Bourbon is distilled along with barley and wheat, where the proportion of wheat and barley in not less than 50 per cent according to the U.S. Federal Law. Its rich amber color and its sweetness is derived because of its ageing, in the old oak barrels which are charred so as to bring in the natural sweetness of bourbon. Its distinctive flavor and taste makes it Kentucky’s most versatile drink.

With the minimum time for ageing being 5 to 15 years according to the U.S Federal law, bourbon whisky seems to be an alcohol considered safer as compared to other natural beverages like the coffee or the tea which have high proportions of nicotine. Bourbon whisky seems to be the primary ingredient in all sauces, desserts and homemade recipes.

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Wine bars gained immense popularity during 1990s as though they were not much well-liked by people in United States during 1980s. With the passage of time, wine bars were admired by many people and started exploding in numerous metropolitan neighborhoods from corner to corner of the country. They have now arrived at the local associates such as local bars and coffee shops. The phenomenon of wine provides the taste previous to you buy philosophy. Wine is either provided in glass or in sample size pieces. The sample size piece formulates drinking wine more reasonable and therefore encourages bigger group of consumers. These bars render people to interesting and different wines, which they would have never inquired or known about.

Wine bars put a fresh twist on wine tasting. They look for removing the relationship of wine with upscale clients and irresistible wine lists and replacing it with relaxing and casual atmosphere. These bars are equipped with booths and nooks covered in rich colors and luxurious surroundings that will hang back the guests. Wine bars look to squeeze the thinker connected to wine and provide an option to the scene of bar. The negligent environment provides itself to an excellent socializing setting with fewer crowded feel and extra close appeal.

Modern wine bars have started to include a large array of food choices. Conventionally associated with desserts and cheeses, wine bars are gazing to mix wine with sample-sized foodie selections to improve the taste. The concept presents the tastes of imaginative restaurants to a decent setting. Chefs and owners of restaurants proceed in an opposite direction and are utilizing wine bars as a chance for expanding their business. Thus, nowadays wine bars have gained huge popularity and have become an opportunity of business for many people.

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This is then aged in wooden casks which are generally made of oak. There are many types of whisky such as vatted malt, pure pot still whisky, blended whisky, cask strength whisky and traditional cask scotch. Traditional Scotch is traditionally distilled by using a pot still, and it is distilled and matured in Scotland. Since it is matured in scotch it has the name traditional cask scotch.

Traditional cask scotch is produced by single distillery in one season and from a single batch of whiskey. It is produced from 100% malted barley, which has been aged for minimum of three years. After distillation, a 70% alcohol spirit called plain British spirit is pumped into casks and it is considered as whisky only after it is sat for three years. The traditional Scotch whisky is produced all over the world but the best ones are said to produce from Scotland, Japan and Ireland.

Traditional Scotch whisky is produced from malted grain specially barley. Its production also requires it to go through the various production processes like malting, mashing, fermentation, distillation, maturation, bottling and storage. It also requires the use of water whish is a very important ingredient. Water is first added to the barley to promote germination of the single malt.

It is mixed with ground barley to create a mash and is also used to dilute most whisky before maturation and then once again before bottling. Water is used to dilute the whisky to bottling strength which is 40-60%alcohol by volume. Different types of water are used in the distilleries. Malting involves the soaking of barley grain in water for 2-3 days and then allowing it to germinate so as to convert starch to fermentable sugars which then becomes available to yeast for fermentation.

Mashing is the process in which the malt is milled into coarse flour and is added to hot water to extract the sugars. The enzymes act on the starch to produce sugary liquid called wort to which yeast is added in a large vessel for the fermentation process. It then undergoes a process called distillation to get an alcohol content of 60-70%.ths then undergoes the process of maturation, bottling and storage to get the final traditional cask scotch.

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As already stated, hot buttered rum is a hot alcoholic drink made using dark rum, butter, sugar and cloves mixed with hot water.

There are number of recipes available for this drink. These could be found by making a standard internet search. You will get innumerable results, if you search for this cocktail drink on the net. One such recipe is given below:

Ingredients

• 2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 sticks cinnamon
• 6 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups rum
• heavy cream — whipped
• ground nutmeg — for topping

Preparation

All ingredients except rum, cream and nutmeg are to be put into a crockpot. 2 quarts of hot water is to be added to these ingredients and then to be stirred well. After covering the pot, it is to be put on low heat for cooking for five hours. After taking out the pot, rum is to be added and to be blended properly. For serving the drink, it should be poured in warm mugs with a scoop of whipped cream and nutmeg dusting.

Another recipe is given here for making hot buttered ram as a great hot drink to be enjoyed while sitting around a campfire with friends. The drink could also be caramelized by plunging a red hot poker into the glass for a minute. The rod chosen should be a thick, clean rod. Put it in the fire till it becomes red hot. Any ashes sticking to the rod should be shaken off. Care should be taken that the hot rod does not touch the bottom of the glass. In such an eventuality, the glass may break.

Ingredients

• 1 small slice soft butter
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• optional spices: ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg

Preparation

1. Place the butter, sugar and spices at the bottom of an Irish coffee glass or mug.
2. Mix well or muddle.
3. Pour in the rum and boiling water.
4. Stir.

The hot-poker method as stated above could also be used for caramelizing dark beers.

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Brandy is a drink made from the crushed juice of fresh grapes or any other fruit. The word Brandy is believed to be taken from the Dutch word Brandwijn which means burnt wine. The origin of wine can be traced back to the Mediterranean state of Moslem in the 7^th and the 8^th centuries. The grape brandy is made from the crushed pulp of the grape juice which is later fermented and aged in the caskets for years.

The Italian Grappa and the French Marc brandies are known to be the best examples of the Pomace brandy. Brandy is also used in making certain delicious cocktails.

The cocktails which constitute of brandy mixed with cream are commonly termed as creamy brandies. One such delicious cocktail is the Creamy Brandy Alexander. The ingredients required to make this cocktail are 1 tablespoon brandy, 1 tablespoon crème de cacao, 1½ cups milk, ¼ cup sweetened whipped cream, 1 pint of French vanilla ice cream and 1 pinch of ground cinnamon.

The preparation of the creamy brandy Alexander is very simple and takes a few minutes time. Firstly, pour the brandy, crème de cacao, milk and some ice cream into the blender. Mix the blend for sometime until it becomes smooth. Finally serve the cocktail in a cocktail glass garnished with some whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon.

Similar to this cocktail there is a list of many other cocktails which have brandy and cream as their major constituent. The ice cream brandy punch is a traditional drink made of milk, egg, brandy and ice cream. For this cocktail, we need 2½ cups milk, ½ cup brandy, 1 egg and 1 pint vanilla ice cream. The preparation time for this cocktail is just about 6 minutes. Firstly, mix the milk, brandy and egg in a bowl and beat it until it forms a smooth mixture. Add the ice cream and again mix properly to form a frothy cocktail and finally serve.

The other very similar cocktails which constitute mainly of cream and brandy include the Grampa’s brandy Alexander, brandy slush I, coffee nudge, brandy simple syrup etc.

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By chance, he picked up some mint leaves growing near the spring and added to his drink. Originally, this drink used to be prepared using wine or brandy. But, people in southern US especially Kentucky preferred bourbon whiskey instead.

This drink is traditionally served during Kentucky Derby. Whiskey used is straight aged Kentucky bourbon. The cup in which the chilled drink is served is made of sterling silver about 4˝ tall and 3˝ in diameter. Such a cup is called a julep cup. One such julep cup specially designed for the derby is presented to the winner of Kentucky Derby every year. In case, such silver cups are not available, they are served in tall glasses.

Water used for the drink should be cold and preferably from a limestone spring. The word julep is derived from the Arabic julāb and Persian gulāb meaning rose water.

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The Tennessee Whiskey is a type of straight whiskey that is distilled in Tennessee. It is a type of the American whiskey which is also similar to the bourbon whiskey. This type must be made from a mash having atleast 51 percent of single grain but should not exceed 80 percent alcoholism. The Tennessee Whiskey is one of the three very distinctive classes of the American whiskey along with the bourbon and the rye whiskeys.

The Tennessee Whiskey undergoes the Lincoln County Process of filtration. In this process of distillation, the whisky is passed very slowly through a 10 feet hard sugar-maple charcoal. This distilled whiskey is then casketed for maturing. This process of filtration of the Tennessee Whiskey takes about 10 days to complete. The charcoal distillation removes the unpleasant harsh fusel oils present in the grain alcohols.

This method of distillation is very unique and a clean spirit is filled into the barrels for aging. The whiskey must be kept for a minimum 2 years of aging and then diluted using water upto a minimum of 80 proof. The Tennessee Whiskey was recognized as a different style of whiskey by the American government officials in the year 1941.

There are just two active Tennessee Whiskey brands available namely the Jack Daniel’s (Jack Daniel Distillery) and the George Dickel Whisky (George Dickel Distillery).

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Stressing more on the quality of wine is always important but nowadays, it has become equally crucial to also know the types of glasses used to serve them.

There exist a number of believes regarding the glass to be used with the type of wine being served. As a matter of fact, every shape and style of glass makes the wine smell and also taste differently. Usually, the stemware glasses are used to serve wine. This type of a wine glass allows you to hold the glass from the stem without having your finger prints on the bowl and thus avoids warming of the wine.

Another advantage of using the stemware wine glasses is that it makes swirling of the wine easier than the other types of glasses. Also it is equally important to remember that the glass should have a smaller opening in comparison to its widest point of the bowl. This helps to keep the aroma of the wine intact in the glass, making it easier to smell the wine.

The stemware wine glasses can be made of glass or crystal. The crystal glasses are extremely thin, look more elegant and are very expensive. While the wine glasses made of glass are less expensive and easier to wash. The crystal glasses ring better than the simple glasses while making a toast. Thus the type of glass used to serve wine is also as important as the quality of wine.

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Cocktail is a drink made by mixing different varieties of spirits and other eatables like water, milk, sugar, cream, honey, herbs, bitters and fruit juices. A drink which contains any form of alcohol is generally termed as a cocktail. A cocktail can be made from gin, rum, whiskey, vodka or any other form of alcohol. Basically, a blended whiskey mixes well in the cocktails and is most commonly used around the different countries.

Purists around the world avoid mixing scotch in their cocktails. They believe that the real taste of scotch can only be enjoyed when taken alone. Lists of cocktails made by using scotch as its main ingredient are given below.

Scotch Tom Collins: Pour 1 large measure of scotch with 2-3 lumps of ice and 5-6 dashes of lemon juice in a large glass along with some soda to make this cocktail. Serve the cocktail in a cocktail glass.

Scotch Horse’s Neck: To make this cocktail, mix 1 large measure of scotch, 5-6 dashes of lemon juice, angostura bitters with some ice cubes into a glass with ginger ale and serve.

Rusty Nail: 1 measure of Drambuie and 1 measure of scotch is mixed with crushed ice and then served.

Scotch Whiskey Toddy: 1tsp of sugar is placed in a tall hot glass. To this, hot boiling water is added to dissolve the sugar with 1 tsp of lemon juice. Small measure of scotch is added to it and then stirred well before serving.

Whisky Mac: 1measure of ginger wine is mixed well with 2 measures of scotch to make this cocktail.

Rob Roy: to make this cocktail, ½ measure of scotch, ½ measure of dry Italian vermouth is mixed with a dash of angostura bitters.

Whisper: 2 measures of scotch, 2 measures of French vermouth are mixed with 2 measure of dry Italian vermouth and some crushed ice to make this cocktail.

Highland special: This cocktail is made using 3 measures of scotch with 2 measures of French vermouth and 1/a glass of orange with some crushed ice. The cocktail is garnished with finely grated nutmeg before serving.

Scotch Rickey: Lime juice (extracted from half lime) is mixed with the juice of quarter lemon with 1 measure of scotch, some soda and ice.

Summer Scotch: This cocktail is made by mixing 1 measure scotch, 3 dashes of crème de menthe with some crushed of ice. Serve the cocktail with some soda.

Some of the other scotch cocktails that are also available include the Derby fizz, Highland cooler, Flying Scotsman, Whiskey Sour, Earthquake, Bannockburn, Highland fling, Purple heather, Whisky Cobbler, Godfather, Golden Heath and Brown jug cocktail.

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This recipe was first made in the 1950’s in Holiday Isle Tiki Bar situated at Florida Keys. It is said that a new bartender of this bar prepared this cocktail he found that the bar was overflowing with stocks of blackberry brandy, banana liquer and light rum. He named this drink after the former bandits who used to live in that area who were involved in illegal smuggling of alcoholic beverages in 1930s while prohibition was enforced in USA.

Rum Runner is one those cocktails which are prepared using rum and is very popular for the fruity flavor of this drink. This cocktail could be prepared by shaking or by blending. Either ways, you will be enjoying a delectable tropical cocktail.

In the recipe given below, Falernum (which is made from almond, ginger, lime and spiced sugar syrup) has been used which is also used for making other cocktails using rum. If this is not available to you may use grenadine instead.

Ingredients

• 4 oz orange juice
• 1/2 oz blackberry brandy
• 1/2 oz crème de banana
• 1 1/2 oz gold rum
• dash of Falernum or grenadine

Preparation

1. All the ingredients required to make this cocktail are to be poured into a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Contents of the shaker should be shaked well.
3. To serve the cocktail, contents are to be stained into chilled hurricane glasses.
4. Optionally, all these ingredients may be put into a blender with about 3/4 cup of ice and then blended until it becomes smooth.

There are many other recipes available to make this cocktail drink. One more recipe is given below for you to experiment with.

Ingredients

• Two cups ice
• One ounce pineapple juice
• One ounce orange juice
• One ounce blackberry liqueur
• One ounce banana liqueur
• One ounce light rum
• One ounce dark rum or aged rum
• Optional: one ounce of Bacardi 151 to float on top
• Splash grenadine
• Orange slice (optional)
• Ounce of 151 Rum (optional)

More ice could be used to make a colder and thicker drink. But, less ice is to be used to avoid having a headache. Dark rum gives the drink its strength and flavor. Amount to be used for making such a drink may be adjusted as per one’s personal taste.

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