SPIRITS

GIN

Gin is a compounded drink with a typical flavour of juniper berries. It was introduced to the world by the Dutch in the 17th Century. Dutch and English Gins are the most popular.

Queen Anne (1702 – 1714) of England increased the excise duty on beers and spirits in order to popularise Gin. The most famous are Dutch or Holland Gins and English Dry Gins (the word ‘dry’ in this context is a generic term which can be used by any country which produces Gin).

The grain formulae for Gin are:

• Dutch: Equal quantities of Barley; Corn and Rye, cooked to a mash and fermented.
• English: 75% Corn; 15% Barley; 10% any grain (depending upon availability). It is lighter as compared to Dutch Gin.

Gin is a rectified spirit, produced in a column still. Dutch Gins are made in a pot Still. The process of manufacture:

Grains -> Screned -> Soaked -> Green Malt -> Toasting -> Malt -> Crushing -> Grist -> Boiling in Water -> Straining -> Wort -> Boiling for 12 hrs. with sugar -> Cooling to 60°F -> Fermentation in Vats -> Subjecting to Pot/ Patent Still -> Crude spirit with low alcohol content.

At this point, the spirit is flavoured (by the addition of 108 botanicals; the predominant flavours are of juniper berries, coriander seeds and orange peel) in either of the two ways:-

• A part of the distilled is mixed with the botanicals, boiled and subjected to the still, to give in Gin flavours. This is returned to the rest of the distillate and again rectified.
• The entire distillate is flavoured and then rectified. Gin is matured for at least 3 years in oak wood (white) casks.

Brand Names of Gin

Service of Gin

Gin may be consumed:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With tonic water; well chilled
• With lime cordial and soda. (Without soda; it is a ‘Ginslet’. A sweet ginslet has equal quantities of cordial and Gin; with cherry and a dry ginslet, has 15 ml cordial; and 45 ml gin and is garnished with an olive or lemon slice; It is stirred with ice in a mixing glass strained and served.)
• With Citrus drinks, like limca or citra
• With Lemon Juice and soda
• Gin can replace Vodka in many cocktails such as Bloody Marry and Screwdriver

RUM

Rum is a pure product of sugar; which is made from molasses (a black and viscous liquid derived from sugar) or from pure sugar cane juice, which is used to make top-quality rum. The juice is diluted to reduce its sweetness and yeast is added in order to start the fermentation. If rum is made from molasses; the molasses is diluted to reduce. It’s viscosity and then it is fermented. After fermentation, the wort is subjected to a pot still (for top quality rum) as a patent still mainly colourless and hash. It is matured for at least three years; distilled water is added. To lower the alcohol content to 43%. For uniformity of colour, dark caramel is added. No caramel is added. No caramel is added to white rum.

The best RUMs are:

Service of Rum

• With Cola, well stirred
• With Water and Ice
• With Soda and Ice
• As a Soothener in winter with lukewarm water

VODKA

The national drink of Russia is vodka (which is always best drunk; chilled and heated) produced from potato and sweet potato starch. Nowadays, it is manufactured from grains and specifically, not potatoes. It has never matured and is a rectified spirit. To make vodka; a tormented mash of grains is subjected to the patent still. The distillate thus obtained is passed through layers of vegetables and is colourless. For every one gallon of vodka to be thus filtered, ONE AND HALF pound of vegetable, charcoal is needed for at least 48 hours. After 48 hours 20% of the charcoal is replaced by fresh charcoal. Russian Vodka can be sold at an alcohol strength of up to 64% as it is not governed by British Laws.

Brand Names of Vodka:

• Gordon’s Vodka
• Nikolai Vodka
• Cossack Vodka
• Strognoff Vodka
• Pushkin Vodka
• Crown Russe Vodka
• Imperial Vodka
• Golubok

Zubrowka: Zubrowka is an East Polish grass, a blend of which is put in each bottle to impart Bailey’s Irish flavour and yellowish tint. It is 80 proof.

Starka: Nearest in character to whiskey, it is made of rye and is matured. It has 45% alcohol by volume.

Jarzebica: Flavoured with Rowan tree berries and 80 proof.

Luksuowa: Diluted thrice and served chilled and 70 proof.

Wisniowka: Sweet Vodka, flavoured with cherries, drier than cherry liqueur and 80 proof.

Smirnoff: British Vodka, made from grains, filtered twice through wood charcoal which removes undesirable flavour of exceptional purity. It is sold under two strengths i.e. 80 proof and 90 proof.

Service of Vodka

• Vodka is best consumed neat and well-chilled drunk in one gulp.
• It may be served with soda or water.
• Vodka may be served with various juices as a cocktail.
• It can be mixed with citrus drinks like limca.

BRANDY

Brandy is a spirit distilled from the fermented juice of the grape and suitably aged in an oak wood cask. ‘Barndy’ is derived from the Dutch word “Brandjwen”; which means “burnt wine”. Brandy can also be prepared from other fruit juices but in that case, the name of the fruit should be mentioned before the brandy name. Best brandy comes from two regions of France: Cognac and Armagnac.

Cognac:

Cognac is a small district near Charantes (region). The zone from concentric rings around the town of cognacs. The soil is soft chalky, and rich in phosphates, but becomes progressively unchalky as you leave the champagne zones.

White cognac grapes as the grape from which cognac is made:

1. St. Emillion
2. Colombard
3. Folle Blanche

The best cognac brandy comes from the following regions:

1. Grando Champagne
2. Petite Champagne
3. Pordie Champagne
4. Finbols Champagne
5. Pois or Dinacire
6. Bonbois Champagne

Making of Cognac

The harvest takes place in early October. It takes 15 days to 01 month. The grapes are then pressed and fermentation takes place for about 07 – 10 days. The precaution that is taken is pectins (present in the skin) and tannins (in the pips) should not go into the juice. Once the fermentation is finished the grape juice is taken to still for distillation.

Cognac is distilled in copper pot stills. All cognac are double distilled which is in two stages. The wine is heated for two periods of 08 hours each and only the heart of the run is taken off each time; leaving the heads and tails which contain impurities or congeners. The first distillation produces the brouillis (boiling up), which will have an alcohol strength of around 30%. The second distillation known as the bonne chauffe (good heart) produces cognac with an alcohol content of up to 72%.

The ageing is done in a special kind of cask called Linnousin Oak. They are not laid on the ground. They are laid on a wooden still 6″ above the ground as this is the stage when brandy changes to cognac. The raw spirit interacts with wood extracts tannin, colour and flavour. Simutaneously the porous wood allows a low oxidation to the development of the unique fineness associated with cognac. The rate of oxidation is relative to humidity in the cellars; but during the ageing process, 02 to 03% of alcohol is lost through evaporation per year. This proportion is known locally as “The Angel’s Share”.

The final stage is blending. Blending is done to balance the liquor of the brandy which more or less amount of tannins.

The Label:

A few Brands of Cognacs

• Henry
• Hine
• Martell
• Remy Martin
• Bisquit Dubouche
• Hennessey
• Courvoisier
• Hennessey Bras Dor

Some Terms Related to Brandy:

ARMAGNAC

Brandy is distilled from the Gens department of the Gascony region. The central place of the region is known as Condone. Armagnac region is divided into three subdivisions.

• Bas Armagnac
• Tenarese
• Hout Armagnac

The grape variety from which wine is made:

• Grande
• Fin
• Petite

Manufacturing Process of Armagnac:

The base of the white wine is made from the above-mentioned grapes. Armagnac is a product of single distillation. It is distilled in a special kind of still, which is a combination of both pot still and patent still. Another speciality of this is that travelling still so that it can be taken to vineyards.

As it is a product of single distillation it takes more time to mature and age. it generally matures for a minimum of 20 years.

Brands of Armagnac:

• Delord
• Jenneau (Most Popular)
• Cast Tagnon
• Claberie
• Samalens
• Larre Single
• St. Bibot
• De’ Montal

Service of Armagnac:

Brandy is served neatly in Brandy Balloon Glass; Served without any Mix-Ups.

Some brandies because of their earthy taste; because of their age (more maturation) develop a liqueur-like flavour so they are called liqueur Brandy. They are served in a special type of glass called Brandy Snifler or Brandy Inhaler.

Sometimes, lukewarm water is added to brandy in the hot summer to awaken the aroma. Sometimes in coffees, we add brandies.

Indian Brands:

• Honey Bee
• Beehive
• Doctor’s Brandy
• Teacher’s
• McDowell’s No.1
• Aristrocat
• Ceasar (grapy; best in India)

Other Brandies:

In French we call brandies Eau de vie de Marc. They are known as Marc which means water of life. It is a French spirit made from pip sand stalks of grapes. It is also known as Grappa in Italy.

Calvados: – Brandy made from Apples from the Normandy region of France. If that is from any other area of France then that is known as Eau de vie des Pommes.

Apple Jack:- American Brandy

Kirsch:- Colourless spirit produced in the black forest area in Germany; Australia and Switzerland and the Alsace in France. It is made from cherries.

Framboise:- A fruit spirit distilled from Raspberry mostly from France and Yugoslavia.

Fraises:- A spirit made from Strawberries.

Poire as Poire Williams (Soft):- From Pear

Quetsch:- Colourless spirit from plums made in Germany, France and the Balkans.

Mirabelle:- Colourless Spirit from plums made in France, Germany.

Slivovitz:- Made in Germany and Yugoslovia. It is made from Plums which are fermented and service distilled and left in the cask for 01 year, when more plums are added. The spirit then matures for several years more.

Melova:- Made in Greece from grapes