Botanist Flashcards
One serving of straight liquor is
1.5 oz
The large side of a jigger holds __ oz, the small (called __) holds __
1.5 oz, pony, 0.75 oz
Short, wide 6-8 oz tumbler
Old-fashioned glass
Tall & skinny 12 oz glass
Highball glass
If you don’t have a muddler, use a __ (and make sure to ___)
Wooden spoon, strain (so you don’t end up with plant matter)
How do you make a simple syrup? (Remember not to make too much at once b/c it attracts bacteria)
Equal parts water and sugar - boil & dissolve, then cool
Why is agave called a century plant?
It blooms once every 8-10 years
Agave is used to make
tequila, mezcal, pulque, etc.
What is pulque?
The first drink made from agave, from the pulp
How is mezcal made?
Pinas are harvested from the agave plant, then roasted and smashed. The resulting liquid is fermented.
What is pechuga mezcal?
Mezcal infused with fruit and distilled with a raw, skinned chicken breast to cut the sweetness
What are tequila mixtos?
The contain up to 49% non-agave sugars (and are the most common kind of tequila we have)
What is an appellation?
Specific origin (like tequila or champagne)
Blanco vs aged for a classic margarita?
Blanco
What is the recipe for a classic margarita?
1.5 oz tequila, 0.5 oz lime juice, 0.5 oz cointreau (or other orange liquor), splash of simple syrup or agave syrup), garnished with lime
Silver tequila (blanco or plata)
unaged
Golden tequila (joven or oro)
unaged (may be flavored and colored with caramel color, oak natural extract, glycerin, and/or sugar syrup.)
Aged tequila (reposado)
Aged in French oak or white oak barrels for at least two months.
Extra aged tequila (añejo)
Aged at least one year in six-hundred-liter or smaller French oak or white oak barrels.
Ultra aged tequila (extra añejo)
Aged at least three years in French oak or white oak casks of no more than 600 liters.
What is mezcal con gusano?
Mezcal with a worm - just a cheap marketing gimmick
What is the flavor profile of an apple good for cider or brandy?
A spitter - super bitter and tannic
What’s with apple genetics?
They are more complicated than a human’s, and an apple tree will have nothing in common with its parents and will have a completely distinct genetic profile from any other apple trees
Why is cider low in alcohol?
Because apples are low in sugar
What is Calvados/applejack/apple brandy?
A distilled spirit made from cider
Why did applejack get a bad reputation?
Some people made it through “freeze distillation,” which didn’t remove toxic impurities like normal distillation, so it could cause blindness and liver problems
What is the oldest domesticated living organism?
Yeast
What is the science of fermentation?
Yeast eat sugar, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide
How is sparkling wine made?
Yeast is added for a second fermentation during the bottling process
What causes bread dough to rise?
Carbon dioxide
How does fermentation stop?
As alcohol content reaches 15%, the yeast dies
What are non-fermenting sugars?
Types of sugar that yeast cannot digest
What are congeners?
Imperfect compounds made when an enzyme doesn’t match completely correctly. They can be poisonous and distillers must use special techniques to minimize them
What is the “head” of a distillation?
Toxic fusel oils, congeners, evaporate first. They can be used as industrial cleaners, and smell like nail polish remover
What is the “heart” of distillation?
The alcohol that is the intended product, comes after the “head”
What is the “tail” of distillation?
Heavier molecules containing additional toxins, but also flavorful compounds and some is left in to flavor the beverage, comes at the end of distillation
Why is barley so useful to fermentation of various grains?
It has high levels of the enzymes that convert starch to sugar, helping to break them down
What is malting?
Getting a grain wet to start the process of germination and thus conversion of starches to sugars
What is bourbon?
A corn-based whiskey aged in new charred oak barrels
How long is straight bourbon aged?
At least 2 years (with no added colors or flavors or other spirits)
What is the difference between straight and blended bourbon?
Straight bourbon has no added colors, flavors, or other spirits, blended has to be at least 51% straight
What is chica de jora?
A South American fermented corn beer (chica morada is the nonalcoholic version)
What is the base of tito’s vodka?
Corn
What is moonshine/white dog?
A catchall term for unaged whiskeys (usually corn)
What is the requirement for the type of barrels bourbon must be stored in?
Charred new oak barrels (can’t reuse them)
What is brandy?
Distilled wine
What is sherry?
A fortified wine
What is port?
In Portugal, half-fermented wine + brandy, aged for a few years
How is vermouth made?
White wine fortified with brandy or eau-de-vie
What is shochu?
Sweet potato
What is the difference between rye whiskey and straight rye whiskey?
Straight rye whiskey has been aged 2 years
What is St. Anthony’s Fire or dancing mania?
Psychogenic effects of ergot in rye
What is baijiu?
Chinese sorghum liquor
What is the relationship between sorghum and millet?
Millet is a catchall term for several types of grains, including sorghum
