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Alcohol

Liquor vs Liqueur​

Liquor​

  • 6 main types
    • Vodka
    • Rum
    • Gin
    • Tequila
    • Whiskey
    • Brandy
  • Fermentation: process of converting sugar into alcohol
  • Distillation: remove water and creates a more concentrated alcohol

    Liquor: distilled fermented beverage

Liqueur​

Liqueur = Liquor + Sweetener(Sugar)

Vodka​

Neutral flavored Clear odorless Not aged

  • As the taste is neutral, it can mix well with anything
  • BUYING TIPS: Can pretty much buy the cheap one as there's no clear difference

Tequila​

  • Made from blue agave(?)
  • Has to be produced in Mexico in order to be called Tequila (get sued otherwise)
  • 5 types
    • Gold: Mix, 51% blue agave, 49% flavor, tend to be cheaper
    • Silver: Aged in steel barrels for <60 days, natural flavors and sweetness still present, transparent silver color
    • Reposado: Aged in oak barrels 60 days<x<1 year, added notes of oak & vanilla, golden brown color
    • Anejo: Aged in oak barrels 1 year<x<3 years, more complex flavor, caramel color
    • Extra anejo: Aged in oak barrels >3 years, distinc flavor and darker color, more expensive
  • BUYING TIPS:
    • Mixto are often simple in flavor, harsh and burn on the way down
    • Silver work for cocktails, punch bowl & shots

Rum​

  • Made from mollases
  • Silver/white in color
  • Dark rum will have more flavorful taste => Mixin to create cool tropical drinks
  • Underlying flavor is sweet
  • BUYING TIPS: Light rum is more versatile and common in cocktail

Gin​

  • Made from grains or malt
  • Has to contain juniper berries
  • Gin brands add different kind of flavor to their gin (botanicals?)
  • Consistent flavor notes include: botanicals, herbs, lemon & orange
  • BUYING TIPS: Really famous for making cocktail, experiment with different gins, as price does not always indicate quality, age does not matter

Whiskey​

  • Made from distilling grains and aged in wooden barrels => Brown color
  • Types
    • Scotch:
      • made in Scotland, aged for >3 years
      • aged in oak barrels
    • Irish
      • Most popular
      • made in Ireland, aged for >3 years, at least 40% alcohol
    • Bourbon
      • American
      • At least 51% corn, aged in charred oak barrels
      • Sweeter than Scotch
    • Rye
      • At least 51% rye, aged in charred oak barrels
      • Spicy flavor
  • BUYING TIPS: Rye, bourbon, Irish works great in cocktail

Brandy​

  • Made from distilled fruit
  • Cognac & armagnac are the most popular
  • BUYING TIPS: Not popular in cocktail, try with cognac first if want to try