WELCOME TO
cooking-recipe-free.com Recipe:
A recipe and cooking site offering free recipes online.
Browse or search thousands
of food rated recipes. A Freecookingrecipe for any occasion and new ones are being added
daily
cooking-recipe-free.com
ABSINTHE Absinthe reached its peak of popularity and
notoriety around the end of the nineteenth century
and is now illegal not only in the United States but
in Switzerland, the place of its origin. Absinthe is
actually a green-hued cordial with aniseed
(licorice) flavor. The ingredient that caused all
the fuss was wormwood (actually deleterious only
when taken in immense doses). Pernod, Abisante,
Abson, Anisette, Ojen, and Oxygene are its modern,
safe, respectable substitutes.
ABSOLUT A high quality vodka of swedish manufacture,
most commonly and appropriately taken unmixed. Now
available flavored with lemon, blackberry, and
peppers.
ADVOKAAT A bottled egg nog mixture made with brandy
and eggs that originated in the netherlands.
AMARETTO An after-dinner liqueur with an almond
flavor that is made in Italy from apricot kernels.
The original amaretto, Amaretto di Saronne, was
first made in Saronne, Italy, in 1525.
AMER PICON A bitter French cordial, bitter,
orange-flavored, made from quinine, spices, cinchona
bark, oranges, and gentiam
ANGOSTURA BITTERS (see bitters) made from a
trinidadian secret recipe.
ANISETTE A sweet, clear, aniseed-flavored liqueur,
the principle ingredient being aniseed.
APERTIF An alcoholic drink taken before a meal or
any of several wines or bitters.
APPLEJACK An apple brandy produced principally in
the United States and France. A version produced in
Normandy, Calvados, is of very high quality. Also
known as "Jersey lighting" and "hard cider". Made
from winter apples, a great deal of applejack
produced in the Unites States is of the homemade
variety, and thus of widely varying quality.
AQUAVIT (Akvavit) Scandanavian Vodka flavored with
caraway, dill and other herbs and spices.
B&B A mixture of cognac and benidictine, yeilding a
drier product than benidictine alone.
BACARDI The single best selling brand of rum or any
other liquor in the United States. A light bodied
rum, Bacardi was formerly made in Cuba and is now
Manufactured in the Puerto Rico and several other
places. The original Bacardi plant in 1862 was a tin
roof shed housing a cast iron still, a few
fermenting tanks, a few aging barrels and a colony
of fruit bats nesting in the rafters, hence the bat
logo on every label.
BAHAI A coffee flavored Brazilian liqueur.
BAILEYS IRISH CREAM A mocha flavored whiskey and
double-cream liqueur, a combination of Irish
whiskey, cream, coffee, chocolate, and coconut.
BENEDICTINE The oldest and perhaps most famous
liqueur in the world, Benedictine dates from 1510.
Its formula, which calls for twenty seven different
herbs, plants, and peels, is a secret that has never
been successfully been duplicated. Originally
produced by Benedictine monks in an abbey in the
Caux district of Normandy, Benedictine takes three
years to make, followed by four years of aging.
BITTERS A highly concentrated flavoring agent made
from roots, barks, herbs, and/or berries. Bitters
are reputed to have medicinal qualities. Some, such
as Compari and Fernet-Branca from Italy are believed
to be such good stomach settlers and may even be
useful in treating hangovers. Bitters such as
Angostura are also effective in minute quantities as
smoothing out the taste of a particularly harsh or
bitter whiskey. Abbot's bitters have been made in
baltimore since 1865, Peychoud bitters come from New
Orleans and Orange Bitters are made in England from
the dried peels of seville oranges.
BLENDED WHISKEY Blended whiskey came into prominence
in the United States during world war II, when
distillers made the most of their dwindling stocks
of whiskey by mixing them with unaged grain-neutral
spirits. By U.S. law, blended whiskey must contain
at least 20% straight whiskey. The rest may be
unaged grain neutral spirits, pure alcohol with
little or no flavor-and that's exactly what the
cheaper, inferior blends tend to be. Actually, there
are two types of blended whiskey: the aforementioned
cheaper brands in which straight whiskey is blended
with grain neutral spirits, and those in which
straight whiskeys of varying character and qualities
are blended together to produce a distinctive
product. Most Scotch, Bourbon, Canadian, rye, and
Irish whiskeys currently on the market, including
the very best available, are blended whiskeys and
fall into this second category.
BOROUVICKA A Czechoslovakian juniper brandy similar
to gin.
BOURBON An American whiskey distilled from a
fermented mash of grain that is at least 51% corn.
Bourbon is aged for at least two years in new
charred oak barrels. Bourbon, a true American
whiskey, originated in Bourbon County, Kentucky, and
even today, most bourbon distilleries in the United
States are located in kentucky. Jack Daniels is a
high quality Bourbon that is filtered through maple
charcoal befor aging.
BRANDY Brandy is distilled from a fermented mash of
grapes or other fruit and the aged in white oak
casks at least two years and usually bottled at 80
proof. Cognac is an exceptionally smooth brandy with
a heady dry aroma produced in the Cognac region of
France. Armagnac is similiar to Cognac, but with a
drier taste, it is produced in the Armagnac region
of France. American Brandy is distilled in
California and is unique in that it is produced by
the firms that grow the grapes, distill, age, blend,
bottle and market the brandies under their own name.
American brandy accounts for 75% of brandies sold in
the U.S. Apple Brandy (applejack) is distilled from
apple cider. Fruit brandies are brandy based
liqueurs made from blackberries, apricots, cherries,
and ginger and are bottled at 70 to 80 proof.
BUCKS Drink made with an ounce or so of liquor and
lemon juice plus ginger ale, and topped with a twist
of lemon.
CALVADOS One of the world's great brands of apple
brandy. Produced in Normandy.
CAMPARI A highly popular Italian patent apertif.
Usually served on the rocks with soda, Campari is
very dry with a strong quinine taste.
CANADIAN CLUB A high quality, highly popular brand
of Canadian whiskey.
CANADIAN WHISKEY Like American whiskeys, Canadian
whiskey is made primarily from corn, rye, and malted
barley, and is distilled by a process similar to
that used in making bourbon, except that a sweet
mash is used. Lighter bodied, smoother, and less
assertive than its American counterpart, Canadian
whiskey is excellent for mixing or for summer use.
CHAMBRAISE A French liqueur made from wild
strawberries
CHAMBORD A french liqueur made from small black
raspberries
CHARTREUSE A famous herbal French liqueur still
produced by the Carthusian monks in France from a
formula dating back to 1605 and containing 130 herbs
and spices. This exquisite liqueur is available in
two colors: yellow and green.
CHASER A mixer that is tossed down the throat after
one has drunk a straight shot of whiskey or other
spirit instead of being combined with a spirit in
the glass. The origonal chaser was a boiler-maker,
which was a shot and a beer.
CHERI-SUISSE A Swiss liqueur that tastes like
chocolate covered cherries.
CHERRY MARNIER A French cherry liqueur with a hint
of almond
COBBLER A tall summer style drink that consists of
ice, wine or liqueur, and a considerable variety of
fruit slices, cherries, berries, and so forth.
COGNAC A type of brandy that is produced only in the
Cognac region of western France and is universally
recognized as the finest and most elegant liqueur in
the world. Not a drop of any other wine or brandy is
ever allowed to enter a bottle of Cognac. The Cognac
region is divided into six districts, with the
Cognac of Grand Champagne considered the best.
Cognac is coded on the label by the following
letters: V (very), S (superior), O (old), P (pale),
E (extra or especial), F (fine), X (extra). French
law states that Cognac with 3 stars be aged at least
1½ years old to be rated VS & 4 years to be rated
VSOP (althought 7-10 years is pretty common). By
french law the words Extra, Napolean, Reserve and
Vieille may not appear on the label unless the
cognac has been aged at least 5½ years.
COINTREAU A fine, colorless, orange-flavored liqueur
made from the dried skins of Curaçao oranges grown
on the island of the same name in the Dutch West
Indies. The Generic term is Curaçao, and if
redistilled clear is called triple sec.
COLLINS Tall, cool punch-like drinks. Any basic
liquor with lime or lemon juice, over ice cubes in a
frosted glass and sugar and soda water added.
(Tom=Gin, John=Whiskey, Joe=Scotch)
COOLER A low alcohol drink consisting of either
white or red wine mixed with either 7-UP,
ginger-ale, club soda and or a citrus juice.
Commercially bottled coolers of the latter variety
have become extremely popular in recent years.
CORDIALS Sweetened spirits distilled from fruits,
seeds, herbs & peels, same as liqueur.
CREAM OF COCONUT A coconut syrup used in many exotic
drinks.
CREME DE... An all-purpose term indicating a liqueur
in which one flavor is dominant. flavors include
almond, celery, d'anana (pineapple), noisette
(hazelnut), mocha (coffee), rose (vanilla and
roses), the` (tea), fraise (strawberry) and violette/yvette
(violets)
CREME DE BANANA A sweet liqueur flavored with
bananas.
CREME DE COCOA A rich, chocolate-flavored liqueur,
made from cacao and vanilla beans, quite sweet and
syrupy, available in two colors: white & brown.
CREME DE CASSIS A dark, medium-sweet liqueur
flavored with black currants.
CREME DE MENTHE A mint-flavored moderately sweet
liqueur that comes in green or white.
CREME DE NOYAUX A liqueur made from fruit pits that
possesses a bitter almond taste.
CREME YVETTE A very sweet, violet-flavored liqueur,
made in the United States by Jacquin.
CUARENTE Y TRES A brandy based liquor from Spain
containing 43 ingredients and a hint of vanilla.
Also known as Licor 43.
CURAÇAO Generic term for liqueur made from the dried
skins of small green bitter curaçao oranges. Curaçao
may be blue, white, or orange in color. The taste is
the same for all three.
DRAMBUIE A famous whiskey liqueur consisting of
Highland malt scotch whiskey, heather honey, &
herbs.
DRY A term applied to any form of wine or liqueur to
denote a lack of sweetness. "Dry" champagne is,
however, not as free of sugar as "brut"
EGG WHITE An egg white is an excellent way to put a
head on a drink. It also cuts harshness and makes
for a smoother taste. Always add the egg white
before the liquor.
EZRA BROOKS A quality tennessee whiskey.
FALERNUM A sweet syrup of Caribbean origin made from
ginger, almonds, limes, and other various fruits and
herbs. Falernum, like grenadine, contains little or
no alcohol, and is used to flavor or sweeten mixed
drinks.
FERNET-BRANCA An extremely bitter Italian herbal
apertif or digestif made from cinchoma bark, gentium,
rhubarb, calamus, angelica, myrrh, chamomile and
peppermint. It is often employed as a stomach
settler and/or hangover remedy. It's classified as
bitters.
FINLANDIA A high-proof (94) popular vodka imported
from Finland.
FIX A sour drink, usually made with pineapple syrup
and crushed ice.
FIZZES Made from liquor, citris juices and sugar.
Shaken with ice and strained into a highball glass.
Soda "fizz" water is then added. Any carbonated
beverage even champagne may be used.
FLIPS An egg nog and fizz combination. Made with
liquor, egg, sugar, and shaved ice, shaken well, and
Sprinkled with nutmeg.
FORBIDDEN FRUIT An American liqueur made from
shaddock (grapefruit) and cognac
FRAISETTEE Cordial made from alcoholic syrup, white
wine and strawberries.
FRAMBOISE Cordial made from raspberries,with high a
alcohol content.
FRANGELICO A hazelnut liqueur from Italy.
FRAPPES A drink made by packing a glass with crushed
ice and pouring liqueur over it.
GALLIANO A sweetish, golden, Italian liqueur with an
herby, spicy taste.
GEORGE DICKEL A quality Tennessee whiskey.
GIN Gin is basically grain alcohol, mostly corn
(75%) with some malted barley (15%) and other grains
(10%) thrown in. It is then redistilled with or
through juniper berries and botanicals such as
coriander seed, cassia bark, orange peels, fennel
seeds, anise, caraway, angelica root, inis root,
licorice, lemon peel, almonds, cassia bark,
cardomann seeds, cinnoman bark, bergomat and cocoa.
It is this secondary process that imparts to each
gin its particular taste. Most of the gin now
produced is London dry, which is clean light,
unsweet, and perfect for making for martinis. The
Dutch still produce a sweeter, more robust version
of their own called Hollands gin, which, while is
unsuitable for mixing purposes is drunk neat and
cold. Gin does not require aging.
GLENFIDDICH A famous high-quality single malt brand
of unblended Scotch whiskey made by William Grant of
Glenfiddich in the Glenlivet region of the Scottish
Highlands.
GLENLIVET The greatest name in Scotch whiskey. The
ultra whiskey-producing area in scotland is a 900
square mile chunk of territory on the river spey in
the eastern portion of the Scottish highlands. It is
there that the most famous whiskeys are produced in
the Glenlivet style.
GOLDEN RUM Also known as anejo, a light-bodied rum
of golden color from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the
Virgin Islands. This rum, though still of the light
bodied type, has more taste and pronounced character
than white rum.
GOLDWASSER Orinally made by Danzig in 1598,
goldwasser is a spicy citrus flavored liqueur with
22k gold flakes mixed in.
GRAIN-NEUTRAL SPIRITS Otherwise known as grain
alcohol, alcohol distilled from grain at 190 proof.
Colorless and tasteless, it is used in making
blended whiskeys and, as well as gin, gin, vodka,
homemade liqueurs and other liquors.
GRAND MARNIER An orange-flavored cognac based French
liqueur of the curaçao type.
GRAPPA An Italian brandy distilled from the pulpy
mass of skins, pits, stalks left in the wine press
after the juice of the grapes have been extracted.
Young grappa is fairly fiery, but mellows with age.
GRENADINE A sweet syrup flavoring for drinks made
from pomegranate juice, containing little or no
alcohol.
GROG Originally a mixture of rum and water that was
issued to sailors in the royal navy and later
improved with the addition of lime juice and sugar.
Now a grog is any kind of drink usually made with a
rum base, fruit and various sweeteners and served
hot or cold in a large mug or glass .
HIGHBALLS Any liquor served with ice, soda, plain
water, ginger-ale or other carbonated beverages.
HOLLANDS GIN (Genievive) The type of old-style gin
still produced and favored by the Dutch. Hollands
gin is hearty, robust, and sweet, not for mixing.
The Dutch like it cold and neat, often with herring.
IRISH MIST A famous liqueur produced in Ireland,
consisting of Irish whiskey and heather honey.
IRISH WHISKEY The Irish have been making whiskey for
700 years and are said to have invented the stuff.
The main difference between Irish and Scotch whiskey
is that Irish Whisky is entirely lacking in the
smoky taste that characterizes Scotch. The reason
for this is that the Scots use peat in the kilns in
which they dry their malt, while the Irish use coal.
Irish whiskey is distilled from a grain mixture that
consists of malted as well as unmalted barley, along
with small proportions of wheat, oats, and rye.
Irish whiskey tends to be old (at least seven years)
and more mature than Scotch, probably because it is
not purchased at the same rate as Scotch.
Full-bodied, unblended Irish whiskeys produced in
pot stills have a very pronounced character, which
makes them very unpopular with many american
palates. There are many blended Irish whiskeys that
are lighter and less strong in character. The
distillery at Bushmills in County Antrim dates from
1608 and is believed to be the oldest in the world.
Irish whiskey is unique in that it is the only
whiskey distilled 3 times.
JACK DANIEL'S A whiskey of the bourbon type, made in
Tennessee, which is perhaps the most famous whiskey
made in America. The Jack Daniel's distillery in
Lynchburg, Tennessee, dates from 1866 and is the
oldest registered distillery in the United States.
Jack Daniel's is made according to the sour-mash
process, mellowed by a process of filtration through
sugar maple charcoal.
JAEGERMEISTER This complex, aromatic concoction
containing some 56 herbs, roots and fruits has been
popular in germany since its introduction in 1878.
It may be used as cocktail bitters but is more
frequently consumed as an apertif or after dinner
drink.
JAMAICAN RUM Full-bodied, pungent rum, dark in
color, and decidedly heavier and richer in taste
than light bodied rums produced elsewhere in the
Caribbean. High-quality Jamaican rums, such as
Myer's, are usually drunk straight.
JULEPS Made with Kentucky bourbon and fresh mint
leaves (muddled, crushed or whole), served in an ice
frosted glass with shaved ice and a mint garnish.
KAHLUA Coffee liqueur originating in Mexico made
from mexican coffee beans.
KIRSCHWASSER A strong, dry black cherry fruit brandy
made by both the Germans and the French.
KUMMEL A cordial liqueur of Dutch origin made from
caraway seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and
aniseed, with herb flavors added.
LIGHT RUM Rums lighter in body though not
necessarily in color than their dark, heavy-bodied
Jamaican cousins. Light rums may be white, "silver",
or golden in color. They usually hail from Puerto
Rico, Cuba, and the Virgin Islands.
LIGHT WHISKEY American whiskey, lighter in taste and
body than its conventional whiskey predecessors. It
is distilled at a much higher proof (161 to 189)
than traditional whiskeys and aged in reused barrels
rather than in new charred barrels.
LILLET An increasingly popular French apertif, light
and dry, that comes in two versions, white and red.
LIQUEUR An alcoholic beverage that is manufactured
by adding flavorings such as strawberry, orange, or
almond to a distilled spirit. the flavorings can be
added in one of three fashions; steeping,
percolating/filtering, and redistilling.
Combinations of flavors, such as mint, chocolate,
vanilla, and coffee are also used. Because of the
way they are produced, the differences in quality
among liqueurs are dramatic. Some liqueurs,
especially those manufactured in Europe, are still
made by natural processes and contain natural
ingredients. Unfortunately, many of the larger
liqueur firms, including most American firms, use
chemical flavor concentrates in the manufacture of
their liqueurs. Where such chemical concentrates are
used, the law stipulates that the liqueur must be
designated on the label as "artificial", or
"imitation". One line of liqueurs still manufactured
entirely by natural process is France's Marie
Brizard, Bols of Holland (which makes superb
triple-sec, and curaçao), and the original Amaretto
di Saronne.
LIQUOR Alcoholic beverage most often distilled,
rather than fermented.
LONDON DRY GIN The type of clear dry gin popular in
Britain and the United States, highly suited to
mixing drinks in general and martinis in particular.
LOW BALL A short drink consisting of spirits served
with ice alone, or with water or soda in a short
glass. Also known as an on-the-rocks or
old-fashioned.
MALIBU A jamaican coconut flavored rum liqueur.
MANDERINE NAPOLEAN A liqueur made from manderine
orange flavored cognac.
MARASCHINO A very sweet white cherry liqueur made
from the marasca cherry of dalmatia, Yugoslavia.
This liqueur is sometimes used in sours in place of
sugar.
MARIE BRIZARD French producer of high quality
liqueurs.
METAXA A strong, sharp-tasting, aromatic Greek
brandy.
MIDORI MELON LIQUEUR A pale green liqueur of
Japaneese origin that tastes of fresh muskmelon or
cantaloupe.
MIST A glass packed with crushed ice to which
spirits are added, usually straight.
MULL A warm drink containing wine, sugar, spices,
and possibly a liquor. Also a verb meaning to warm,
spice, and sweeten, a technique that is applied to
both wine and ale.
MYER'S RUM A famous line of high-quality dark
Jamaican rums.
NAPOLEAN BRANDY The term is related to age and
usually means a cognac that is at least 5 years old.
NEAT A straight shot of any spirit taken in a single
gulp, usually without any accompaniment, also called
a shooter.
NOILLY PRAT An excellent and well known brand of
French dry vermouth that is perfectly suited to the
making of dry martinis.
ORANGE BITTERS Made from the dried peel of the
bitter Seville oranges, orange bitters are less
aromatic and fruitier then the more popular and
sophisticated Angostura bitters.
ORANGE FLOWER WATER A light, non-alcoholic
preparation based on the oil of orange blossoms,
used as a flavoring in drinks.
ORGEAT A syrup with a pronounced almond flavor.
OUZO an anise flavored liqueur of Greece, usually
served on the rocks. Also an Absinthe substitute.
PARFAIT AMOUR Cordial made of citron, cinnamon,
coriander, and brandy.
PASSION FRUIT A liqueur made in Hawaii from peaches
or mangos.
PEANUT LOLITA A liqueur made from peanuts.
PEAR LIQUEUR A Hungarian made liqueur, some even
have a pear in the bottle.
PEPPERMINT SCHNAPPS A mint flavored liqueur similar
to creme de menthe, but lighter bodied and less
sweet.
PERNOD A famous French anise-flavored liqueur and
Absinthe substitute.
PERRIER A highly effervescent bottled water that the
French use in highballs instead of club soda. It has
a sharp edge that works well as a counterpoint to
the stickiness of fruit juices. Highly popular on
this side of the Atlantic, Perrier can be taken
alone or with lime juice.
PETER HEERING A famous, deep red, cherry-flavored
liqueur made in Denmark, formerly known as Cherry
Heering.
PEYCHOUD'S BITTERS Made in louisiana from an old
closely guarded french family recipe. It is a
pungent anise flavored bitter.
PICK-ME-UP Any concoction designed to allay the
effects of overindulgence in alcaholic beverages.
PIMM'S CUP A Pimm's No. 1 is a liqueur-style
prepackaged preperation with a gin base. Pimm's No.
2 has a whiskey base, while No. 3 is a rum base and
No. 4 a brandy base.
POUSSE-CAFE A sweet, multilayered after-dinner
drink. Success in making it depends upon keeping
each layer seperate and distinct from the others-a
neat trick. The secret is knowing the relative
heaviness of of the various liquids that make up the
Pousse-cafe.
PRALINES A New Orleans liqueur that recreates the
butter pecan/brown sugar/vanilla flavor of the
traditional praline candy
PROOF The measure of the strength of the alcohol.
one degree of proof equals one-half of one percent
of alcohol. I.E., 80 proof is 40% alcohol.
PRUNELLA A liqueur made from meat, plum pits, figs,
and vanilla beans.
RICKEY A drink that is a cross between a collins and
a sour. It consists of lime or lemon juice, club
soda, and alcohol. Unlike the collins and sour, it
contains no added sugar.
ROCK AND RYE A fruit juice that combines rock candy,
rye whiskey and fruit slices.
RUM Rum can be made from 2 different raw materials:
it can be distilled directly from the fermented
juice of crushed sugar cane, or, once the sugar is
extracted, it can be made from the remaining
molasses. Some rums contain dunder, which is a
residue from the previous distillation and makes for
a more pungent product. Three main types of rum are
made in the West Indies today. Very light(white or
silver) rums hail from the Virgin Islands or Puerto
Rico. These require little aging and are relatively
tasteless and oderless. Golden rum, also known as
anejo, though still of the light-bodied type, has
more taste and pronounced character. Darker,
aromatic, full bodied rums such as Myer's are
produced in Jamaica. These are distilled by a slower
and different fermentation process, which allows for
a fuller richer, molasses like body to develop. All
rum is colerless when first distilled, and those
that are aged for only a year are often colored with
caremel. Even heavy bodied rums that are aged in
charred oak casks for as long as twenty years are
subject to artificial coloring. Medium and heavy
bodied rums are usually aged between two and twenty
years.
RYE The oldest native American whiskey, originally
manufactured in the 1600s by Scotch and Irish
settlers in New York. Rye is a very full bodied
drink with a pronounced character, and perhaps for
that reason, it has faded in popularity in the land
of its origin to the point where it lags behind all
other varities of whiskey in consumption. Many
people confuse rye with blended whiskey, but the two
are far from being the same. Rye must be made with
at least 51% rye grain, the rest being corn and
barley. Rye is aged in in new charred oak barrels
for at least 2 years.
SABRA An orange flavored liqueur with a hint of
chocolate, from Israel.
SAKE This traditional drink of Japan, a bit on the
sweet side, is commonly referred to as "rice wine",
when in fact it is actually rice beer. Although it
resembles a wine in taste and appearance, it is not
made from grapes. It is fermented from rice and
malted barley. Sake is usually served warm, as the
heat brings out its superior bouquet.
SAMBUCA An Italian liqueur flavored with anise. The
Italians often serve it "with flies", which is
actually 3 or 4 coffee beans on top of a glass of
sambucca which is then flamed.
SANGAREE Made with whiskey, gin, rum, or brandy,
with port wine floated on top, or with wine, ale
porter or stout, with a sprinkle of nutmeg.
SCHNAPPS The word "schnapps" (from the German
Schnappen, to snap) refers to a mixture of vodka,
gin, brandy or other spirit. In Scandanavia the word
is snaps and almost always means Akvavit. In the
U.S. the term has taken on a new meaning to identify
a whole new generation of intensely flavored, sweet,
inexpensive liqueurs of moderate strength (22 to 30%
alcohol by volume). The Dekuyper brands of
Applebarrel and Peachtree schnapps, while not the
first in the U.S market,are generally credited with
launching the schnapps craze due to a technical
breakthrough that yielded a fresh rather than cooked
fruit flavor. Other flavors such as cola, cinnamon,
rootbeer, tropical(hot shot), butter scotch,
strawberry hazelnut, lemonade, apricot, peppermint,
blueberry, bubble gum, tequila, and numerous others
are making the schnapps a dominant force in the
liqueur market. The most unique schnapps has to be
Gold schnapps, which is peppermint schnapps with
very fine flakes of gold foil added in.
SCOTCH Scotch whiskey is produced only in Scotland.
Some Scotch whiskeys sold in the United States are
produced in Scotland and then bottled in the U.S.
Most are blends of malt whiskeys and grain whiskeys
and typically contain the products of fifty or more
distilleries, with the better and more expensive
brands containing more malt than grain. Some
Scotches are blends of different malts and these are
known as vatted malts. In recent years, unblended
scotches or single malts like Glenfiddich have
achieved a considerable popularity.
SHOOTER A straight shot of spirits taken neat.
SLINGS Made like sangarees with the addition of
lemon juice and a twist of lemon peel. Served in an
old fashioned glass.
SLIVOVITZ A brandy made from plums, fermented and
distilled. Very high alcohol content.
SLOE GIN Sloe gin is a liqueur made from the sloe
berry, a kind of small, wild plum, which is soaked
in gin.
SMASHES Small juleps, served in an old fashioned
glass. Made from muddled sugar, ice cubes, whiskey,
gin, rum or brandy and soda water.
SOUR MASH The term is usually applied to bourbon
whiskey; this whiskey is made from a blended grain
mash consisting of new mash and a portion of mash
from a preceding mash.
SOURS Made of lemon juice,ice, sugar, with any basic
liquor.
SOUTHERN COMFORT The oldest American liqueur, well
known the world over, Southern Comfort is a blend of
bourbon, peaches, and peach liqueur. It is dry and
strong (100 proof) as liqueurs go. Produced in St.
Louis.
STEINHAGER A German gin
STOLICHNAYA A high quality vodka produced in the
Soviet Union and favored by many serious vodka
drinkers on the other side of the iron curtain,
where they enjoy vodka without mixers of any type.
Some store their Stoli in the freezer, where it
thickens up slightly, and serve it in chilled
liqueur glasses.
STRAIGHT WHISKEY In the United States, a blended
straight whiskey is a blend of several mature rye or
bourbon whiskeys, as opposed to a blended whiskey in
which bourbon or rye whiskey is mixed with an
inferior whiskey or a grain-neutral spirit.
STREGA Cordial made from orange peel, spices and
very strong spirits, very sweet. Italian in origin.
SWEDISH PUNCH (Caloric Punch) a Scandanavian liqueur
made from batavia, arak, tea, lemon peel and 70
other spices. Also called caloric punch for its
warming properties.
SWIZZLE Originally a tall rum cooler filled with
cracked ice that was swizzled with a long twig or
stirring rod or spoon rotated rapidly between the
palms of the hands to produce frost on the glass.
TENNESSEE WHISKEY Tennessee whiskey is made in the
same way as a sour-mash bourbon whiskey except that
the tennessee whiskey is filtered through charcoal
from hard Tennessee maple trees.
TEQUILA Tequila is a product of the mezcal plant.
(specifically the blue agave) One misconception is
that mezcal and mescaline are related; only the
words mezcal and mescal are alike. All tequilas are
mezcals, but the very finest of the mezcals. True
tequila is produced in a very small region of
Mexico, around the town of Tequila in the state of
Jalisco. Tequila must be distilled at least twice,
and quality gold tequilas are aged in wood three
years. Jose Cuervo, a high quality tequila is widely
available in the United States and is usually drunk
straight. Harsher, white tequilas are often treated
with the "three pals" or los tres cuates treatment,
in which the participant takes a good lick of salt
from the back of his hand, knocks back a slug of
tequila, and then quickly sucks on a lemon or lime
slice. The tequila's that have met the Mexican
standard of quality are stamped DGN on the label.
Mezcals are not regulated like tequila is and often
harsher tasting, plus there's the worm in the
bottom.
TIA MARIA A coffee flavored liqueur from Jamaica.
Dryer than Kahlua, Tia Maria is Jamaican rum based
and flavored with spices.
TODDY Originally a hot drink made with spirits,
sugar, spices such as cinnamon, cloves, etc and a
lemon peel mixed with hot water and served in a tall
glass. Toddy's can also be cold.
TONIC WATER Another term for quinine water, and a
great mixer.
TRIPLE SEC A highly popular sweetener and flavoring
agent in many drinks, triple-sec is the best known
form of curaçao, a liquer made from the skins of the
curaçao orange. Cointreau is a high quality brand of
triple sec.
TUACA Italian brandy based liqueur flavored with
vanilla, citrus, almond, coconut, orange and cocoa.
VANDERMINT A liquid after dinner chocolate mint is
the best way to describe this liqueur from the
netherlands.
VERMOUTH Though the product is mostly an
Italian/French undertaking, the word comes to us
from the German Vermutwein, meaning wormwood wine.
While wormwood is indeed one of the many botanicals
that goes into its manufacture, vermouth has escaped
the stigma that has followed absinthe. Actually,
vermouth is a highly sophisticated product of a
great many botanical flavorings such as cloves,
nutmeg, seeds, marjoram, angelica root, gentian,
nutmeg, linden, elder flower, iris root, citrus
peels, and over a hundred others. The French (dry)make
it by selecting and combining their botanicals, then
pouring mixture of fortified wine and mistelles over
them. The brew is allowed to steep for a few weeks;
the wine is then drawn off and the process repeated
until all the flavor has been extracted from the
botanicals. A selection of these flavored wines are
blended together and then mixed with unflavored
wines, Brandy is added to raise the alcohol level,
and the vermouth is chilled almost to the freezing
point to eliminate any sediment. The Italian (sweet)
vermouth is red, richer in flavor and more syrupy.
VODKA By United States law, vodka must be colorless,
odorless, and tasteless, a combination that has made
it the great universal mixer of our time and the
most popular selling spirit today with 18% of the
market. Vodka was unknown in the U.S. 40 years ago
and yet it has been around since the 14th century in
Russia when at one time there were 4000 brands
available. That and the fact that it is less likely
to induce a hangover or show up on ones breath than
other varities of alcoholic drinks have combined to
make it the most popular spirit in the United
States. A popular myth about vodka is that it is
made from potatoes. Though it was made that way in
the past and could still be made that way, it is
usually made from grain-wheat, corn, or rye. The
grain is crushed and mixed with water to produce the
mash, which is then infused with yeast. Once
fermentation takes place, it is then put through a
continous still to obtain the purest possible grain-nuetral
spirit. Water is added to reduce its alcoholic
content to 40 or 50% (80 or 100 proof). There is no
aging.
WHISKEY The Irish invented it and in Gaelic, it
means "the water of life". In the Unites States and
Ireland, the word is spelled with an e, the British,
Scots, and the Canadians usually drop the e. All
basic whiskeys, whatever the type, are made from one
type of grain or another Straight whiskeys are
bottled from the casks in which they are aged, with
water added to reduce their proof. Blended whiskeys
are of two types: Blended straight whiskeys are a
blend or combination of different straight whiskeys
of the same general type. Many Scotches and bourbons
fit this description. However, "blended whiskeys" as
the term is used in the United States, refers to
whiskeys in which a straight whiskey has been
blended with grain nuetral spirits. The basic
varieties of whiskey are blended, bourbon, Canadian,
corn, rye, Scotch and Tennessee. The grains used to
make whiskey are corn, rye, wheat and barley
