Cosmopolitan cocktail

A cosmopolitan is a cocktail made with vodka, Cointreau or Triple Sec, cranberry juice, and fresh-squeezed lime juice or sweetened lime juice. Informally, it is referred to as a Cosmo.

The cosmopolitan gained popularity fairly quickly, traveling from Provincetown, through New York, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and on to San Francisco (Caine) or possibly from Miami to San Francisco, and on to New York (Cook)..

The cosmopolitan gained popularity in the 1990s. According to Brian Gougherty, the cosmo was further popularized among young women by its frequent mention on the television program Sex and the City, where Sarah Jessica Parker's character, Carrie Bradshaw, commonly ordered the drink when out with her girlfriends. In the episode "Sex and the Country", Carrie goes to a drive-through diner and jokingly orders, "A cheese burger, large fries and a cosmopolitan please". The film adaptation made a reference to its popularity when Miranda asks why they stopped drinking them, Carrie replies 'because everyone else started.'

It is not only in television that the cosmo has influenced popular culture. Demeter Fragrance Library has created a cologne intended to smell like the cosmopolitan cocktail.

B-52 cocktail

The B-52 (also B52 or Bifi) is a layered cocktail shooter composed of a coffee liqueur, Baileys Irish Cream, and Grand Marnier. When prepared properly, the ingredients separate into three distinctly visible layers. The layering is due to the relative densities of the ingredients.

There are special machines that can prepare a B-52 (or other multi-layered cocktails) in only a few seconds. However, an experienced bartender usually relies on the traditional, hand-made preparation. Cocktails with horizontal layering, like the B-52, are also called "Pousse Café". This method of the preparation is called "building", as opposed to blending or shaking, thus, B-52s are "built".

B-52s are usually served in a shooter or sherry glass, although a heatproof glass is required when a "flaming B-52" is served. First, a coffee liqueur, such as Tia Maria or Kahlúa, is poured into the glass. Next, Bailey's Irish Cream is poured very slowly over the back of a cold bar spoon, taking care to avoid disturbing the lower layer as the second liquor is poured on top. Just as carefully, Grand Marnier is poured atop the Irish Cream using the bar spoon.

Flaming B-52

For a Flaming B-52, the top layer is ignited, producing a blue flame. Filling the glass to the top reduces the amount of glass exposed to the flames, making the glass less likely to break, but the drink easier to spill. It is best to leave the flaming B-52 on the bartop and drink it through a straw. Once lit the drink should be finished quickly to avoid overheating the glass and burning the straw. Unless the flame is extinguished before drinking, a fireproof straw—such as one made of metal—may be preferred.

Grand Marnier at room temperature will not ignite easily, so it should be warmed up beforehand or topped with an additional layer of a dark overproof rum with 60-80% alcohol by volume.

Bloody Mary

A Bloody Mary is a popular cocktail containing vodka, tomato juice, and usually other spices or flavorings such as Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, beef consomme or bouillon, horseradish, celery, olive, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and celery salt.

The Bloody Mary is intended to cure hangovers and so is generally served in the morning.

While there is not much complexity in mixing vodka and tomato juice, more elaborate versions of the drink have become trademarks of the bartenders who make them. A common garnish is a celery stalk when served in a tall glass, often over ice. A beer chaser may also be served with theIngredients

Bloody Mary recipe courtesy of the New York School of Bartending:

• 1 oz. to 1 1/2 oz. (30-45 ml) vodka in a Highball glass filled with ice.
• Fill glass with tomato juice
• 1 dash celery salt
• 1 dash ground black pepper
• 1 dash Tabasco
• 2-4 dashes of Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 tsp. horseradish (pure, never creamed)
• Dash of lemon or lime juice

Garnish with celery stalk.

May be shaken vigorously or stirred lazily, as desired. Garnish with a celery stalk; a skewer of olives, pickles, carrots, mushrooms, or other vegetables; or even meat or fish (salami, shrimp, etc.) and cheese. Occasionally, pickled asparagus spears or pickled beans are also used.

Packaged Bloody Mary mixes that combine the spicy, non-alcoholic components of a Bloody Mary are commercially available.

Punch

Punch is a general term for any of a wide assortment of mixed drinks, either soft or alcoholic, often rum, generally containing fruit or fruit juice. The drink was brought from India to England in the early seventeenth century, and from there it was introduced into other countries. Punch is typically served at parties in large, wide bowls, known as punch bowls.

The word punch is a loanword from Hindi panch and the drink was made from five different ingredients: spirit, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices. The original drink was named paantsch, which comes from the Parsi word panj for five. The word "five" ultimately from Sanskrit panchan-s.

Alternatively, it may have derived from the word puncheon, a cask that held 72 gallons, from which a punch bowl could be made.

The drink was brought back from India to England by the sailors and employees of the British East India Company in the early seventeenth century, and from there it was introduced into other European countries.

The term punch was first recorded in British documents dating back to 1632. At that time, most punches were of the Wassail type, or with a wine or brandy base, but by around 1655, when Jamaica came out with rum, the 'modern' punch was born and by 1671, there were references to punch houses.

Today, many soft drink manufacturers distribute varying types of "fruit punch" beverages. These are usually colored red and despite the name, most brands garner only a small fraction of their flavor from actual fruit, the majority coming from sugar or corn syrup, citric acid and artificial flavors.

Cups

Cups are another type of punch. An English tradition, served before the departure of a hunting party, but today are served at a variety of social events such as garden parties, cricket and tennis matches and at picnics. Cups are generally lower in alcohol to punches and usually have wine, cider, sloe gin, or other low alcohol liqueur as the base, and often include quantities of fruit juices and/or soft drinks. One well known cup is the Pimm's Cup, using Pimm's №1 and British-style lemonade at a ratio of 1:2, a squeeze of lemon juice, then add orange, lemon and apple slice, a couple of cucumber wedges and decorate with borage flowers.

Cocktail

A cocktail is a style of mixed drink. Originally a mixture of distilled spirits, sugar, water, and bitters, the word has gradually come to mean almost any mixed drink containing alcohol.

A cocktail today usually contains one or more types of liquor and one or more mixers, such as bitters, fruit juice, fruit, soda, ice, sugar, honey, milk, cream, or herbs.

The earliest known printed use of the word “cocktail” was in The Farmer’s Cabinet, April 28, 1803:

“Drank a glass of cocktail — excellent for the head . . . Call’d at the Doct’s. found Burnham — he looked very wise — drank another glass of cocktail.”

The earliest definition of "cocktail" was in the May 13, 1806, edition of the Balance and Columbian Repository, a publication in Hudson, New York, in which an answer was provided to the question, "What is a cocktail?". It replied:

“Cocktail is a stimulating liquor composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters — it is vulgarly called a bittered sling and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion, inasmuch as it renders the heart stout and bold, at the same time that it fuddles the head. It is said, also to be of great use to a Democratic candidate: because a person, having swallowed a glass of it, is ready to swallow anything else.”

Compare the ingredients listed (spirits, sugar, water, and bitters) with the ingredients of an Old Fashioned.

The first publication of a bartenders' guide which included cocktail recipes was in 1862 — How to Mix Drinks; or, The Bon Vivant's Companion, by "Professor" Jerry Thomas. In addition to listings of recipes for Punches, Sours, Slings, Cobblers, Shrubs, Toddies, Flips, and a variety of other types of mixed drinks were 10 recipes for drinks referred to as "Cocktails". A key ingredient which differentiated "cocktails" from other drinks in this compendium was the use of bitters as an ingredient, although it is not used in many modern cocktail recipes.

The first "cocktail party" ever thrown was allegedly by Mrs. Julius S. Walsh Jr. of St. Louis, Missouri, in May 1917. Mrs. Walsh invited 50 guests to her home at noon on a Sunday. The party lasted an hour, until lunch was served at 1 pm. The site of this first cocktail party still stands. In 1924, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis bought the Walsh mansion at 4510 Lindell Boulevard, and it has served as the local archbishop's residence ever since.

During Prohibition in the United States (1920–1933), when the sale of alcoholic beverages was illegal, cocktails were still consumed illegally in establishments known as speakeasies. The quality of the alcohol available was far lower than was previously used, and bartenders generally put forth less effort in preparing the cocktails. There was a shift from whiskey to gin, which does not require aging and is thus easier to produce illicitly.

Cocktails became less popular in the late 1960s and 1970s, as other recreational drugs became common. In the 1980s cocktails again became popular, with vodka often substituted for gin in drinks such as the martini. Traditional cocktails and gin are starting to make a comeback in the 2000s.

Liqueur

A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.

The word liqueur comes from the Latin liquifacere (“to liquefy”).

A distinction can be made between liqueurs and the kind of cordials that are made with fruit juice. In some parts of the world, people use the words “cordial” and “liqueur” interchangeably.

Liqueurs date back centuries and are historical descendants of herbal medicines, often those prepared by monks, as Chartreuse or Bénédictine. Liqueurs were made in Italy as early as the 13th century and their consumption was later required at all treaty signings during the Middle Ages.

Nowadays, liqueurs are made worldwide and are served in many ways: by themselves, poured over ice, with coffee, mixed with cream or other mixers to create cocktails, etc. They are often served with or after a dessert. Liqueurs are also used in cooking.

Some liqueurs are prepared by infusing certain woods, fruits, or flowers, in either water or alcohol, and adding sugar or other items. Others are distilled from aromatic or flavoring agents. The distinction between liqueur and spirits (sometimes liquors) is not simple, especially since many spirits are available in a flavored form today. Flavored spirits, however, are not prepared by infusion. Alcohol content is not a distinctive feature. At 15-30%, most liqueurs have a lower alcohol content than spirits, but some liqueurs have an alcohol content as high as 55%. Dessert wine, on the other hand, may taste like a liqueur, but contains no additional flavoring.

Anise liqueurs have the interesting property of turning from transparent to cloudy when added to water: the oil of anise remains in solution in the presence of a high concentration of alcohol, but crystallizes when the alcohol concentration is reduced.

Layered drinks are made by floating different-coloured liqueurs in separate layers. Each liqueur is poured slowly into a glass over the back of a spoon or down a glass rod, so that the liquids of different densities remain unmixed, creating a striped effect.

Gin

Gin is a spirit whose predominant flavor is derived from juniper berries (Junipers communis). Whereas several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, gin is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories. Distilled gin is crafted in the traditional manner, by re-distilling neutral spirit of agricultural origin with juniper berries and other botanicals. Compound gin is made by simply flavoring neutral spirit with essences and/or other 'natural flavorings' without re-distillation, and is not as highly regarded. The minimum bottled alcoholic strength for gin is 37.5% ABV in the E.U., 40% ABV in the U.S.

There are several distinct styles of gin, with the most common style today being London dry gin, a type of distilled gin. In addition to the predominant juniper content, London dry gin is usually distilled in the presence of accenting citrus botanicals such as lemon and bitter orange peel, as well as a subtle combination of other spices, including any of anise, angelica root and seed, orris root, licorice root, cinnamon, cubeb, savory, lime peel, grapefruit peel, dragon eye, saffron, baobab, frankincense, coriander, nutmeg and cassia bark. London dry gin may not contain added sugar or colorants, water being the only permitted additive.

Some legal classifications of gin are defined only as originating from specific geographical areas (e.g. Plymouth gin, Ostfriesischer Korngenever, Slovenská borovička, etc.), while other common descriptors refer to classic styles that are culturally recognized but not legally defined (e.g. Old Tom gin).

Cocktails with gin

Perhaps the best-known gin cocktail is the Martini, traditionally made with gin and dry vermouth. Other gin-based drinks include:

20th Century Allen - Gin with lemon juice and Maraschino liqueur Gimlet - gin and lime juice Gin and Juice - gin and orange juice Gin and Tonic Gin Fizz Gin Rickey - gin, lime juice and carbonated water Gin bucket

The Last Word London Mule, the gin version of a Moscow Mule Maiden's Prayer Negroni Old Etonian Orange Blossom - Plymouth gin and orange juice Pimm's Cup Pink Gin

Ramos gin fizz Salty Dog Satan's Whiskers Singapore Sling Tom Collins Vesper White Lady Gin and Joose

Gin is often combined with a number of other mixers.

Scotch whisky

Scotch whisky is whisky made in Scotland. In Britain, the term whisky is usually taken to mean Scotch unless otherwise specified. In other English-speaking countries, it is often referred to as "Scotch".

Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: Single malt Scotch whisky, blended malt (formerly called "vatted malt" or "pure malt"), blended Scotch whisky, blended grain Scotch whisky, and single grain Scotch whisky.The first written mention of Scotch whisky is in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, 1495. A Friar named John Cor was the distiller.Traditionally the majority of the grain used to make Scotch whisky is sourced from East Anglia in England.

Types of Scotch whisky

There are two major categories, single and blended. Single means that all of the product is from a single distillery, while Blended means that the product is composed of whiskies from two or more distilleries. Traditional practices define five types:

• Single malt whisky is a 100% malted barley whisky from one distillery, distilled in batches in pot stills
• Single grain whisky is distilled at a single distillery from water and malted barley, with or without whole grains of other cereals; it must not meet the requirements of a single malt whisky
• Vatted malt whisky that is a blend of single malt whiskies, from more than one distillery
• Blended grain whisky is a whisky created by mixing grain whiskies from more than one distillery
• Blended Scotch whisky is a mixture of single malt whisky and grain whisky, distilled at more than one distillery

Single grain

The majority of grain whisky produced in Scotland goes to make blended Scotch whisky. The average blended whisky is 60%–85% grain whisky. Some higher quality grain whisky from a single distillery is bottled as single grain whisky. As of 2006, there are only seven grain whisky distilleries in Scotland.

Vatted / Blended malt

Vatted malt whisky—also called pure malt—is one of the less common types of Scotch: a blend of single malts from more than one distillery and with differing ages. Vatted malts contain only malt whiskies—no grain whiskies—and are usually distinguished from other types of whisky by the absence of the word ‘single’ before ‘malt’ on the bottle, and the absence of a distillery name. To qualify as a Vatted Malt, the mixed single malt whiskies are matured in the barrel for 1 year, after which the age of the vat is that of the youngest of the original ingredients. A vatted malt marked “8 years old” will include older whiskies, the youngest constituent was 8 years old before vatting. Johnnie Walker Green is an example of a vatted malt.

Blended

Blended Scotch whisky constitutes over 90% of the whisky produced in Scotland. Blended Scotch whiskies contain both malt whisky and grain whisky. They were initially created as an alternative to single malt whiskies which were considered by some to be too harsh . Master blenders combine the various malts and grain whiskies to produce a consistent "brand style". Notable blended Scotch whisky brands include Bells, Dewar's, Johnnie Walker, Whyte and Mackay, Cutty Sark, J&B, The Famous Grouse and Chivas Regal.

Sex on the Beach

Sex on the Beach is a highball cocktail made from vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice and cranberry juice. It is an International Bartenders Association Official Cocktail. The ingredients may be shaken together in a shaker with ice, and served in a highball glass.

The name of the cocktail is a deliberate sexual double entendre.

Variations

• "Modern Sex on the Beach" replaces orange juice with pineapple juice
• Other variations use both orange juice and pineapple juice
• Coconut rum is often substituted for the vodka
• Sex on the Beach is often made as a Shooter by using half Vodka, half Peach Schnapps and a bit of Grenadine
• The alcohol-free variation is sometimes referred to as "Safe Sex on the Beach", "Dry Humping on the Beach." or "Virgins on the Beach"

Brandy

Brandy (from brandywine, derived from Dutch brandewijn—"burnt wine") is a spirit produced by distilling wine, the wine having first been produced by fermenting grapes. Brandy generally contains 36%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink. While some brandies are aged in wooden casks, most are coloured with caramel colouring to imitate the effect of such aging.

Brandy can also be made from fermented fruit (i.e., other than grapes) and from pomace.

Grape brandy

Grape brandy is produced by the distillation of fermented grapes.

Brandy de Jerez barrels aging

• American grape brandy is almost always from California. Popular brands include Christian Brothers, Coronet, E&J, Korbel, Paul Masson and J. Bavet.
• Armagnac is made from grapes of the Armagnac region in Southwest of France (Gers, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne). It is single-continuous distilled in a copper still and aged in oaken casks from Gascony or Limousin. Armagnac was the first distilled spirit in France. Armagnacs have a specificity: they offer vintage qualities. Popular brands are Darroze, Baron de Sigognac, Larressingle, Delord, Laubade, Gélas and Janneau.
• Brandy de Jerez is a brandy that originates from vineyards around Jerez de la Frontera in southern Spain.^[3]It is used in some sherries and is also available as a separate product. It has a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). The traditional production method has three characteristics: (1) Aged in American oaken casks with a capacity of 500 litres, previously having contained sherry. (2) The use of the traditional aging system of Criaderas and Soleras. (3) Aged exclusively within the municipal boundaries of Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María, and Sanlúcar de Barrameda in the province of Cádiz.^[4]
• Cognac comes from the Cognac region in France, and is double distilled using pot stills. Popular brands include Hine, Martell, Rémy Martin, Hennessy, Ragnaud-Sabourin, Delamain and Courvoisier.
• Pisco is produced in Peru and Chile.
• Portugal: Lourinhã, located in western Portugal, is one of the few brandy-making areas, besides Cognac, Armagnac and Jerez, that have received appellation status.
• South African grape brandies are, by law, made almost exactly as in Cognac, using a double-distillation process in copper pot stills followed by aging in oak barrels for a minimum of three years. Because of this, South African brandies are of a very high quality.
• Other countries: Grape brandy is also produced in many other countries, including Armenia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine. Cyprus brandy differs from other varieties in that its alcohol concentration is only 32% ABV.

The European Union legally enforces Cognac as the exclusive name for brandy produced and distilled in the Cognac area of France, and Armagnac from the Gascony area of France, using traditional techniques. Since these are considered PDO, they refer not just to styles of brandy but brandies from a specific region, i.e. a brandy made in California in a manner identical to the method used to make cognac, and which tastes similar to cognac, cannot be so called in Europe as it is not from the Cognac region of France.

Grape brandy is best when it is drunk at room temperature from a tulip-shaped glass or a snifter. Often it is slightly warmed by holding the glass cupped in the palm or by gently heating it. However, heating it may cause the alcohol vapor to become too strong, so that the aromas are overpowered.

Brandy, like whisky and red wine, has more pleasant aromas and flavors at a lower temperature, e.g., 16 °C (61 °F). In most homes, this would imply that brandy should be cooled rather than heated for maximum enjoyment. Furthermore, alcohol (which makes up 40% of a typical brandy) becomes thin as it is heated (and more viscous when cooled). Thus, cool brandy produces a fuller and smoother mouthfeel and less of a "burning" sensation.

Rum

Rum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak and other barrels.

The majority of the world's rum production occurs in and around the Caribbean and in several Central American and South American countries, such as Guatemala, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil. There are also rum producers in places such as Australia, Fiji, the Philippines, India, Reunion Island, Mauritius, and elsewhere around the world.

Light rums are commonly used in cocktails, whereas golden and dark rums are also appropriate for drinking straight, or for cooking. Premium rums are also available that are made to be consumed straight or with ice.

Rum plays a part in the culture of most islands of the West Indies, and has famous associations with the Royal Navy (See: Grog) and piracy (See: Bumbo). Rum has also served as a popular medium of exchange that helped to promote slavery along with providing economic instigation for Australia's Rum Rebellion and the American Revolution.

The origin of the word rum is generally unclear. Rum is a blunt, Anglo-Saxonlike name. In an 1824 essay about the word's origin, Samuel Morewood, a British etymologist, suggested that it might be from the British slang term for "the best," as in "having a rum time." He wrote that

"As spirits, extracted from molasses, could not well be ranked under the name whiskey, brandy, or arack, it would be called rum, to denote its excellence or superior quality." -Samuel Morewood

Given the harsh taste of early rum, this is unlikely. Morewood later suggested another possibility: that it was taken from the last syllable of the Latin word for sugar, saccharum, an explanation that is commonly heard today. It should be noted though, that the -um is a very common noun ending in Latin, and plenty of Latin word roots end in r, so in reality, one could apply this logic to a plethora of Latin words to draw the link.

Other etymologists have mentioned the Romani word rum, meaning "strong" or "potent." These words have been linked to the ramboozle and rumfustian, both popular British drinks in the mid-seventeenth century. However, neither was made with rum, but rather eggs, ale, wine, sugar, and various spices. The most probable origin is as a truncated version of rumbullion or rumbustion." Both words surfaced in English about the same time as rum did, and were slang terms for "tumult" or "uproar." This is a far more convincing explanation, and brings the image of fractious men fighting in entanglements at island tippling houses, which are early versions of the bar.

Another claim is that the name is from the large drinking glasses used by Dutch seamen known as rummers, from the Dutch word roemer, a drinking glass. Other options include contractions of the words saccharum, Latin for sugar, or arôme, French for aroma. Regardless of the original source, the name was already in common use by May 1657 when the General Court of Massachusetts made illegal the sale of strong liquor "whether knowne by the name of rumme, strong water, wine, brandy, etc."

In current usage, the name used for a rum is often based on the rum's place of origin. For rums from Spanish-speaking locales the word ron is used. A ron añejo indicates a rum that has been significantly aged and is often used for premium products. Rhum is the term used for rums from French-speaking locales, while rhum vieux is an aged French rum that meets several other requirements.

Some of the many other names for rum are Nelson's Blood, Kill-Devil, Demon Water, Pirate's Drink, Navy Neaters, and Barbados water. A version of rum from Newfoundland is referred to by the name Screech, while some low-grade West Indies rums are called tafia.

Beer

Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), and rice are widely used. Most beer is flavoured with hops, which add bitterness and act as a natural preservative, though other flavourings such as herbs or fruit may occasionally be included.

Some of humanity's earliest known writings refer to the production and distribution of beer: the Code of Hammurabi included laws regulating beer and beer parlours, and "The Hymn to Ninkasi," a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, served as both a prayer and as a method of remembering the recipe for beer in a culture with few literate people.Today, the brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries.

The basics of brewing beer are shared across national and cultural boundaries. Beers are commonly categorized into two main types—the globally popular pale lagers, and the regionally distinct ales, which are further categorised into other varieties such as pale ale, stout and brown ale. The strength of beer is usually around 4% to 6% alcohol by volume (abv.) though may range from less than 1% abv., to over 20% abv. in rare cases.

Beer forms part of the culture of beer-drinking nations and is associated with social traditions such as beer festivals, as well as a rich pub culture involving activities like pub crawling and pub games such as bar billiards.

Apsint

Apsinthe is an alcoholic beverage, often mistakenly called liker, whose main ingredient is wormwood, Artemisia absinthium. Apsintot is known for its popularity in France, and especially romantic associations with Parisian artists and writers of the 19th and 20th centuries, until its banning in the 1915th Absinthe most famous brand in the world was Pernod Fils. Apsintot is liker a dark green color, which after receiving pripremanjeto opalescentna yellow-green color. We have similar taste of mastic, Syeda and other liqueurs whose main ingredient is anasonot. Key ingredients are wormwood, anise, miloduh, Melissa, and "Roman wormwood" (Roman Wormwood) (Artemisia Pontica). Some recipes include the root of Angelica, koriander, tickets, and other mountain plants. With a simple maceration (rinse) of wormwood without distillation get very bitter drink, whose bitterness is due to absintinot one of najgorchlivite substances that exist. Authentic recipes include distillation after the primary and secondary maceration, which in turn serves to color.

Each drop, each bottle, brings history which is over 200 years old, which will awaken the imagination, even among those who call themselves consumers of alcohol. It is a magical green drink Absinthe or the Green Fairy.

Absinthe is pijolok which contains 55-75% alcohol, which is basically plant Artemisia Absinthium.
Since the time of Pythagoras hypocrite and the plant was known as a cure for many diseases, but the story begins to drink in 1792 years. when others. Pierre Ordiner begins to produce as a cure for dysentery and malaria. Drink soon given the name La Fée Verte or "Green Fairy" because of its specific color. This drug quickly became a favorite drink among the French troops in Absinthe started Anisa added for better taste.

Absinthe began to gain its popularity and was a source of inspiration for many artists and members of high society (Van Gogh, Picasso, Emile Zola, Ernest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde, etc.).. The biggest popularity experiences from 1880th until 1914, but only in 1910.konsumirani more than 36 million liters of Absinthe. Poplarnosta the beverage expands in U.S., but in 1912 the U.S. authorities to ban the drink, and in 1920 at the time of prohibition, a law for a complete ban on alcohol. However, the drink was so popular, and always naogjalo way to sell. Some Absinthe was selling as a tonic for hair. It is interesting that Absinthe was never banned in Britain and Spain. We drink in a specific way, the high glass that has little Absinthe is poured ice water over a teaspoon of sugar. Each drop turns into a snowy white snowflake in the green Absinthe. Sugar enhances the bitter taste, but the very act of preparing the drink provides extra magic. Water is best to stand in a special fountain designed for that purpose.

Many bohemians worshiped the Absinthe. Oscar Wilde, one of the fans of Absinthe wrote: "First degree opivanje with Absinthe is nothing special, the second you start to prividuvaat monsters, but if you endure, will ultimately reach the final stage when you start to see things like To view, wonderful, things that can not be described.

Influence of Absinthe does not avoid or Hollywood. Many filmmakers have used in Absinthe personnel who gave a landmark film, Moulin Rouge, From Hell, Alfie, Trip through Europe, Murder in number and more.
The story of the Green Fairy has continued its path of travel ..

Wisky

Whisky or whiskey is a type of alcoholic beverage distilled from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and maize (corn). Most whiskies are aged in wooden casks, made generally of oak, the exception being some corn liquors.

Whisky is a strictly regulated spirit worldwide with many competing denominations of origin and many classes and types. The unifying characteristics of the different classes and types are the fermentation of grains, and the practice of distilling the spirit down to a maximum of 80% alcohol for corn and 90% alcohol for other grains, prior to adding water, so as to retain some of the flavor of the grain used to make the spirit and prevent it from being classified as grain neutral spirits or vodka. Whisky gains as much as 60% of its flavor from the type of cask used in its aging process. Therefore further classification takes place based upon the type of wood used and the amount of charring or toasting done to the wood. Bourbon whiskey for example is legally required to be aged in charred new oak barrels, whereas quality Scotch whiskies often used the partially spent barrels from Bourbon production to induce a slower maturation time, adding additional subtle nuance.

The art of distillation began in Asia, with perfumes and aromatics being distilled long before potable spirits, although there is evidence that the early Chinese distilled liquor from rice. It is possible that the art of distillation was brought from the Mediterranean regions to Ireland by Irish missionaries between the 6th century and 7th century. Distillation was brought from Asia to Europe by the Moors, and its use spread through the monasteries, largely for medicinal purposes, such as the treatment of colic, palsy, and smallpox.

Between 1100 and 1300, distillation spread to Ireland and Scotland, with monastic distilleries existing in Ireland in the 12th century. Since Britain had few grapes with which to distill wine, barley beer was used instead, resulting in the development of whisky. In 1494, as noted above, Scotland’s Exchequer granted the malt to Friar John Cor; this was enough malt to make about 1500 bottles, so the business was apparently thriving by that time.

King James IV of Scotland (r. 1488-1513) reportedly had a great liking for Scotch whisky, and in 1506 the town of Dundee purchased a large amount of Scotch from the Guild of Surgeon Barbers, which held the monopoly on production at the time. Between 1536 and 1541, King Henry VIII of England dissolved the monasteries, sending their monks out into the general public. Whisky production moved out of a monastic setting and into personal homes and farms as newly-independent monks needed to find a way to earn money for themselves.

The distillation process at the time was still in its infancy; whisky itself was imbibed at a very young age, and as a result tasted very raw and brutal compared to today’s versions. Renaissance-era whisky was also very potent and not diluted, and could even be dangerous at times. Over time, and with the happy accident of someone daring to drink a bottle which had been forgotten for several years, whisky evolved into a much smoother drink.

In 1707, the Acts of Union merged England and Scotland, and thereafter taxes on it rose dramatically.

After the English Malt Tax of 1725, most of Scotland’s distillation was either shut down or forced underground. Scotch whisky was hidden under altars, in coffins, and in any available space to avoid the governmental Excisemen.^[14] Scottish distillers, operating out of homemade stills, took to distilling their whisky at night, where the darkness would hide the smoke rising from the stills. For this reason, the drink was known as moonshine. At one point, it was estimated that over half of Scotland’s whisky output was illegal.

In America, whisky was used as currency during the American Revolution. It also was a highly coveted sundry and when an additional excise tax was levied against it, the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion took place.

In 1823, the UK passed the Excise Act, legalizing the distillation (for a fee), and this put a practical end to the large-scale production of Scottish moonshine.

In 1831, Aeneas Coffey invented the Coffey Still, allowing for cheaper and more efficient distillation of whisky. In 1850, Andrew Usher mixed traditional whisky with that from the new Coffey still, and in doing so created the first Scottish blended whisky. This new grain whisky was scoffed at by Irish distillers, who clung to their malt whisky. Many Irish contended that the new mixture was, in fact, not whisky at all.

By the 1880s, the French brandy industry was devastated by an American louse that ruined much of its crop; as a result, whisky became the primary liquor in many markets.

Ouzo

Ouzo (ούζο) is an anise-flavored spirit that is widely consumed in Greece and Cyprus. Its taste is quite similar to arak/raki in the Levant and Turkey, pastis or absinthe (France), Sambuca (Italy), mastika (Chios). It can be consumed neat or mixed with water.

The history of ouzo is somewhat murky, but some claim it may date back in one form or another to ancient times. Its precursor is tsipouro (known by some Easterners as raki), a drink distilled throughout the Byzantine Empire and continued throughout Ottoman times. Traditionally, Tsipouro is said to have been the pet project of a group of 14th century monks living in a monastery on holy Mount Athos. One version of it is flavored with Anise. It is this version that eventually came to be called Ouzo^. Modern ouzo distillation largely took off in the 19th century following Greek independence, with much production centered on the island of Lesbos, which claims to be the originator of the drink and remains a major producer. When absinthe fell into disfavour in the early 20th century ouzo is one of the products whose popularity may have gained (it was once called "a substitute for absinthe without the wormwood".) In 1932, ouzo producers developed the method of distillation using copper stills, which is now considered the canonically proper method of production. One of the largest producers of ouzo today is Varvayanis (Βαρβαγιάννης), located in the town of Plomari in the southeast portion of the island, while in the same town pistillate (Πιστιλαδή), a variety of high quality ouzo, is also distilled. Commonly, but not at all traditional in the western world, ouzo is served with cola either in premixed cans or bottles or simply mixed to the desired taste. However Ouzo is traditionally mixed with water, becoming cloudy white, sometimes with a faint blue tinge, and served with ice cubes in a small glass. Ouzo can also be drunk, straight, from a shot glass. Mixing ouzo with cola destroys the liquorice-like taste of Ouzo. On October 25, 2006, Greece won the right to label ouzo as an exclusively Greek product. The European Union now recognizes ouzo, as well as the Greek drinks tsipouro and tsikoudia, as products with a protected designation of origin, which prohibits makers outside Greece from using the name.