Learn and Appreciate More
Booze, liquor, hard alcohol or whatever you want to call is preferred by many men over beer or wine. You can mixed delicious drinks using one or several different types. Knowing more about hard liquor will not only make you appreciate them more but will also give you a working knowledge of what to look for when it comes to high quality brands. In this article I give you the history, ingredients and distilling process of 10 of the most popular types.
Absinthe
Absinthe is a highly alcoholic liquor originally developed in Switzerland. It gained massive popularity in France during the late 19th century. It was most popular among artists and writers including some famous ones such as Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, Aleister Crowley and Ernest Hemingway.
Absinthe has an alcohol content of between 45-75% which is 90–148 proof. It is distilled from botanicals such as flowers and leaves of Artemisia absinthium ("grand wormwood"), green anise, sweet fennel and other herbs. This gives Absinthe a natural green colour but it can also be colourless. Absinthe has gained a reputation for having psychoactive properties because of the wormwood but these ingredients are only present in trace amounts.
Bourbon
Bourbon is a uniquely American liquor owing its origins to the state of Kentucky. It has been made since the 18th century and it remains very popular, especially in the southern United States. The consensus is that there is no single inventor of Bourbon and the liquor is named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
Bourbon is also referred to as Bourbon Whiskey because it is made the same way as Whiskey with the difference being that some of the spent mash from the previous brew gets added to the new batch. This gives the liquor a slightly sour taste. Bourbon, just like Whiskey is normally made using corn as the mash. It is also aged in wooden barrels that are charred by fire.
Brandy
Brandy is also called Brandywine which refers to its origin as being derived from distilling wine to produce Brandy. Brandy is of Dutch origins where wine makers were looking to find a way to preserve wine for long trips which resulted in a totally different product.
Brandy is a sweet flavourful liquor that is usually enjoyed after a meal which is called a digestif. It is not surprising that the best Brandies are associated with regions that produce the best wines. One of the most popular being Cognac which is produced in southern France.
Gin
Gin has been produced since the middle ages and is of French and Dutch origins. Gin is relatively simple to produce and has one of the most variety of types out of any other liquor. Gin was originally used as a herbal medicine but caught on as favourite liquor of a lot of people. A liquor can be called Gin so long as it is distilled using Juniper berry which is the predominant ingredient and flavour.
Any liquor can be called Gin so long as Juniper berry is used regardless of what other ingredients are present. This has lead to many different versions of Gin being available such as London "Dry" Gin, distilled Gin and Gin with added flavouring not from the distillation process. Gin is cheap and easy to make which has made it the base for many mixed drinks.
Rum
The first instance of Rum may have appeared a long time ago in ancient India but may not have been Rum since the description of it is vague. What is called Rum today was distilled in the Caribbean using sugar cane and sugar cane by-products such as molasses. Rum became so popular that it was used as a method of payment for pirates, the British Navy and slave traders.
Rum is produced in many countries around the world, each have unique characteristics based on where they are made. There are a few different types of Rum including light, golden and dark. Other popular brands include coconut which is light and spiced which is considered dark.
Rye
Rye or Rye Whiskey is from the northern United Sates and Canada. There are two types of Rye Whiskey, American and Canadian. American originates from Pennsylvania and Maryland and must contain at least 51% rye grain in the mash by law. Canadian Rye can contain varying amounts of rye grain and the most popular Canadian Rye is currently distilled in Manitoba. The distilling process is the same as regular Whiskey which uses corn mash and is aged in charred, oak barrels.
During the American prohibition of alcohol Whiskey from Canada was routinely smuggled in across the border. One of the major companies that did a lot of the bootlegging was located in Windsor, Ontario which was Hiram Walker and they still produces Canadian Rye Whiskey to this day.
Scotch
Scotch or Scotch Whiskey has its origin in Scotland. Outside of Scotland it is simply called Scotch. Even-though its called Whiskey the distilling process isn't the same at all when compared to American Whiskey. The mash for Scotch is malted barley which is sometimes mixed with rye or wheat and then aged in oak barrels for at least 3 years.
Scotch is usually served with just ice or neat which is no ice as many including Glenlivet or Glenfiddich are very high quality. Scotch is a favourite among many liquor connoisseurs with the best brands being single malts.
Tequila
Tequila is a liquor that is uniquely Mexican and is distilled from a plant called blue agave. Blue agave was and still is plentiful around the city of Tequila. There are several areas in Mexico where the agave plant is harvested with each region having a slightly different and unique taste. The history of Tequila dates back as far as the Aztec people who made a fermented alcohol using the blue agave plant.
The alcohol content of Tequila can vary depending on the brand. It can range from 38–40% alcohol content (76–80 proof), all the way up to 55% alcohol content or 110 proof. Tequila is aged in oak barrels. There is no specified amount of time that it needs to be aged so every brand is different in that regard. Sometimes the barrels are charred and sometimes not. Tequila makers also like using barrels that were used to age other types of liquor in particular barrels from the Jack Daniel's distillery.
Vodka
Vodka was originally a product of Russia and Poland and is reported to have existed in the 8th or 9th century. At that time it most likely was only 14% alcohol but over the centuries rose to 40%. Vodka remains very popular in Russia and other eastern European country such as Belarus, Estonia, Czech Republic, Ukraine and Latvia. In those countries Vodka is either served simply with ice or neat. In other parts of the world, especially North America, Vodka serves as the base for many mixed drinks.
Since there is no unified rules or laws that cover the making of Vodka the ingredients can vary widely between brands. Traditionally Vodka is made using potatoes and grains which could include sorghum, corn, rye or wheat. American brands like using sugar and fruit flavourings. A lot of American brands are simply solutions of 95% industrial ethyl alcohol that are filtered and diluted several times.
Whiskey
Whiskey is probably the most popular liquor in North America and has several variants based off an original recipe. To be considered Whiskey the common factor must be that the liquor be made from fermented grains such as barley, corn , rye, and wheat and aged in charred oak barrels. Whiskey owes its roots to England and from there it was brought to North America. During the American revolution George Washington, who at this point had his own distiller, used Whiskey as a way to pay his troops.
Whiskey is distilled using copper pots or stainless steel pot with internal copper lining which ensure the whiskey wont leech any flavour from the metal. This is oddly the same process for making moonshine. American Whiskey can be no more than 80% alcohol. Whiskey is made throughout the world and every country makes it is slightly different ways
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