Spirits Flashcards
State the ingredients allowed in the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516
Beer Ingredients:
- Barley malt
- Yeast
- Water
- Hops
Name the 2 main categories of beer
Lagers: Pilsner, Bock
- bottom fermenting yeast
- cool, slow fermentation
- typically lighter in color, body, flavor and alcohol
Ales: Pale Ale, Stouts (Guiness)
- top fermenting yeasts
- warm, fast fermentation
- typically fuller in color, body flavor and alcohol
Steps of Beer Production
- Harvest barley
- Germination - leave barley in warm/humid environment allowing the grains to sprout
- Kiln - to stop germination and possible toast the malt
- Grind into powder
- Steep - in warm water to extract maltose sugar creating wort (
- Boil - add hops and boil the wort, activating hops antibacterial properties and stabilizing the beer
(Hops - flour) - Yeast - add yeast
- Alcoholic fermentation
- Filter, pasteurize, bottle
Define wort and explain the role it plays in beer making
Wort is the sweet, malty liquid that begins by converting the starches of malted grains into sugar
Cognac (Brandy)
Brandy from the Cognac region in Southwest France
Brandy distilled from grapes: Ugni Blanc & Colombard
Distillation:
- 2 distillations in Copper Charentais Pot Still
First distillation - only 28-32%
Cognac Producers: Hennessy Rémy Martin Courvoisier Hine Delamain Martell
Cognac aging:
- 3 Star/VS/de Luxe: 2 years minimum
- Supérieur: 3 years minimum
- 5 Star/VSOP/Ríserve: 4 years minimum
- VVSOP/Grande Ríserve: 5 years minimum
- Napoléon/XO/Royal/Vieille Ríserve: 6 years minimum—> NOW 10 years minimum aging since 2018
Cognac Zones:
- Borderies
- Grande Champagne
- Petite Champagne
- Fins Bois
- Bons Bois and Bois Ordinaires
Armagnac (Brandy)
Brandy from France - made from Ugni Blanc grapes
Main Grape: Ugni Blanc grape
Other Grapes: Baco Blanc, Folle Blanche, Colombard
Distillation: 2 types
- 1 distillation: Copper Continuous Still
- 2 distillations: Copper Pot Still
Producers: Château de Laubade Darroze Château du Tariquet Château de Briat Jean Danflou (négociant)
Armagnac Zones:
- Bas Armagnac
- Ténerèze
- Haut Armagnac
- Blanche Armagnac AOC
Differences from Cognac: Climate, Soil, Cooperage, Coloring
Armagnac aging:
Calvados (Brandy)
Brandy from Normandy, France - Apple cider distilled into brandy
made from distilled apple cider (50-60 varieties of apples used)
Best appellation: Pays d’Auge
Zones:
Calvados Producers: Boulard Adrian Camut Domaine DuPont Lemorton Busnel
Calvados Zones:
- Calvados AOC
- Calvados Pays d’Auge AOC
- Calvados Domfrontais AOC
Calvados aging: Fine/Trois Pommes/VS: minimum 2 years Vieux/Riserve: minimum 3 years VO/VSOP/Vieille Reserve: minimum 4 years Goes d’Age/XO/Tres Vieux: minimum 6 years
Bourbon (Whisky)
- made from at least 51% corn (most are made from around 70% corn)
Pot stilled and aged in charred white American oak
Peat
Fossil-fuel like soil made up of decaying plants and animals compressed in wet, bog land areas.
It burns incredibly well and as such is used to dry grains. That’s why peat is used in some whiskies alongside a smokiness from the burning process. Since it comes from the ground and is very soil like, it imparts earthy, dew-covered grassy notes
Peat is thousands of years worth of decaying vegetation, animals and moss which have evolved into layers
Wine based brown spirits
Cognac - Ugni Blanc and Colombard
Armagnac - Ugni Blanc grape
Calvados - Apple cider
Wine based white spirits
Eaux-de-Vie
Grappa
Marc
Beer based white spirits
Gin
Vodka
Lighter Rums
Lighter Tequilas
Beer based brown spirits
Bourbon Tennessee Canadian Scotch - distilled beer Irish
Scotch (Whisky)
Scotch is a type of whisky
Produced in Scotland
Made from Barley steeped in water and then toasted
Scotch Regions
- Islay
- Highland - Oban
- Speyside - Macallan
- Campbeltown
- Lowland
Type of Scotch:
- Malt Whisky - Macallan
- Blended Scotch Whisky - Johnny Walker Red, Black, Green, Gold, Blue Label
Macallan is a malt whisky from Speyside, Scotland
Junmai
Pure rice wine, no adding of distilled alcohol to the rice
Honjozo
A small amount of distilled alcohol is added to the sake rice
Daiginjo
At least 50% of rice polished away
Ginjo
At least 40% of rice polished away
Shu
At least 30% of rice polished away
Nigori
Milky, unfiltered “cloudy” usually sweet sake
Explain what hops are and their use in beer making
Hop is flour and The bitterness helps balance the sweetness of malt and help stabilize the beer
Hops are the green cone-shaped flowers. The are the source of bitternes, aroma and flavor in beer.
Sake
A fermented rice beverage
Usually 6-20% alcohol
Kura
Beer brewery in Japan
Koji
Is a fungus that produces enzymes necessary for breaking down rice starch into fermentable glucose in sake production
Sake quality levels
Shu - 30% of rice polished away Ginjo - 40% of rice polished away Daiginjo - 50% of rice polished away Junmai - pure rice wine Honjozo - a small amount of alcohol is added
Moscow Mule
Vodka 2oz
Lime juice .5oz
Ginger Beer 4oz
White Russian
Vodka 1.5oz
Kahlua .75oz
Heavy Cream
Negroni
Gin 1.5oz
Campari 1.5oz
Sweet Vermouth 1.5oz
Garnish with orange slice
Gibson & Martini
Gibson:
Gin 2.5oz
Dry Vermouth .5oz
Garnish with 1-3 onions
Martini:
Gin 2.5oz
Dry Vermouth.5oz
Garnish with twist of lemon or green olive
Brandy
Distilled spirit made from fermented fruit juice. It can be produced using grapes or fruit
- Cognac
- Armagnac
- Calvados
Whisky
Whisky is a generic term for “distilled beer”
- Scotch - made from malted barley (produced in Scotland)
- Bourbon - made from at least 51% corn (produced in the USA)
Spirits Method of Production
Continuous Still
- lighter, cleaner spirits not aged and usually bottled and meant for near-term consumption
- continuous, relatively short distillation
- Vodka, gin, lighter runs, lighter tequila and aquavit
Pot Still
- heavier, darker-colored spirits usually aged in wood
- slower, gentler distillation resulting in more complex spirits
- Malt Whisky, Cognac, Armagnac and other Brandies and Whiskies
Gin
Made from cereal grains
Juniper is the predominant flavor
Rum
Made from Sugar cane juice, molasses or dunder
Vermouth
Wine-based aperitif - fortified and flavored with aromatic herbs and spices
Dolin producer (from Chambers appellation in Savoie, France)
Nut based liquors
Frangelico - hazelnuts
Amaretto - almond
Marc
French for a pomace Brandy
Bourbon
Is aged in new American oak barrels that have been charred on the inside and gives extreme flavors
Sake Production
- Milling — milling all of the starchy components, there are different levels
- Rinsing — imparts moisture on the rise
- Soaking — water content has to be concise so that each kernel has the proper amount of moisture
- Steaming — 200-220 degrees Fahrenheit
- Koji-Kin Mold — sprinkle it on the steamed rice and it converts the starches in the rice to sugars for fermentation, takes 4 days or so. This is a multiple parallel fermentation
- Yeast — once you have sugar, the yeast can convert sugar into alcohol after the Koji converts starch into sugar. Yeast ferments the sake and creates alcohol 15-22% alcohol. Diverse yeast strains
What is koji-kin?
A fungus used to convert starches to sugar in sake rice
What type of sake is Namazake?
Unpasteurized
If a sake is labeled Jumai Daigingo
- 50% of Rice grain is polished away
- 50% of Rice Grain is remaining
- no alcohol has been added
What type of Sake is Nigori
Unfiltered
Tequila Aging
Blanco — less than 60 days aging
Reposado— 2 months to 1 year aging in wooden containers
Añejo — more than 1 year in small oak barrels
Extra Aged or Extra Añejo — more than 3 years in small oak barrels
Scotch Whisky
Location: Scotland Regions: —Islay —Highland —Campbeltown —Lowland Types: Single Malt vs. Blended
Irish Whisky
Location: Ireland ONLY
Ingredients: Barley Base
Aging: 3 years in barrel
Producers: Jameson
Canadian Whisky
Ingredients: Corn, Wheat, Rye, Barley
Aging: 3 years minimum aging
Producer: Crown Royale
Bourbon Whisky
Location: must be produced in the USA, most is produced in Kentucky
Ingredients: minimum 51% Corn
Process/Aging: aged in new, charred, American White Oak
Producer: Maker’s Mark
Tennessee Whiskey
Location: must be made in Tennessee
Ingredients: minimum 51% Corn
Process/Aging: filtered through a bed of Tennessee sugar maple charcoal
Producer: Jack Daniel’s
Cognac Brandy
Location: Cognac AOP — Atlantic Coast of France (next to Bordeaux)
Fermentation: white grape-based wines
Grape: Ugni Blanc
Distillation: distilled twice in cooped pot stills
Aging: minimum of 2 years aging in French Oak Cask
Armagnac Brandy
Location: Armagnac AOP — Southwest France Gascony
Fermentation: Brandy distilled from a blen of local grape varieties
Distillation: traditionally one distillation in a unique continuous still
Aging: minimum 2 years aging in French Oak Cask
Calvados Eau De Vie
Location: Calvados AOP — Normandy, France
Fermentation: fermented apples and pears
Distillation: traditionally distilled twice in a copper pot still. Continuous still in some areas
Aging: minimum of 2 years aging in French Oak Cask
Fruit Based Liquers
Orange
— Triple Sec
— Cointreau
— Grand Mariner
Apricot
— Amaretto
Peaches
— Southern Comfort
Whiskey Liquers
Drambuie
Glayva
Irish Mist
Cream Based Liquers
Bailey’s
Coffee Based Liquers
Kahlúa
Ginger based Liquers
Canton
Elderflower based Liquer
Saint Germain
Herb and Nut based Liquers
Anisette Bénédictine B&B Chartreuse Crème de Menthe Frangelico Galliano Ouzo Sambuca
Apples and Pears are the primary fruits of what spirit
Calvados
Cognac and Armagnac are both
Oak Aged and Wine based spirits
What is the base ingredient of rum
Sugarcane or molasses
What is the predominant flavor of Kahlúa
Coffee flavor
Flavoring a neutral spirit with botanicals such as juniper berries and lemon peel is common for
Gin
“Peatiness” is a dominant flavor of what spirit
Scotch Whisky
With what spirit is the term “reposado” used to describe aging
Tequila
