of purposes besides beverages. A 1534 medical text defined an aftershave lotion as being "Vodka for washing the chin after shaving." Herbal-infused Vodkas were particularly popular as liniments for the aches and pains of life.

In 1546 King Jan Olbracht of Poland granted the right to distill and sell spirits to every adult citizen. The Polish aristocracy, taking a cue from their Russian peers, soon lobbied to have this privilege revoked and replaced by a royal decree that reserved the right to make Vodka exclusively to them.

Commercial Vodka distilleries were well established by the 18th century. By the mid-19th century a thriving export trade had developed, with Polish Vodkas, particularly those infused with small quantities of fruit spirit, being shipped throughout northern Europe and even into Russia.

With the fall of Communism in the late 1980s, the Vodka distilleries soon returned to private ownership. Nowadays high-quality Polish Vodkas are exported throughout the world.

Vodka in Sweden

Vodka production in Sweden, which dates from the 15th century, has its origins in the local gunpowder industry where high-proof spirit (originally called brännvin) was used as a component of black powder for muskets. When distilleries were licensed to produce beverage alcohol (primarily spice-flavored Aquavit, but also Vodka), it was with the understanding that gunpowder makers had first priority over beverage consumers.

Home distilling was long a part of Swedish society. In 1830 there were over 175,000 registered stills in a country of less than three million people. This tradition, in a much diminished and illegal form, still continues to this day. Modern Swedish Vodka is produced by the Vin & Sprit state monopoly.

Vodka in the United States

Vodka was first imported into the United States in commercial quantities around the turn of the 20th century. Its primary market was immigrants from Eastern Europe. After the repeal of National Prohibition in 1933, the Heublein Company bought the rights to the Smirnoff brand of Vodka from its White Russian émigré owners and relaunched Vodka into the U.S. market. Sales languished until an enterprising liquor salesman in South Carolina started promoting it as "Smirnoff White Whisky — No taste. No smell." Sales started to increase and American Vodka, after marking time during World War II, was on its way to marketing success. The first popular Vodka-based cocktail was a combination of Vodka and ginger ale called the Moscow Mule. It was marketed with its own special copper mug, examples of which can still be found in the back shelves of liquor cabinets and flea markets of America.

Today Vodka is the dominant white spirit in the United States, helped along by its versatility as a mixer and some very clever advertising campaigns from the various producers. One of the most famous of these was the classic double entendre tag line: "Smirnoff — It leaves you breathless."

[hm1]A coin equal to ¹/₁₀₀ of the Russian ruble.