Origins and How to made Liquors

 Origins and How to made Liquors

Liquor is created by a distilling process that produces ethanol by a means of fermenting potatoes, grains, fruits, or vegetables. Liquor does not  include other alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer, and cider which are not distilled and are lower in alcohol content.In the US we commonly distinguish between distilled and undistilled alcoholic beverage by calling liquor a “hard liquor”.

There are numerous types and variations of Liquor or spirits available over-the-counter.

Vodka origins and how Vodka is made

Many believe that most Vodkas are made from potatoes. However these days Vodka is mostly made from barley, wheat, corn, and sorghum.

According to some sources Vodka may have had it’s beginnings in what is now considered to be the country of Russia during the 9th century. Most historians believe that the liquor was, at that time, used for medicinal purposes. The Gin and Vodka Association (GVA), believes that the first documented official distillery was probably in operation nearly two hundred years later. The earlier vodka was more primitive by today’s standards and contained amounts of color, smell, and flavor. The alcohol content may have been lower than 14%.

Sometime during the 14th century Vodka became a popular drink in Poland. The word “Vodka” originates from the polish word “Wodka” which originally defined the beverage as a medicine or cosmetic cleanser. The vodka beverage that was consumed at that time was called gorzałka. Large scale production of vodka began sometime in the 16th century in the city of Krakow.

Russian Vodka has it beginnings, according to a legend, around 1430 when a monk called Isidore from Chudov Monastery inside the Moscow Kremlin made a recipe of the first Russian vodka. The monk had a special knowledge of the distillation process and was able to usher in a higher quality beverage.

Vodka is made by taking the same fermenting process as beer and wine and adding distillation. The distillation process raises the alcohol strength to anything above 40% and can reach as high as 95%. It is a common practice to add spring water to the vodka to insure the alcohol strength to 40% before bottling. Vodka is not aged.

Due to distillation and filtering processes most vodkas lack any flavor. Many brands have developed flavored varieties of vodka that include, fruit, citrus, spice, almond, and vanilla.

Whiskey origins and how Whiskey is made

Unlike vodka, whiskey is an aged beverage. In addition, whiskey has numerous variations in how the wide variety of whiskies are produced.

It is thought that the beverage we know as whiskey has it’s roots in Scotland and Ireland. During the days of the 13th to 14th centuries the habitants of these islands lacked the ability to distill alcohol from wine because of the lack of availability of grapes. They used barley mash or beer in place of wine. The end result was the birth of modern day whiskey.

Scotch Whiskey, often called simply “Scotch”, is produced from grains that have been smoked in special peat moss smokers to arrive at a particular or desired taste. To be called “Scotch”, the whiskey must be aged at least 3 years in oak casks, normally distilled at least twice, and must be made in Scotland. The casks or barrels used for aging have usually been previously used for making bourbon or sherry.

Bourbon Whiskey, an American style of whiskey, must contain at least 51% corn, and must be aged in charred oak barrels for at least 2 years. Similar to Scotch in that it needs to be made in Scotland all Bourbon Whiskey must be made in the United States.

Irish Whiskey is made in Ireland. There are two types of Irish whiskey: Single Malt and Blended. Single malts are made of pure barley, while blends are a combination of single malts and grain whiskeys that have been produced using other grains such as corn and wheat. Generally speaking, blended whiskey has a lighter taste that many consumers prefer. Single malts, however, are considered the more pure form and are usually much more expensive.

Canadian Whiskey is very similar to the blended styles of American and Irish Whiskies. It must be made in Canada, and aged for at least 3 years in wooden barrels. Canadian whiskies are known for being very smooth and drinkable.

Tequila origins and how Tequila is made

All tequila is made from the agave plant and all tequila is made in Mexico. Agave plants are harvested with large thick trunks.  The spiny leaves are removed before being processed for fermentation.  The plants are then cut up and the juices are fermented to become Tequila.

Modern day Tequila has its origins placed sometime during the 16th century at or near the Mexican town of Tequila.  Previous to the 16th century Aztec indians had fermented  a beverage they called Octli from the same agave plant that tequila is made.  The spanish conquistadors began producing an agave beverage when they ran out of brandy.  This new beverage, known now as Tequila, was the first North American distilled spirit.

Tequila is made as clear or colored depending upon how long it is aged in oak barrels.  The clear type is bottled immediately after distillation while the much darker type is normally aged a minimum of 3 years.

Rum origins and how Rum is made

The modern day distilled rum got it’s beginnings in the Caribbean when slaves discovered that molasses, a sugar processing by-product, could be fermented into alcohol.   Later, distillation of these alcoholic byproducts concentrated the alcohol and removed impurities, producing the first true rums. Rum was also discovered to be present in Brazil in the 16th century.

Rum is made, like other liquors, by fermentation and distillation processing.  The clear liquid is then aged in barrels to obtain it’s darker color and variations in taste.  Rum can also be flavored with spices, caramel, coconut, and citrus.

Gin origins and how Gin is made

Gin was originally invented by the Dutch physician Franciscus Sylvius as a treatment for medical problems such as kidney disease, lumbago, gallstones, and gout.  It was also found by English troops who were fighting against the Spanish in the Eighty Years’ War who noticed its calming effects before battle.

Gin is processed in much the same manner as vodka accept with the infusion of juniper berries to produce a dry and clean flavor. Gin is often flavored with orange peel, anise, licorice, cinnamon, and coriander.

Wine origins and how Wine is made

An alcoholic drink made primarily from grapes but also made from other fruits is known as wine. The grapes or fruit are picked and crushed in a container therefore allowing natural yeast to come in contact with the sugars contained in the fruit. This natural fermenting process changes the sugars into alcohol.

The origins of wine can be traced back to 4000-6000 BC. The earliest known producers of wine are said to be the inhabitants of what is now Georgia (Not US Georgia). Additional early origins of wine have been traced back to 4500 BC in the Balkans and also from ancient Greece, Rome, and Thrace. 36 wine amphoras or containers were found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun (King Tut) containing the name of “Kha’y”, a royal chief winemaker. Five of these amphoras were said to originate from the King Tut’s personal estate.

The process of making wine is far less complex than the process of making other alcoholic beverages. However there are far more influences that attribute to the quality and flavor of wine.First off, every different type and origin of grape produces a different quality and flavor of wine. The environment that the grape is grown in can drastically affect the wine. Temperature, soil, moisture, and even land elevation can all play a contributing role in the growth of the grape. The riper and sweeter the grape the more and easier the alcohol is produced.

The wine fermentation process occurs naturally. However, the container material used during fermentation, the temperature, and the container size all additionally contribute to wine quality and taste. After fermentation the wine then needs to mature to reach it’s peak level of intended quality. The maturing process can last days or even many years in some cases.

Wines that are made from grapes that were all or predominantly grown in a particular year are known as “Vintage Wines”. A few Vintage Wines from certain countries are allowed to contain a small portion that are not from the original vintage year. Differences in color, nose, palate, and body can easily be attributed to differences in the vintage year.

For a wine to be vintage-dated and labeled with the United States or American Viticultural Area (AVA), 95% of its volume must be from grapes harvested in the same year. This requirement is lowered to 85% for a wine not labeled with a country of origin or AVA.

Non-vintage wines, mass produced wines, are normally blended from more than one vintage, more than one type of grape, or even more than one origin. This process of combining vintages, types of grapes, and points of origin helps the mass producers maintain a consistent taste and quality of wine even through bad years of grape growth.

Beer origins and how Beer is made

Beer is an alcoholic beverage that is produced or brewed by the saccharification of starch and fermentation of the resulting sugar. The saccharification enzymes and starch normally come from malted barley and malted wheat. Unmalted rice and maize are also used to help lighten the flavor. Hops are used to flavor the beer and counteract the sweetness normally associated with the brewing process.

It is thought that beer may have originated as long ago as 3500 – 3100 BC from the Zagros Mountains of western Iran. The early Sumerian writings from the region contain specific references beer; a prayer to the goddess Ninkasi, known as “The Hymn to Ninkasi”, provided a method of remembering the recipe for beer in a culture. Another example of early beer production was found in Syria and revealed that beer was being produced there around 2500 BC.

The Germanic and Celtic tribes of Europe produced beer as long ago as 3000 BC, although the beer brewed probably would not be comparable to today. The european beers have been noted to contain honey, fruits, spices and other narcotic herbs. They did not at that time contain hops. Hops were first discovered as an additive to beer around 822 AD by Carolingian Abbot.

Brewing is known as the process to make beer. The brewing purpose is to convert starch into a sugary liquid called wort. The wort is then converted into beer by fermentation that utilizes yeast.

Wort is produced by combining the malted starch source, grains, with hot water, called mashing. This process normally takes 1-2 hours and serves to convert the starches to sugar. These sweet wort are then drained off of the grains.The remaining grains are washed to recover as much of the fermented sweet wort as possible.

The sweet wort is then placed into kettles or vats and boiled. The boiling process evaporates the water while leaving behind the effective portions of the wort. Boiling also helps to remove or destroy any remaining unwanted enzymes left over from mashing. Hops are added during the boiling process as a source of bitterness, flavor, and smell

At the completion of the boiling process the wort is cooled. The cooled wort is then combined with yeast and prepared for fermentation. It is during fermentation of the wort that is transformed into beer. This process can often take a couple weeks but can last up to several months.

There are often two stages in the fermentation process, primary and secondary. Most of the alcohol is produced during primary fermentation. The beer is then transferred to a new storage vessel and goes through a secondary fermentation process. The secondary fermentation process is used when the particular type of beer requires a longer storage before being transferred to it’s final packaging.