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Liquor

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Amaretto - An Italian after dinner almond flavored liqueur. The original, Amaretto di Saronne was first made in Sarone Italy in 1525.

Anisette
- A sweet, clear, licorice flavored Italian liqueur made from the anise seed.

Applejack
- An apple brandy produced in the U.S. and France, Calvados is a high quailty version made in Normandy.

B&B
- A mixture of brandy or cognac and benedictine, yeilding a drier product than benedictine alone.

Benedictine
- A liqueur consisting of 27 herbs, plants and peels, originally produced by Benedictine monks in 1510.

Bitters
- A highly concentrated flavoring agent made from roots, bark, herbs and berries used to smooth whiskey.

Blended Whiskey
- Prominant during WWII to stretch dwindling stock by mixing with unaged grain neutral spirits. By U.S. law it must be at least 20% straight whiskey. Higher end brands of scotch, bourbon, canadian whiskey, rye and irish whiskey blend straight whiskey of varying character to produce a distinctive product.

Bourbon
- An American whiskey distilled from a fermented mash of grain that is at least 51% corn and is aged at least 2 years in charred oak. It originated in Bourbon County Kentucky where many distilleries are located today.

Brandy
- Distilled from grapes, it is aged in oak at least 2 years and is usually 80 proof. Napolean Brandy is aged at least 5 years. Cognac is brandy produced in Cognac France.  American brandy is produced in California and is 75% of brandy sold in the U.S.

Bucks
- A drink made with an ounce or so of liquor and lemon juice plus ginger ale and a twist of lemon.

Campari
- An Italian apertif usually served on the rocks with soda and is very dry with a strong quinine taste.

Canadian Whisky
- Made primarily of corn, rye and malted barley like American whiskey. It is distilled by a process similar to bourbon except that a sweet mash is used and it is lighter bodied and smoother. The e is dropped at the end of whiskey in Canada.

Chambord
- A French liqueur made from small black raspberries.

Chartreuse
- A French yellow or green herbal liqueur containing 130 herbs and spices and produced by Carthusian monks since 1605.

Chaser
- A mixer taken seperately after drinking a shot of liquor rather than mixing. A boiler maker is a shot and a beer.

Cherry Marnier
- A French cherry liqueur with a hint of almond.

Cobbler
- A tall summer drink consisting of ice, wine or liquor and a variety of fruit slices, cherries and berries.

Cognac
- A fine brandy produced in Cognac France. It is labled by: V(very), S(superior), O(old), P(pale), E(extra), F(fine), X(extra). VS must be aged at least 1 1/2 years, VSOP 4 years and Extra, Napoleon, Reserve and Vielle 5 1/2 years.

Cointreau
- A fine colorless orange flavored liqueur made from the dried skins of Cuacao oranges. A generic version is called triple sec.

Collins
- Tall, punch like drinks made with lime or lemon juice, sugar, soda water over ice. Tom=Gin, John=Whiskey, Joe=Scotch.

Cooler
- A low alcohol drink made with white or red wine mixed with 7up, ginger ale, club soda or citrus juice.

Cordials
- Sweetened spirits distilled from fruit, seeds, herbs and peels, same as liqueur.

Creme de..
- An all purpose term indicating a liqueur with flavors such as almond, banana, coconut, cocoa, cassis, menthe, etc.

Cuarente y Tres
- A brandy based liqueur from Spain containing 43 ingredients and a hint of vanilla, also known as Licor 43.

Curacao
- Generic term for liqueur made from dried skins of curacao oranges. It can be blue, white or orange, the taste is the same.

Drambuie
- A whiskey liqueur consisting of Highland malt scotch whiskey, heather honey and herbs.

Dry
- A term applied to a form of wine or liqueur to donote lack of sweetness.

Frangelico
- A hazelnut liqueur from Italy.

Galliano
- A sweetish, golden Italian liquor with an herby, spicy taste.

Gin
- Basically grain alcohol, mostly corn(75%), some malted barley(15%) and other grains(10%). It is redistilled through juniper berries and botanicals to give it a distinctive taste. Most of it is London Dry which is clean and unsweet. It is unaged.

Goldwasser
- A spicy citrus flavored liqueur with 22K gold flakes mixed in, originally made in 1598.

Grain Neutral Spirits
- Colorless, tasteless, distilled from grain at 190 proof, used to make blended whiskey, gin, vodka and liqueurs.

Grand Marnier
- An orange flavored cognac based French liqueur of the curacao type.

Grappa
- An Italian brandy distilled from the skins after the juice of grapes have been extracted. Fiery, but mellow with age.

Grenadine
- Sweet syrup flavoring for drinks made from pomegranate juice containing little or no alcohol.

Grog
- Usually a rum based drink with fruit and other sweeteners. Originally issued to sailors in the royal navy.

Highballs
- Any liquor served with ice, soda, water, ginger ale or other carbonated beverages.

Irish Cream
- A mocha flavored whiskey with cream liqueur, a combination of Irish Whiskey, cream, coffee, chocolate and coconut.

Irish Mist
- An Irish liqueur consisting of Irish whiskey and heather honey.

Irish Whiskey
- Distilled from a grain mixture of malted and unmalted barley along with wheat, oats and rye, it is at least 7 years old and is the only whiskey distilled 3 times.  It lacks the smoky taste of Scotch.  Blended versions are more popular in the U.S than full bodied, unblended.  The Irish have been said to have invented whiskey 700 years
ago.  The Bushmills distillery dates to 1608 and may be the oldest in the world.

Jagermeister
- a complex, aromatic concoction containing 56 herbs, roots and fruit.  It has been made in Germany since 1878.

Juleps
- Made with Kentucky bourbon and fresh mint leaves(muddled, crushed or whole), served with ice and a mint garnish.

Kahlua
- Coffee liqueur originating in Mexico made from coffee beans.

Light Whiskey
- American whiskey, lighter in taste and body, it is distilled at a higher proof and aged in reused barrels.

Liqueur
- A sweet distilled beverage flavored with a variety of different fruits, nuts, herbs, spices and flowers.

Liquor
- An alcoholic beverage distilled rather than fermented.

Low Ball
- A drink in a short glass consisting of spirits with ice alone or with water or soda.  Also known as on the rocks or old fashion.

Malibu
- A Jamaican coconut flavored rum liqueur.

Maraschino
- A very sweet white cherry liqueur made from the marasca cherry of Dalmatia, Yugoslavia.

Metaxa
- A strong, sharp tasting, aromatic Greek brandy.

Midori
- A pale green melon liqueur of Japanese origin that tastes of fresh muskmelon or cantaloupe.

Mist
- A glass packed with crushed ice to which spirits are added, usually straight.

Ouzo
- An anise flavored liqueur of Greece, usually served on the rocks. Also an Absinthe substitute.

Pernod
- An anise flavored French liqueur and Absinthe substitute.

Pimm's Cup
- A Pimm's No 1 is a liqueur with a gin base, No 2 has a whiskey base, No 3 a rum base and No 4 a brandy base.

Pousse-Cafe
- A sweet multilayered after dinner drink.  Each layer is kept seperate by knowing the heaviness of the various liquids.

Proof
- The measure of the strengh of alcohol.  One degree of proof equals 1/2 of 1 percent of alcohol.  80 proof = 40% alcohol.

Rock and Rye
- A fruit juice that combines rock candy, rye whiskey and fruit slices.

Rum
- Distilled from sugar cane, there are 3 types of rum. Light(white or silver) requires little aging and is tasteless and colorless. Gold or Anejo has more taste and character.  Dark is aromatic and full bodied such as Myers.  They are produced in Jamaica and aged 2-20 years.  Bacardi is a best selling light rum, the original plant in Puerto Rico had a tin roof with bats, hence the logo.

Rye
- The oldest American whiskey, it was originally made in the 1600's by the Scotch and Irish settlers in New York.
It is very full bodied, but lags in consumption to other whiskeys.  It must be at least 51% rye grain, the rest corn and barley.  It is aged at least 2 years in charred barrels.

Sambuca
- An Italian liqueur flavored with anise.  The Italians serve it "with flies", 3-4 coffee beans on top of a glass which is flamed.

Schnapps
- From the German Schappen(to snap), it refers to a mixture of vodka, gin, brandy or other spirit.  In the U.S, it has become known as an intensly flavored, sweet, inexpensive liqueurs of moderate strength (22-30% alcohol).

Scotch
- Produced only in Scotland, most are blends of malt and grain whiskeys with the more expensive brands containing more malt than grain.

Sloe Gin
- A liqueur made from sloe berry, a small wild plum which is soaked in gin.

Sour Mash
- Bourbon whiskey made from a blended grain mash consisting of a new mash and a portion from a proceeding mash.

Sours
- Made of lemon juice, ice, sugar and any basic liquor.

Southern Comfort
- The oldest U.S. liqueur is a blend of bourbon, peaches and peach liqueur.  It is dry, 70 proof and made in St. Louis.

Straight Whiskey
- A blend of several mature rye or bourbon whiskeys.

Tennessee Whiskey
- Made the same way as bourbon except it is filtered through charcoal from hard Tennessee maple trees.

Tequila
- A product of the mezcal plant, specifically the blue agave.  True tequila is produced in Tequila Mexico, it is distilled at least twice.  Blanco(white or silver) is unaged.  Gold is silver with added coloring.  Reposado is aged 2-12 months, Anejo 1-3 years both in oak barrels.  Brands not 100% agave are at least 51%.  Aged tequila take on the flavor of the wood, but mellows with age.

Tia Maria
- A coffee flavored rum based liqueur flavored with spices from Jamaica.  It is drier than Kahlua.

Triple Sec
- A sweet liqueur made from the skins of the curacao orange.  Cointreau is a high quality brand.

Tuaca
- An Italian brandy liqueur flavored with vanilla, citrus, almond, coconut, orange and cocoa.

Vodka
- Comes from the Slavic word Voda(water).  It has been around since the 14th century in Poland and Russia, but has not become popular in the U.S. until the last 50 years.  It can be made from just about anything incuding potatoes, but most are made from grain - wheat, corn or rye.  Water is added to reduce the proof to 80-100, there is no aging.

Whiskey
- The Irish invented it and in Gaelic it means "the water of life".  In the U.S. and Ireland it is spelled with an e. The British, Scots and Canadians drop the e.   All basic whiskeys are made from grain such as corn, rye, wheat or barley. Straight whiskeys are bottled from the casks in which they are aged with water added to reduce the proof. Blended straight whiskeys, like most scotches and bourbons, are a blend of different whiskeys of the same type. Blended whiskeys in the U.S. is a straight whiskey in which grain neutral spirits has been addded.

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