Wine & Spirits Reviews

Distilled Beverage   by jekky

Serving

Neat or straight The spirit is served at room temperature without any additional ingredient.

Straight up This term refers to an alcoholic drink that is shaken or stirred with ice, strained, and served in a stemmed glass.

On the rocks The spirit is served over ice.

With water.

With a simple mixer such as club soda, tonic water, juice, or cola.

As an ingredient of a cocktail.

With water poured over sugar (as with absinthe)

Etymology

The origin of iquor and its close relative iquid, was the Latin verb liquere, meaning o be fluid. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, an early use of the word in the English language, meaning simply “a liquid,” can be dated to 1225. The first use that the OED mentions in reference to a iquid for drinking occurred in the early- to mid-1300s. Its use as a term for n intoxicating alcoholic drink appeared in the 16th century.

The origin of “spirit” in reference to alcohol stems from Middle Eastern alchemy. These alchemists were more involved in medical elixirs than in creating gold from lead. The vapors given off and collected during some of their alchemical processes were described as being the spirits of the original object. When processes akin to distillation were carried out by accident alcohol was produced and the result known as a spirit.

History of distillation

Main article: Distillation

Middle East

The first evidence of distillation comes from Babylonia and dates from the 2nd millennium B.C. Specially shaped clay pots were used to extract small amounts of distilled alcohol through natural cooling for use in perfumes. By the 3rd century A.D., alchemists in Alexandria, Egypt, may have used an early form of distillation to produce alcohol for sublimation or for colouring metal.[citation needed]

Alcohol was distilled for the first time by Persian chemists in the 8th and 9th centuries. The development of the still with cooled collectorecessary for the efficient distillation of spirits without freezingas an invention of alchemists during this time. In particular, Geber (Jabir Ibn Hayyan, 721815) invented the alembic still; he observed that heated wine from this still released a flammable vapor, which he described as “of little use, but of great importance to science”. Not much later Razi (864930) described the distillation of alcohol and its use in medicine. By that time, distilled spirits had become fairly popular beverages: the poet Abu Nuwas (d. 813) describes a wine that “has the colour of rain-water but is as hot inside the ribs as a burning firebrand”. The terms “alembic” and “alcohol”, and possibly the metaphors “spirit” and aqua vitae (ater of life) for the distilled product, can be traced to Arabic alchemy.

Names like “life water” have continued to be the inspiration for the names of several types of beverages, like Gaelic whisky, Scandinavian akvavit, French eaux-de-vie and possibly vodka.

Central Asia

Freeze distillation, the “Mongolian still”, is known to have been in use in Central Asia sometime in the early Middle Ages. This method involves freezing the alcoholic beverage and removing water crystals. The freezing method had limitations in geography and implementation and consequently was not widely used. A notable drawback to this technique is that it concentrates toxins such as methanol and fusel alcohols, rather than reducing concentrations.

Medieval Europe

Distilled alcoholic beverages first appeared in Europe in the 12th century among alchemists who were more interested in brewing medical elixirs than in making gold from lead. They first appeared under the name aqua ardens (burning water) in the Compendium Salerni from the medical school at Salerno. The production method was written in code, suggesting that it was being kept secret. Taddeo Alderotti in his Consilia medicinalis referred to serpente, which are believed to have been the coiled tube of a still.

In 1437, burned water (brandy) was mentioned in the records of the county of Katzenelnbogen in Germany. It was served in a tall, narrow glass called a oderulffe.

Paracelsus gave alcohol its modern name, taking it from the Arabic word which means “finely divided”, in reference to what is done to wine. His test was to burn a spoonful without leaving any residue. Other ways of testing were to burn a cloth soaked in it without actually harming the cloth. In both cases, to achieve this effect the alcohol had to have been at least 95 percent, close to the maximum concentration attainable through distillation (see purification of ethanol).

Claims upon the origin of specific beverages are controversial, often invoking national pride, but they are plausible after the 12th century A.D. when Irish whiskey and German brandy became available. These spirits would have had a much lower alcohol content (about 40% ABV) than the alchemists’ pure distillations, and they were likely first thought of as medicinal elixirs. Consumption of distilled beverages rose dramatically in Europe in and after the mid 14th century, when distilled liquors were commonly used as remedies for the Black Death. Around 1400 it was discovered how to distill spirits from wheat, barley, and rye beers; even sawdust was used to make alcohol, a much cheaper option than grapes. Thus began the “national” drinks of Europe: jenever (Belgium and the Netherlands), gin (England), schnapps (Germany), grappa (Italy), akvavit/snaps (Scandinavia), vodka (Russia and Poland), rakia (the Balkans), poitn (Ireland). The actual names only emerged in the 16th century but the drinks were well known prior to that date.

Modern distillation

The basic process of distillation has not changed since the 8th century. Freeze distillation also remained in limited use, for example during the American colonial period applejack was made from cider using this method.[citation needed] There have been many changes in the methods by which organic material is prepared for the still and in the ways the distilled beverage is finished and marketed. Knowledge of the principles of sanitation and access to standardised yeast strains have improved the quality of the base ingredient; larger, more efficient stills produce more product per square foot and reduce waste; ingredients such as corn, rice, and potatoes have been called into service as inexpensive replacements for traditional grains and fruit. For tequila, the blue agave plant is used. Chemists have discovered the scientific principles behind aging, and have devised ways in which aging can be accelerated without introducing harsh flavors. Modern filters have allowed distillers to remove unwanted residue and produce smoother finished products. Most of all, marketing has developed a worldwide market for distilled beverages among populations which in earlier times did not drink spirits.

Microdistilling is a trend that began to develop in the United States following the emergence and immense popularity of microbrewing and craft beer in the last decades of the 20th century. It is specifically differentiated from megadistilleries in the quantity, and arguably quality, of output.

In most jurisdictions, including those which allow unlicensed individuals to make their own beer and wine, it is illegal to distill beverage alcohol without a licenseith the notable exception of New Zealand, where personal alcohol distillation is legal (although selling still requires an appropriate licence). Although illegal, moonshining has a long tradition in some locations.

See also

Absinthe

Alcoholic beverage

American Whiskey Trail

Brandy

Eau-de-vie

Fractional freezing, sometimes called reeze distillation

Moonshine

Neutral grain spirit

Rectified spirit

Rum

Schnapps

Vodka

Whisky

References

^ Britannica Online Encyclopedia: distilled spirit/distilled liquor

^ Walkart, C.G. (2002). National Bartending Center Instruction Manual. Oceanside, California: Bartenders America, Inc. p. 104.   ASIN: B000F1U6HG.

^ a b Ahmad Y Hassan, Technology Transfer in the Chemical Industries

^ http://www.graf-von-katzenelnbogen.com/begriffe.html See entry at Trinkglas.

^ Exemptions from manufacturing licensing requirements, New Zealand Customs Service, http://www.customs.govt.nz/manufacturers/licensing/exemptions.asp, retrieved 2008-03-24 

Bibliography

Blue, Anthony Dias (2004). The Complete Book of Spirits: A Guide to Their History, Production, and Enjoyment. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. p. 324. ISBN 0-06-054218-7. 

Forbes, Robert. Short History of the Art of Distillation from the Beginnings up to the Death of Cellier Blumenthal. Brill Academic Publishers; ISBN 90-04-00617-6; hardcover, 1997.

Multhauf, Robert, The Origins of Chemistry. Gordon & Breach Science Publishers; ISBN 2-88124-594-3; paperback, 1993.

External links

History and Taxonomy of Distilled Spirits.

Burning Still – Serving the Craft Distilling Community.

v  d  e

Alcoholic beverages

 

History and production

History of alcohol

History of alcohol  History of beer  History of Champagne  History of wine  History of French Wine  History of Rioja wine

Production

Brewing  Distilling  Winemaking

 

Alcoholic beverages

Fermented beverage

Beer (types)  Wine (types)  Cider (category)  Mead (category)  Rice wine (category)  Other fermented beverages

Distilled beverage

Brandy (category)  Gin (category)  Liqueur (category)  Rum (category)  Tequila (category)  Vodka (category)  Whisky (category)

Fortified wine (category)

Madeira wine (category)  Marsala Wine  Port Wine  Sherry (category)  Vermouth (category)

 

Distilled beverages by ingredients

Grain

Barley: Irish whiskey  Japanese whisky  Scotch whisky  Maize: Bourbon whiskey  Corn whiskey  Tennessee whiskey  Rice: Awamori  Rice baijiu  Soju  Rye: Rye whiskey  Sorghum: Baijiu (Kaoliang)

Fruit

Apple: Applejack  Calvados  Cashew Apple: Fenny  Coconut: Arrack  Grape: Armagnac  Brandy  Cognac  Pisco  Plum: Slivovitz  uic  Pomace: Grappa  Marc  Orujo  Tsikoudia  Tsipouro  Zivania  Chacha  Various/other fruit: Eau de vie  Kirschwasser  Palinka  Rakia  Schnaps

Other

Agave: Mezcal  Tequila  Sugarcane/molasses: Aguardiente  Cachaa  Clairin  Guaro  Rum  Seco Herrerano  Tharra  Various cereals and potato: Akvavit  Baijiu  Canadian whisky  Poitin  Shch  Vodka  Whisky

 

Liqueurs and infused distilled beverages by ingredients

Almond: Amaretto  Crme de Noyaux  Anise: Absinthe  Arak  Ouzo  Raki  Pastis  Sambuca  Chocolate  Cinnamon: Tentura  Coconut: Malibu  Coffee: Kahlua  Tia Maria  Egg: Advocaat  Hazelnut: Frangelico  Herbs: Aquavit  Bndictine  Brennivn  Crme de menthe  Metaxa  Honey: Brenjger  Drambuie  Krupnik  Juniper: Gin  Jenever  Orange: Campari  Curaao  Triple sec  Star anise: Sassolino  Sugarcane/molasses: Charanda  Various/other fruit: Crme de banane  Crme de cassis  Limoncello  Schnapps  Sloe gin

Alcoholic beverages category  Pub  Bar  Tavern  Drink Portal  Beer Portal  Beer WikiProject  Wine Portal  Wine WikiProject  Spirits WikiProject

Categories: Alcohol | Distillation | Distilled beveragesHidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from December 2007

About the Author

I am China Hardware Suppliers writer, reports some information about manufactured stone veneers, imitation slate roofing.
2012 and the End of the World!

No Responses so far | Have Your Say!