Spirits

Vodka historically has an alcohol content of between 35% to 50% by volume. The classic Polish, Lithuanian and Russian vodka is 40% (80 proof). This can be attributed to the Russian standards for vodka production introduced in 1894. Dmitri Mendeleev, a Russian chemist, found the perfect percentage to be 38. However, since spirits in his time were taxed on their strength, the percentage was rounded up to 40 to simplify the tax computation. At strengths less than this, Vodka drunk neat can taste "watery": and above this strength, the taste of Vodka can have more of a burn.
Although vodka is traditionally drunk neat in the Eastern European and Nordic countries of the "Vodka Belt", its popularity elsewhere owes much to its usefulness in cocktails and other mixed drinks, such as with tomato juice - the Bloody Mary, with orange juice - the Screwdriver, the vodka tonic, vodka martini, and most recently the vodka red bull.

Port wine (also known as Vinho do Porto, Porto, and often simply Port) is a Portuguese style of fortified wine originating from the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet red wine, often served as a dessert wine, and comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties. Fortified wines in the style of port are also produced outside of Portugal, most notably in Australia, South Africa, Canada, India, Argentina, and the United States. Under European Union Protected Designation of Origin guidelines, only the product from Portugal may be labelled as Port or Porto. Elsewhere, the situation is more complicated: wines labelled "Port" may come from anywhere in the world, while the names "Dao", "Oporto", "Porto", and "Vinho do Porto" have been recognized as foreign, non-generic names for wines originating in Portugal.
Port is produced from grapes grown and processed in the demarcated Douro region. The wine produced is then fortified by the addition of a neutral grape spirit known as Aguardente in order to stop the fermentation, leaving residual sugar in the wine, and to boost the alcohol content. The fortification spirit is sometimes referred to as Brandy but it bears little resemblance to commercial Brandies. The wine is then stored and aged, often in barrels stored in a cave (pronounced "ka-ve" and meaning "cellar" in Portuguese) as is the case in Vila Nova de Gaia, before being bottled. The wine received its name, "Port", in the latter half of the 17th century from the seaport city of Porto at the mouth of the Douro River, where much of the product was brought to market or for export to other countries in Europe. The Douro valley where Port wine is produced was defined and established as a protected region, or appellation in 1756 - making it the third oldest defined and protected wine region in the world after Chianti (1716) and Tokaji (1730).
The vineyards that produce Port wine are common along the hillsides that flank the valley of the River Douro in northern Portugal.
The reaches of the valley of the Douro River in northern Portugal have a microclimate that is optimal for cultivation of olives, almonds, and especially grapes important for making the famous Port wine. The region around Pinhão and São João da Pesqueira is considered to be the centre of Port production, and is known for its picturesque quintas-farms clinging on to almost vertical slopes dropping down to the river.
The demarcation of the Douro River Valley includes a broad swath land of pre-Cambrian schist and granite. Beginning around the village of Barqueiros (located about 40 miles (about 70 km) upstream from Porto), the valley extends eastward nearly to the Spanish border. The region is protected from the influences of the Atlantic Ocean by the Serra do Marão mountains. The area is sub-divided into 3 official zones-the Baixo (lower) Corgo, the Cima (higher) Corgo and the Douro Superior.
Baixo Corgo-The westernmost zone located downstream from the river Corgo, centered on the municipality of Peso da Régua. This region is the wettest Port production zone, receiving an average of 900 mm, and has the coolest average temperature of the three zones. The grapes grown here are used mainly for the production of inexpensive ruby and tawny Ports.
Cima Corgo-Located further upstream from the Baixo Corgo, this region is centered on the town of Pinhão (municipality of Alijó). The summertime average temperature of the regions are a few degrees higher and rainfall is about 200 mm less. The grapes grown in this zone are considered of higher quality, being used in bottlings of vintage and Late Bottled Vintage Ports.
Douro Superior-The easternmost zone extending nearly to the Spanish border. This is the least cultivated region of Douro, due in part to the difficulties of navigating the river past the rapids of Cachão da Valeira. This is the most arid and warmest region of the Douro. The overall terrain is relatively flat with the potential for mechanization.
Over a hundred varieties of grapes (castas) are sanctioned for Port production, although only five (Tinta Barroca, Tinta Cão, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Touriga Francesa, and Touriga Nacional) are widely cultivated and used. Although Touriga Nacional is the most celebrated Port grape, the difficulty of growing it and its small yields result in Touriga Francesa being the most widely-planted variety within the Douro. White ports are produced the same way as red ports, except that they use white grapes-Esgana-Cão, Folgasão, Malvasia, Rabigato, Verdelho, and Viosinho. While a few shippers have experimented with Ports produced from a single variety of grapes, all Ports commercially available are from a blend of different grapes. Since the Phylloxera crisis, most vines are grown on grafted rootstock, with the notable exception of the Nacional area of Quinta do Noval, which, since being planted in 1925, has produced some of the most expensive commonly available Ports.
Grapes grown for Port are generally characterised by their small, dense fruit which produce concentrated and long-lasting flavours, suitable for long aging. While the grapes used to produce Port produced in Portugal are strictly regulated by the Instituto do Vinho do Porto, wines from outside this region which describe themselves as Port may be made from other varieties.
Whilst Port is produced from grapes grown in the Douro valley, until 1986 it could only be exported from Portugal from Vila Nova de Gaia near Porto, Portugal's second-largest city. Traditionally, the wine was taken downriver in flat-bottom boats called barcos rabelos, to be processed and stored. However, in the 1950s and 1960s, several hydroelectric power dams were built along the river, ending this traditional conveyance down the river. Currently, the wine is transported from the vineyards by tanker trucks and the barcos rabelos are only used for racing and other displays.
Port wine is typically richer, sweeter, heavier, and possesses a higher alcohol content than most other wines. This is caused by the addition of distilled grape spirits (aguardente similar to brandy) to fortify the wine and halt fermentation before all the sugar is converted to alcohol and results in a wine that is usually either 19.5% or 20% alcohol.
Port is commonly served after meals as a dessert wine, often with cheese; commonly stilton. White and tawny ports are often served as an apéritif.
Port from Portugal comes in several styles, which can be divided into two broad categories:
Wines that have matured in sealed glass bottles, with no exposure to air, and experience what is known as "reductive" aging. This process leads to the wine losing its colour very slowly and produces a wine which is smoother on the palate and less tannic.
Wines that have matured in wooden barrels, whose permeability allows a small amount of exposure to oxygen, and experience what is known as "oxidative" aging. They too lose colour, but at a faster pace. If red grapes are used, in time the red colour lightens to a tawny colour - these are known as Tawny (or sometimes Wood) ports. They also lose volume to evaporation (angel's share), leaving behind a wine that is slightly more viscous and intense.
The IVDP (Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto) further divides Port into two categories: normal Ports (standard Rubies, Tawnies and White Ports) and Categorias Especiais, Special Categories, which includes everything else.
Tawny ports are wines made from red grapes that are aged in wooden barrels, exposing them to gradual oxidation and evaporation. As a result, they gradually mellow to a golden-brown colour. The exposure to wood imparts "nutty" flavours to the wine, which is blended to match the house style.
Tawny ports are sweet or medium dry and typically drunk as a dessert wine. When a Port is described as Tawny, without an indication of age, it is a basic blend of wood aged port that has spent at least seven years in barrels. Above this are Tawny with an indication of age which represent a blend of several vintages, with the average years "in wood" stated on the label. The official categories are 10, 20, 30 and over 40 years. For each category, the average age of the various vintage is at least that of the given category. It is also possible to produce an aged white port in the manner of a tawny, with a number of shippers now marketing 10 year old White Ports.
A Tawny port from a single vintage is called Colheitas. Instead of an indication of age (10, 20...) the actual vintage year is mentioned. However, they should not be mistaken with Vintage port (see below); whereas a Vintage port will have been bottled about 18 months after being harvested and will continue to mature, a Colheita may have spent 20 or more years in wooden barrels before being bottled and sold. A number of White Colheitas have been produced, such as one by Dalva in 1952.
Garrafeira is an unusual and rare intermediate vintage dated style of Port made from the grapes of a single harvest that combines both the oxidative maturation of years in wood, with further reductive maturation in large glass demijohns. It is required by the IVDP that wines spend some time in wood, usually between three and six years, followed by at least a further eight years in glass, before bottling. In practice the times spent in glass are much longer. At present, only one company, Niepoort, markets Garrafeiras. Their black demijohns, affectionately known as bon-bons, hold approximately 11 litres each. Some connoisseurs describe Garrafeira as having a slight taste of bacon, although many people will neither notice nor understand such a description; the reason being that, during the second phase of maturation, certain oils may precipitate, causing a film to form across the surface of the glass that can be tasted by those who are accustomed to the difference between Garrafeira and other forms of port.
Confusingly, the word Garrafeira may be found on some very old Tawny labels, where the contents of the bottle are of exceptional age.
Rabelos, a type of boat traditionally used to transport barrels of Port wine down the Douro River for storage and aging in caves at Vila Nova de Gaia near Porto.
Ruby port is the cheapest and most extensively produced type of port. After fermentation it is stored in tanks made of concrete or stainless steel to prevent oxidative aging, and preserve its rich claret color. The wine is usually blended to match the style of the brand to which it is to be sold. The wine is fined and cold filtered before bottling, and does not generally improve with age.
Reserve port is a premium Ruby port approved by the IVDP's tasting panel, the Câmara de Provadores. In 2002 the IVDP prohibited the use of the term "Vintage Character", as the wine had neither a single vintage (usually being a blend of several vintages of Ruby port) nor the typical character of vintage port.
Pink port is a relatively new variation on the market, first released in 2008 by both Croft and the Taylor Fladgate Partnership for Marks and Spencer. It is made with the same grapes and according to the same extremely strict rules that govern the production of vintage and tawny and ruby ports.[citation needed] It is technically a ruby port, but fermented the way a rosé wine would be, with a limited exposure to the grape skins, thus the pink colour. Bearing the hallmarks of a light ruby with its taste being lighter in style and containing a fruity flavour, it's commonly served cold in various ways.
White port is made from white grapes and can be made in a wide variety of styles, although few shippers produce anything apart from a basic product that is similar to a standard Ruby. White Port can be used as the basis for a cocktail or served on its own. There is a range of styles of white port, from dry to very sweet. When white ports are matured for long periods, the colour darkens, eventually reaching a point where it can be hard to discern (from appearance alone) whether the original wine was red or white.
Late Bottled Vintage (often referred to simply as LBV) was originally wine that had been destined for bottling as Vintage Port, but because of lack of demand was left in the barrel for longer than had been planned. Over time it has become two distinct styles of wine, both of them bottled between four and six years after the vintage, but one style is fined and filtered before bottling, while the other is not.
The filtered wine has the advantage of being ready to drink without decanting, and is bottled in a stoppered bottle that can be easily resealed. This is designed to exploit the extended shelf life such wines enjoy by comparison with vintage port, once opened. However many wine experts feel that this convenience comes at a price and believe that the filtration process strips out much of the character of the wine.
The accidental origin of Late Bottled Vintage has led to more than one company claiming its invention. The earliest known reference to a style of port with this name in a merchant's list is to be found in The Wine Society's catalogue from the spring of 1964; which includes Fonseca's Quinta Milieu 1958, bottled in the UK in 1964.
Unfiltered wines are bottled with conventional driven corks and need to be decanted. After decanting they should be consumed within a day or two. Recent bottlings are identified by the label wording 'Unfiltered' or 'Bottle matured' (or both). Before the 2002 regulations, this style was often marketed as 'Traditional', a description that is no longer permitted.
If in doubt, a prospective purchaser of a recently bottled LBV can check the cork, and examine the top of the bottle to see if there is a stopper underneath the capsule; the serrated edge of a stopper is usually visible, or can be detected with a thumbnail. It should be noted that some of the earliest filtered LBV's had driven corks, and some the first unfiltered wines were given stoppers, so this is not a reliable test for bottles that are over 20 years old.
LBV is intended to provide some of the experience of drinking a Vintage Port but without the need for lengthy bottle aging. To a limited extent it succeeds, as the extra years of oxidative aging in barrel does mature the wine more quickly.
Typically ready to drink when released, LBV ports are the product of a single year's harvest and tend to be lighter bodied than a vintage port. Filtered LBVs do not generally improve with age, whereas the unfiltered wines will usually be improved by extra years in the bottle. Since 2002, bottles that carry the words 'Bottle matured' must have enjoyed at least three years of bottle maturation before release.
Crusted Port is usually a blend of port wine from several vintages, although single vintage crusted ports have sometimes been made in the past. Unlike vintage port, which has to be sourced from grapes from a single vintage, Crusted port affords the port blender the opportunity to make best use of the varying characteristics of different vintages.
Crusted port is bottled unfiltered, and sealed with a driven cork. Like Vintage Port it needs to be decanted before drinking.
Although Crusted ports will improve with age, the blender often seeks to make these wines approachable at a younger age than for his vintage ports. The date on a Crusted port bottle refers to the bottling date, not the year the grapes were grown.
While Crusted port is required to be aged in bottle for at least three years before it is released to the market, most producers keep the bottles for considerably longer; so they are ready to be drunk when sold, and may be enjoyed by consumers who have no space to cellar bottles. This makes Crusted port a popular and affordable alternative to vintage port.
Vintage port is made entirely from the grapes of a declared vintage year and accounts for about two percent of a year's total port production. Not every year is declared a vintage in the Douro. The decision on whether to declare a vintage is made in the spring of the second year following the harvest. The decision to declare a vintage is made by each individual port house, often referred to as a 'shipper'.
The port industry is one where reputations are hard won and easily lost, so the decision is never taken lightly. During periods of recession and war, potential 'declarations' have sometimes been missed for economic reasons. In recent years, some shippers have adopted the 'chateau' principle for declarations, declaring all but the worst years. More conventional shippers will declare, on average, about three times a decade.
While it is by far the most renowned type of port, from a volume and revenue standpoint, vintage port actually makes up only a small percentage of the production of most shippers. Vintage ports are aged in barrels for a maximum of two and a half years before bottling, and generally require another ten to thirty years of aging in the bottle before reaching what is considered a proper drinking age. Since they are aged in barrels for only a short time, they retain their dark ruby colour and fresh fruit flavours. Particularly fine vintage ports can continue to gain complexity and drink wonderfully for many decades after they were bottled, and therefore can be particularly sought-after and expensive wines. That said, vintage ports, even from the best years, while not cheap, tend not to reach the very high prices of prestige dry red wines, such as First Growth Bordeaux.
Single Quinta Vintage Ports are wines that originate from a single estate, unlike the standard bottlings of the Port wine houses which can be sourced from a number of quintas. Single Quinta bottlings are used in two different ways by different producers. Most of the large Port wine houses have a Single Quinta bottling which is only produced in some years when the regular Vintage Port of the house is not declared. In those years, wine from their best quinta is still bottled under a vintage designation, rather than being used for simpler Port qualities. In a sense, this kind of Single Quinta is a "second wine" of the regular Vintage Port and is typically sold slightly cheaper than the regular Vintage Port. Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos and Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas are examples of this kind of ports. Typically, this type of Single Quinta bears the name of both a major Port wine house and the name of a quinta.
In recent times, there has also been an increase in the production and marketing of Single Quinta Vintage Port as high-end wines. Vintage Port from small producers situated in the Douro valley are almost always Single Quinta wines and labelled as such. Some of the larger Port wine houses also have introduced Single Quintas which are run as separate estates, rather than as a source of wine for the house's main bottling. Symington Family Estates' Quinta do Vesuvio is an example of this. Typically, this type of Single Quinta only bears the name of its quinta.
Much of the complex character of aged vintage port comes from the continued slow decomposition of grape solids in each bottle. However, these solids are undesirable when port is consumed, and thus vintage port typically requires a period of settling before decanting and pouring.
Vintage port should not be confused with 'Late Bottled Vintage' (see above). The term vintage has a distinct meaning in the context of vintage port. While a "vintage" is simply the year in which a wine is made, most producers of Vintage port restrict their production of year-labelled bottling to only the best years, a few per decade.
If a port house decides that its wine is of quality sufficient for a Vintage, samples are sent to the IVDP for approval and the house declares the vintage. In very good years, almost all the port houses will declare their wines.
In intermediate years, the producers of blended Vintage Ports will not declare their flagship port, but may decide to declare the vintage of

Sambuca is an Italian anise-flavoured, usually colourless liqueur. Its most common variety is often referred to as white sambuca to differentiate it from other varieties that are deep blue in colour (black sambuca) or bright red (red sambuca).

Ingredients
Sambuca contains essential oils obtained from star anise, Illicium verum, which give the liquor a strong anise flavour. The oils are added to pure alcohol, a concentrated solution of sugar, and other flavouring. It is commonly bottled at 42% alcohol by volume (84 proof).

History
The Molinari company states that the name Sambuca comes from an Arabic word: Zammut. This was the name of an anise-flavoured drink that arrived to the port of Civitavecchia by ships coming from the East. The Oxford English Dictionary states, however, that the term comes from the Latin word samb?c-us, meaning "elderberry" it could have come from the Indian name for fennel, sounf or soambu, where it is a regular ingredient in cooking.
The Italian word Sambuca was first used as the name of another anise-based liquor that was created in Civitavecchia about 130 years ago.
The first commercial version of such a drink started at the end of 1800 in Civitavecchia thanks to Luigi Manzi that started selling Sambuca Manzi, that is still produced today. In 1945, soon after the end of Second World War, commendatore Angelo Molinari started producing Sambuca Extra Molinari, that helped the diffusion of Sambuca all over Italy.

Serving
Sambuca can be served neat, as Ammazzacaffè or just as refreshment.
Sambuca can be served with ice, optionally adding some coffee beans as ornament. The ice enhances the flavours and changes the colour of the drink from transparent to dense white.
With toasted coffee beans. In Italy it is common to serve neat Sambuca with some floating coffee beans dropped on it: it is called Sambuca con mosca (literally, "Sambuca with flies"). The beans are there as an ornament, but they can be chewed to increase the taste of anise. It is usually served in restaurants with 3 coffee beans and is said that the beans represent: health, happiness, and prosperity.
Sambuca can be added to coffee as a sweetener instead of sugar. The mixed drink in Italian is called Caffè corretto (literally, "corrected coffee"), though more commonly caffè corretto refers to grappa and coffee.
Sambuca can be served adding fresh water, becoming a refreshing less alcoholic drink.
Although uncommon, Sambuca can be served with cola to make a refreshing long drink. Much like with Ouzo, mixing Sambuca with cola creates a cloudy brown drink due to the Ouzo effect.
Flaming Sambuca. Sambuca may be served in a shot glass and then set on fire for a second or two, in order to increase its flavour.

Another alternative is to catch the fumes in a snifter, and then drink the heated shot, after which the fumes are sucked up from the snifter through a straw, this method is similar to the controversially named Sambuca Gas Chamber, where a measure of Sambuca is poured into a low but wide glass, it is then set on fire using a long match, then it is left to burn for no more than 3 seconds before it is extinguished, the Sambuca is drunk, the glass is turned upside down and tilted upwards so the fumes can be enjoyed through a straw.

Gin is a spirit flavoured with juniper berries and is made by redistilling white grain spirit and raw cane sugar which has been flavoured with juniper berries.
The most common style of gin is London dry gin. London dry gin is made by taking a neutral grain spirit and redistilling after the botanicals are added. It is usually made with a small amount of citrus botanicals like lemon and bitter orange peel as well as the juniper berries. Other botanicals that may be used include anise, angelica root and seed, orris root, licorice root, cinnamon, coriander, and cassia bark.
Sloe gin is a common ready-sweetened form of gin that is traditionally made by infusing sloes, the fruit of the blackthorn, in gin.
A well-made gin will be relatively dry compared to other spirits and is often mixed in cocktails with ingredients like tonic water or vermouth to balance this dryness.

Sloe gin is a red coloured liqueur flavoured with sloe berries, the fruit of the blackthorn. Sloe gin has an alcohol content between 15 to 30% Abv.
Sloe gin is made by infusing gin with the sloe berries. Sugar is required to ensure that the sloe juices are extracted from the fruit.
Unfortunately most commercial sloe gins are made by flavouring cheap neutral grain spirits which produces a fruit cordial effect. Luckily Gordon's does not do this, they mix the sloes with Gordon's gin. The most popular brands of sloe gin are Plymouth and Gordon's. Hawkers also produce a Sloe Gin, the only manufacturer to do so with a Royal Warrant.

Rum is a distilled beverage made from the by-products of sugarcane processing namely molasses and sugarcane juice. Rum is usually aged in oak barrels. The vast majority of the world's rum production occurs around the Caribbean islands. Also several South American countries, such as Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil produce their own versions of rum. There are even rum producers in places such as Australia, Fiji and India.
Light rums are commonly used in cocktails.
Golden and dark rums are appropriate for drinking straight.
Premium rums are also available that are made to be consumed neat or on the rocks.
Rum plays a large part in the culture of the islands of the West Indies, and has famous associations with the Royal Navy and piracy.

Whisky or whiskey refers to a broad category of alcoholic beverages that are distilled from fermented grain mash and aged in wooden casks usually oak.
Different grains are used for different varieties, including: barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and maize (corn). Whisky derives from the Gaelic word for "water and is called "Water of Life". It is related to the Latin aqua vitae, also meaning "water of life".

Brandy is produced by the distillation of wine, the wine having first been produced by fermenting grapes. Brandy contains between 36% to 60% alcohol by volume and is usually consumed as an after-dinner drink. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks but most are coloured with caramel colouring to copy the effect of the aging process.

Cognac is named after the town of Cognac in France. It is the most famous variety of brandy, produced in the wine-growing region. The town of Cognac is one of only three officially recognised brandy regions in Europe; the others are the French town of Armagnac and the Spanish town of Jerez.
According to French Law, in order to bear the name, Cognac must meet strenuous legal requirements, ensuring that the 300-year old production process remains unchanged. It must be made from at least 90% Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, or Colombard grapes, although Ugni Blanc, specifically Saint-Emilion grapes, are today virtually the exclusive variety used. It must be distilled twice in copper pot stills and aged at least two years in French oak barrels, most commonly from oak shipped from all over Europe but passing through the town of Limoges and for that reason called 'limousin' oak.

TEQUILA
Tequila is an agave-based spirit made mostly in the area surrounding Tequila, in the highlands of the western Mexican state of Jalisco. The fertile volcanic soil in the region around Tequila is particularly well suited to the growing of cactus-like blue agave, and more than 250 million of the plants are harvested there each year. However, U.S. and Mexican laws state that tequila can be produced anywhere in Mexico, and the country boasts several other tequila-producing regions.

Tequila is most often made at a 38 to 40% alcohol content (76-80 proof), but there are also several varieties of tequila produced with 43 to 46% alcohol content (86-92 proof).

ABSINTHE
Absinthe is an anise-flavored spirit (45%-75% ABV) made from herbs. Absinthe has a recognisable natural green colour but can also be made colourless. It has been referred to as "the Green Fairy". Absinthe is sometimes called a liqueur but because absinthe is not bottled with added sugar it is classed as a liquor. Absinthe is bottled at a high proof but is normally diluted with water when it is consumed.

Absinthe originated in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. It achieved great popularity as an alcoholic drink in late 19th- and early 20th-century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writer. Arthur Rimbaud, Vincent van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, and Aleister Crowley were thought to be devotees of the Green Fairy. The chemical thujone, present in small quantities in Absinthe, was blamed for its alleged harmful effects. By 1915, absinthe had been banned in the United States and in most European countries except the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Portugal. Although absinthe was vilified, no evidence has shown it to be any more dangerous than ordinary liquor.

A revival of absinthe began in the 1990s, when countries in the European Union began to reauthorize its manufacture and sale. As of February 2008, nearly 200 brands of absinthe were being produced in a dozen countries such as France, Switzerland, Spain, and the Czech Republic. Commercial production of absinthe in the U.S.A. resumed in 2007.