Hard Liquor and Spirit Basics

Question 1

What popular drinks use rum?

Answer 1

• Rum and Coke
• Rum Runner
• Pina Colada
• Tom and Jerry
• Mai Tai
• Zombie

Question 2

What is distinctive about scotch compared to other whiskeys?

Answer 2

According to Scottish regulations, it must be distilled and aged for at least three years and one day

Question 3

What are the 3 most popular beverages in the world?

Answer 3

water, tea and beer

Question 4

Into which four distinct categories are Scotch whiskeys divided?

Answer 4

• Single Malt
• Vatted Malt (Pure Malt)
• Blended Grain
• Single Grain

Question 5

What fermented ingredient is in rum?

Answer 5

Sugar cane byproducts: molasses sugar cane juices

Question 6

What kind of taste should you look for in tequila?

Answer 6

A long finish and a nicely complex aftertaste

Question 7

What is the fermented ingredient in sake?

Answer 7

Rice

Note: Sake is commonly called “rice wine”

Question 8

What should vodka look like?

Answer 8

A fine vodka has a thick and creamy texture when frozen

Question 9

Should gin be completely clear when held up to the light?

Answer 9

If made from natural ingredients, gin need not be completely clear

Question 10

What is distinctive about bourbon compared to other types of whiskey?

Answer 10

Must have 51% corn mixture in its fermented grains

Question 11

What flavors should you look for in rum?

Answer 11

• caramel
• brown sugar
• tobacco
• molasses
• leather

Question 12

What should you look for in the nose of a vodka?

Answer 12

• Good vodka: creamy, sweet, or grainy fragrance
• Bad vodka: medicinal or aggressive with a harsh odor of ethyl spirts

Question 13

Scotch is a variety of what type of liquor?

Answer 13

Whiskey

Question 14

What aromas should you look for when nosing a rum?

Answer 14

• vanilla
• caramel
• butterscotch
• tobacco
• leather

Question 15

What flavors should you look for in a Scotch?

Answer 15

• iodine
• brine
• seaweed
• florals

Question 16

What is the fermented ingredient in vodka?

Answer 16

• grain (usually wheat or rye)
• potatoes
• sugar beet molasses

Question 17

When and where was vodka invented?

Answer 17

14th century Russia

Question 18

Where did Scotch likely originate?

Answer 18

Among ancient Celts

They produced a drink, known as iusge beatha (“water of life”), which evolved into Scotch whiskey

Question 19

What aromas should you look for when nosing gin?

Answer 19

• citrus
• fruit
• floral
• earth
• spice
• wood

Question 20

What popular drinks use vodka?

Answer 20

• Kamikaze
• White Russian
• Long Island Iced Tea
• Lemon Drop

Question 21

Bourbon is a variety of what type of liquor?

Answer 21

Whiskey

Question 22

What is the fermented ingredient in gin?

Answer 22

Neutral grain spirits flavored with juniper

Question 23

How are sour mash whiskeys made?

Answer 23

Different kinds of grains are mashed together and fermented

Question 24

What popular drinks use gin?

Answer 24

• Gin Martini
• Gin and Juice
• Gin and Tonic

Question 25

What should you look for in the appearance of Scotch?

Answer 25

Its darkness is indicative of its age and the type of wood cask it was stored in * Hold the scotch up against a white background and examine the color and clarity * The richest Scotches (and whiskeys in general) have the most prominent legs

Question 26

How do you calculate proof?

Answer 26

Proof is double the alcohol-by-volume, so if a liquid is 50% alochol, it would be 100 proof

Question 27

Do lowballs contain more or less alcohol than a highball?

Answer 27

Lowballs contain more alcohol than a highball

Question 28

What is the fermented ingredient in beer?

Answer 28

Malted barley

Question 29

What do you look for in the nose of a tequila?

Answer 29

* agave * soil * oak * fruit * smoke Note: "agave intensity" is the term used to describe the amount of agave aroma in the tequila

Question 30

Where did rum originate?

Answer 30

Ancient India or China

Question 31

How much beer or wine contain as much alcohol as a 1.5 oz. shot of liquor?

Answer 31

12 oz. beer 6 oz. glass wine

Question 32

What can you determine from the appearance of a rum?

Answer 32

Its age The longer the rum has been aged, the darker it will be

Question 33

What was colonial America's largest and most prosperous industry?

Answer 33

Rum production

Question 34

What is the fermented ingredient in tequila?

Answer 34

Blue Agave

Question 35

What was North America's first indigenous distilled spirit?

Answer 35

Tequila When the conquistadors ran out of their own brandy, they started distilling the Aztec's agave drink

Question 36

What color should tequila be?

Answer 36

Clear, pale yellow, golden, or golden brown (Darker color indicates either extensive aging or the use of caramel coloring)

Question 37

What is the fermented ingredient in whiskey?

Answer 37

* barley * malted barley * rye * malted rye * wheat * maize (corn)

Question 38

Why was the concept of proof created?

Answer 38

18th century British sailors were paid partially in rum, which had to be "proved." The rum was combined with gunpowder and lit. If it burned, the rum was "proved"; otherwise, the rum was watered down too much and was "below proof"