Spirits & Liqueurs Flashcards
What is an ‘eaux-de-vie’?
Alcoholic beverages distilled from fruit other than grapes aka fruit brandies.
Highly concentrated flavours of the fruit which was used.
What is Calvados?
- Calvados AOC in Northern France
- Distilled using fermented apple juice (Cider) & fermented pear juice (Perry).
What are AOC’s for Calvados production?
- Calvados - Continous still
- Calvados Pays d’Auge - Double pot still - 2 years in wood.
- Calvados Domfrontais - Continous still - 30% pears.
What is Pommeau de Normandie?
- VDL made using 2/3 Apple juice and 1/3 Calvados and aged in oak.
What is Abricot?
- Made by distilling fermented apricots.
- Colourless
- French, German or Swiss.
What is Fraise?
- Made by distilling fermented strawberries.
- Colourless
- French, German or Swiss.
What is Framboise?
- Made by distilling fermented raspberries.
- Colourless
- French, German or Swiss.
What is Kirsch?
- Made by distilling fermented cherries.
- Colourless
- French, German or Swiss.
What is Mirabelle?
- Made by distilling fermented mirabelles (yellow plums).
- Colourless
- French.
What is Poire William?
- Made by distilling fermented pears.
- Colourless
- French, German or Swiss.
What is Slivovitz?
- Made by distilling fermented plums.
- Colourless
- Balkan countries.
What is Quetsch?
- Made by distilling fermented red plums.
- Colourless
- Alsace, France.
What is Alcools Blancs?
Eau-de-vies which are aged in glass not wood, leaving them colorless.
Name a few Aniseed based spirits.
- Pernod - aniseed
- Pastis & Ricard - aniseed & licquorice - yellow
- Ouzo - aniseed - colourless
- Absinthe - anise, wormwood & spices - light green.
Name a few bitters.
- Angustora - Trinidad & Tobago - rum based - brownish red.
- Amer Picon - France - orange - light red.
- Aperol - Italy - sweet & bitter oranges - orange red
- Campari - Italy - herbs, fruits & spices - red.
- Fernet Branca - Italy - fruits & spices (40) - dark brown
- Jagermeister - Germany - herbs, roots & spices (56) - dark brown.
- Underberg - Germany - herbs - brown
What is Schnapps?
It is a spirit made by distilling fermented grain and flavoured with fruit or other flavours.
What is Aquavit?
- Caraway flavoured Schnapps
- 51% ABV.
- Danish
- Light yellow brown
What is the ageing for Tequila?
- Blanco or Silver - unaged
- Joven Abocado - unaged mixto tequila
- Reposado - 60 days to 1 year in wood.
- Anejo - min. 1 year in 600L wood.
- Extra Anejo - min. 3 years in 600L wood.
At what temperature does alcohol evaporate?
78.3 °C
Who invented the Continuous still?
- Aeneas Coffey - 1832
What are the first and last vapors which come off during the distillation process called?
- Heads - Forshots
- Tails - Feints.
What is the ideal temperature to measure the alcoholic strength of a drink?
20 °C
What is Gin?
- Gin is a white flavoured spirit produced by distilling a wash made from fermented grain, malted barley, maize or rye.
What are the main botanicals used to flavor Gin?
It is mainly flavoured with juniper berries, coriander, angelica root, orange & lemon peel, liquorice, orris root, cassia bark, cardamom seeds, calamus root, fennel and almonds.
How is Gin flavored?
Gin is flavoured with botanicals either by passing the vapors from the distillate through the flavourings or by steeping them in a spirit and distilling them in a seperate run.
List the various types of Gin.
- London Dry Gin
- Plymouth Gin
- Sloe Gin
- Old Tom Gin
- Dutch Gin / Genever
Describe a Plymouth Gin.
- Unsweetned Gin which derives its sweetness from the botanicals used.
- Bottled at 41.2 percent abv.
Who produces Plymouth Gin?
Plymouth Gin is produced by Coates & Co. at the Black Friars Distillery, Plymouth UK.
What is Sloe Gin?
Sloe gin is made by steeping sloe berries in gin with a little sugar.
What are the other names for Dutch Gin?
- Genever
- Hollands
- Schiedam
What are the different types of Dutch Gin?
- Oude (old) - malted barley, wheat, corn & rye - aged.
- Jonge (young) - grain - unaged.
Name the different types of Scotch.
- Single Malt
- Vatted Malt (Blended Malt)
- Blended Scotch
- Single Grain Scotch
What is Single grain whiskey?
Single grain whisky is from one distillery and made from unmalted barley, wheat or corn distilled in a continuous still.
Name a few popular producers of Single grain whiskey.
- Cameron Brig
- Invergordon.
Name the main regions of Scotland for whisky.
- Highland
- Lowland
- Islands
- Speyside
- Islay
- Campbeltown.
Name the Islands for whisky production in Scotland.
- Arran
- Jura
- Mull
- Orkney
- Skye
Name the distilleries of Campbeltown.
- Glen Scotia
- Springbank
- Glengyle
Name the whisky’s produced by Glengyle.
- Kilkerran - Single Malt
- Glengyle - Blended Malt
Name the popular single malt producers of Lowlands.
- Auchentoshan
- Rosebank
What is the minimum ageing for Scotch whiskey?
- 3 years of ageing in oak casks of max. 700L capacity.
How is Irish whiskey made?
Irish whiskey is made in Ireland from a wash of malted and unmalted barley which is triple distilled in either pot or continuous still or both and aged for atleast 3 years in oak.
Which Irish whiskey producer uses peat during the malting process?
- Connemara - Single Malt
How is American Rye whiskey made?
American rye is distilled mainly from a wash containing a minimum of 51% of rye in a continuous still and aged for atleast 2 years in new charred oak barrels.