Spirits: S. Am & Others Flashcards
List at least 3 bitter herbal liquers from outside of Italy
Jagermeister (GER)
Boonekamp (GER)
Amer Picon (FRA)
Suze (FRA)
Unicom (Hungary)
Which Mexican states produce Tequila?
Jalisco, Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, Nayarit, and Michoacán
What is tequila distilled from?
tequila is distilled from the cooked piña (heart) of the blue agave plant.
the best tequila is made from 100% blue agave, but most is mixto, or min 51% blue agave
How is tequila distilled?
Either twice in a cooper pot still, or in a continuous still
Tequila aging designations
Blanco or Silver: bottled right after distillation
Reposado: aged two months to one year in oak casks
Añejo: must be aged for at least one year in oak casks
Extra Añejo: min 3 years in oak casks
Define Mezcal, where is it made?
Mezcal is the distilled liquor produced from fermented agave. It is made principally in the state of Oaxaca, but also in Guerrero, Durango, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas
Most Mezcal is made from espadin agave, rather than blue agave
pechuga
Mezcal de Pechuga is made when a finished mezcal is redistilled with local fruits, grains, and nuts, and a raw chicken or turkey breast is hung over the still, cooking in the emanating vapors, supposedly adding to the spirit’s final flavor.
flavor infused through evaporation: The oils of the protein and the fat go into the pot, and as (the distillate) starts to evaporate, the oils carry over. Those oils are very important in the final texture and flavor of the spirit itself.”
What is mixto tequila?
Tequila made with min 51% blue agave, the remainder is fermented from other sugar sources
What is Sotol?
A Mexican distillate DO in the states of: Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango.
Plant Species: Dasylirion wheeleri (A succulent, rather than an agave plant.)
List the Mexican distilled spirits DOs
Bacanora DO
Mezcal DO
Sotol DO
Tequila DO
Charanda DO
Raicilla DO
Mezcal classifications
Añejo: mezcal aged in oak barrels of no more than 200-liter capacity for at least one year
Reposado: mezcal aged in oak barrels for at least two months
White/Joven: young mezcal (Joven being phased out)
Madurado en Vidrio: matured in glass for 12 months in cool dark place
How long does the initial fermentation for tequila take? What is the resulting liquid called?
between 1 and 3 weeks. The liquid will settle after all the sugars have been converted and there are no more for the yeasts to feed on. This is what’s called ‘mosto muerto’ (“dead must”)
resulting liquid is called the tepache, and is about 5-10% ABV . Fermentation may occur in wooden vats or stainless steel tanks.
What is the traditional method of milling pinas? What is commonly used now?
a tahona is a traditional milling stone, weighing up to 1 ton that is pulled by a mule on a flat, circular stone pit. This would grind the pinas and release the juices needed for fermentation. This technique is only used by handful of producers of Tequila
now, a Molina, or mechanical mill is more commonly used
What is Raicilla?
DO for agave distillate made in Jalisco, Mexico. No blue agave allowed!
various age designations, ancestral/ artesenal, Raicilla de la Costa and de la Sierra allow different agave varieties.
What is bagazo?
Agave fiber left over after milling, fermentation, and distillation. It may be used to insulate the hot rocks of the pit oven, and to seal joints on clay-pot stills.
What is Bacanora? What is it made from?
DO for agave distillate made in Sonora, Mexico
Agave angustifolia (also known as Yaquiana)
What is blanco/ silver tequila?
unaged- bottled immediately after distillation
What is maguey?
The preferred term for agave in Oaxaca. The Spanish conquistadores brought the word with them from Hispaniola.
What additives are permitted for Tequila?
Caramel coloring
Natural oak or encino oak extract
Sugar-based syrup
Glycerin
up to 75 g/l of sugar
up to 85 g/l of additives
but total dry matter must be less than 1% of total volume
2023 change- no additives for blanco
What is Charanda?
DO in Michoacan for sugar cane distillate. Must be from 100% sugar cane grown in the delineated area.
Juice, piloncillo, or molasses is allowed
Tequila is distilled to a minimum of what % abv?
35%
Oro / Gold Tequila
Oro/Gold Tequila: Spirit enhanced by “mellowing” with caramel coloring or oak extracts.
How is tequila distilled?
Distillation occurs either in a traditional pot still (twice) or by the continuous method
What agave variety is most Mezcal made from? List some other varieties
espadín (Agave angustifolia)
other: arroqueño, tobalá, tepeztate, and many variations of Agave karwinskii
Mezcal additives
Insects
Fruit
Herbs
Honey
Coloring agents
Meat
up to 5% of volume
abocado
Flavored or infused mezcal. One of the classes of mezcal as defined by the current Norm.
Which mexican states produce tequila?
Jalisco, Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, Nayarit, and Michoacán
What is the traditional method for cooking agave for Tequila? What are 2 other methods
Horno de Tierra- stone lined pit in the ground. very slow, so no longer commonly used
also: autoclave, stone oven
What agave is most tequila made from?
blue agave (Agave tequilana weber azul) - this variety is the fastest to mature, but still takes approximately 7 years before it’s ready to be harvested
cachaca
distilled from sugar-cane juice in Brazil
unaged (Portuguese: branca, “white” or prata, “silver”) and aged (amarela, “yellow” or ouro, “gold”
Sugar production was mostly switched from the Madeira islands to Brazil by the Portuguese in the 16th century. In Madeira, aguardente de cana is made by distilling sugar cane juice into liquor, and the pot stills from Madeira were brought to Brazil to make what today is also called cachaça.
38% and 48% ABV
cachaca producers
Pitu
Leblon
Ypioca
Abelha
Cachaça 51
Canario
Avua
Requirements for Mezacal Ancestral
Pinas must be shredded with wooden bats or stone wheel (tahona) NOT mechanical shredder
Distillation must occur in a clay or wooden vessel
Requirements for Mezcal Artesenal?
Agave pinas must be cooked in pit ovens or cement,
NOT in stainless autoclaves
Maracuja - where is it from? flavor?
madeira / azores
passionfruit
slivovitz- where it from? flavor?
eastern europe
plum
sambuca - where is it from? flavor?
italy
anise and elderberry
What is the difference between quinquina and americano?
Quinquinas are based on chinchona bark as a bittering agent
while americanos are based on gentian root
infusion vs maceration - flavoring spirits
infusion: flavoring agents are soaked BEFORE distillation
maceration: soaked AFTER distillation
what is absinthe distilled from?
aniseseed, fennel, wormwood
what is aquavit?
Scandinavian spirit distilled from potatoes or grain, must be flavored with caraway. additional flavorings like honey, whisky, and sherry are all allwed
min 38% abv
four main styles of baijiu
heavy aroma- very aromatic
sauce aroma- umami/ soi sauce notes
rice aroma
light aroma - like a rough vodka
famous Austrian eau de vie?
Hans Reisetbauer
pear
apricot
cherry
apple
carrot
…etc
how long before agave plant reaches maturity?
5-8 years
plants in the highlands can take up to 12 years
when is agave harvested?
b/t January and May - when plant is most productive
what is a jimador?
agave harvester
what is a coa?
long handled knife used to remove the leaves to expose the piña
sobre maduro
overripe (agave)
how long are piñas baked for in a horno?
24-48 hours. then the steam is shut off and the piñas are left to cool for a further 16-48 hours
slow baking results in more fruit and sweetness
how long does an autoclave take to bake piñas?
around 7 hours at a pressure of 1.2kg/cm2, at 121C.
cooking too quickly increases risk of burning sugars and creating a bitter caramel taste
benefits of estate grown agave?
jimadors harvesting piñas for their own estate will be careful to select perfectly ripe piñas, and also trim back the leaves enough
if selling agave, jimadors are paid on weight and won’t remove as many leaves, which can result in bitter/ adverse flavors
what is a diffusor in tequila?
a giant machine- it crushes the raw agave and uses steam to strip the fibers. sulphuric acid is added to lower the pH, and the juice is heated for a couple of hours to hydrolyze (convert energy into sugars) the inulin.
it is very fast, and reduces the need for labor, but lacks complex flavors
what is aguamiel?
agave juice- what you get after crushing the piña. the sugar content is analyzed, and it may be diluted with water depending on the sugar tolerance of their yeast
when is sugar added for mixto tequila?
right before fermentation- cane or corn sugars added to a max 49% of fermentable sugars.
how long does fermentation take in tequila?
abv after?
24-96 hours
3.8 to 6% abv
what is the product of the first distillation in tequila? abv?
the ordinario. 20-25% abv
tequila after the second distillation
what is the name of the first distillation in tequila?
destrozamiento
abv of tequila after second distillation?
55-75%
tequila min abv for bottling
may be bottled between 35% and 55%
US mandates min 40% for imports
Europe mandates 37.5%
