BEVROLOGY

History of Cocktails

noreply@blogger.com (bevrology) — Sat, 02 May 2020 15:14:00 +0000

A Cocktail is a mixed drink consisting of two or more ingredients which can be stirred, shaken or built up, with a good garnish & eye appealing look.

This is a considerable debate as to when & where cocktail was invented or who made the first cocktail?

There's one theory that says that there was a barman in america who had large containers in which he used to pour out the left over drinks of the day, the container was in a shape of a cock and the tap of the cock was through the tail, this economical container drink got famous and was called cocktail by the locals

Whatever may be the theory around the word but the history of cocktails & its getting famous can be traced into the early 19th century, When there was a prohibition of sell & consumption of alcohol in America, This led to a cocktail revolution in the country as many illegal, speak-easy bars started serving them, this gave us some classic cocktails which are still famous today a good example would be a screwdriver which is just a mix of vodka with orange juice.

Then came the Era of 1980's where cocktail was considered as a fancy drink among the drinkers like the Dirty Martini, Pink lady, French 75 these cocktail became highly famous & found a new interest corner among the people, it made it so famous that people started having it eevn during their breakfasts

Today, Cocktails are a very famous & interesting concept to any bar, Specialist cocktails have become unique selling point of many restobars, With the ease of making it with the help of many viable equipment's today with the rise in bitters & different vermouth's have enhanced the cocktail game in the market & made them more flamboyant & exotic, easy access has also made it a homely affair.

Spirit aka Distilled Alcohol

noreply@blogger.com (bevrology) — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 05:31:00 +0000

The foundation of spirit alcohol existence can be traced in the early 18th century where they were rough & ready made from the ordinary wines & were mostly straightforward.

Credits:Pinterest

Distillation of alcohol was firstly introduced into Europe, As wine had rose to prominence in the province & slowly but steadily people realized that anything which can be fermented can also be distilled to enhance the alcoholic percentage in the liquid which gave birth to Brandy.

The spirit made from wine was the first to receive acclaim

The first Latin name received by spirit was aqua-vitae meaning Water of life, The french called it eau de vie the Russians called it little water of Vodka & Scandinavians called it aquavit.

These were highly priced since then but have not tasted particularly pleasant then as it was only distilled once hence a physicist known as Edouard Adam discovered the benefits of re-distillation this gave character to the drink & eventually the correct balance was made,

Credits: Pinterest

Today most of the commercial spirits are thoroughly modified & rectified this trend mostly owes much of the fact that most of these spirits are diluted with mixers these days. A neutral spirit base is created by prolonged rectification such as white rum,vodka & gin, So aromatic agents were added in order to stand out more boldly.

With the hopes that i am able to provide you knowledge about spirit, for any other information do contact me on my e mail ID

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Gin Production

noreply@blogger.com (bevrology) — Fri, 12 Oct 2018 07:14:00 +0000

Gin can be made from base ingredients like corn, rye, wheat, barley, etc.

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Basic production of gin is:
Selection of grain: Selecting the type of grain from which the alcohol will be produced.
Steeping: Steeping is a process under which the grain is soaked into water.
Malting: This process is the sprouting of the grains, under which the water filled seeds of the grain gets sprouted.
Germination: This is a process under which the first development of seeds can be seen.
Grinding: The germinated seeds are then grinded to form a paste.
Wort: After the process of grinding and the formation of the paste it is mixed with hot water, this process is known as wort.
Straining: once the wort gets cooled down the mixture is strained which makes it finer.
Fermentation: The process of fermentation is started after addition of yeast.
Distillation: Distillation of the fermented liquid is done on 190 proof in which we get head heart and tail, in which only heart is used. After this the heart is once again re-distilled to get the desired alcohol known as GIN. White gin (this gin is not aged and is directly bottled), Golden gin ( this gin is aged into barrels, to get the desired amount of golden colour)

Credits: Gin foundry
NOTE: At the time of distillation the mash vapour passes through a section after getting heated known as Gin head, this head contains botanicals, juniper berries, the vapour passing through this section gets the aroma of the botanicals & condensed to liquid.

With the hopes that i am able to provide you knowledge about the production process of gin, for any other information do contact me on my e mail ID
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Gin Introduction

noreply@blogger.com (bevrology) — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 10:20:00 +0000

GIN
(National Drink of England)

Gin originated over three centuries ago in Holland when Franciscus De La Boe, professor of medicine at Holland’s University of Leyden mixed juniper berries & alcohol to cure kidney complaints. He was to produce a therapeutic medicine that was both palatable and inexpensive and could be made by distilling pure alcohol in the presence of juniper berries. At that time, it was believed that the oils contained in juniper berries could relieve kidney and bladders disease.

The word Gin is derived from the French term ‘Jenever’ meaning Juniper Berries, the dark little fruits of the juniper tree contributes to the characteristic, strong perfume of gin other components include angelica, liquorice, orrisroot, dried citrus peel, caraway & coriander seeds, but these ingredients vary from one distiller to the other. It was when the British soldiers were returning home from war of thirty years and brought the taste of jenever across the north sea, Popularity of gin was increased when periodic hostilities with the French led to the application of punitive tariffs to their exports & just as the port came to be the wine of the patriotic choice among the elite, so gin replaced cognac, hence the rise in popularity was such that today it has become the national drink of England. World’s most famous aperitif Gin & Tonic was born in the Victorian era.

Juniper Berries

Gin Tonic Cocktail Alcohol

It is an alcoholic beverage which is generally produced by redistilling high proof spirit flavoured with juniper berries and other flavouring agents or it can be neutral spirit with juniper berries redistillation

Basically, there are two types of gin:

Distilled Gin: It is a distillate obtained from original distillate or by redistillation of distilled spirit with juniper berries at the time of bottling it should not be less than 80% proof

Compound Gin: It is produced by mixing high proof neutral distillate spirit with extracts of juniper berries, other botanicals & flavourings. This is a lower quality than the distilled Gin.

credit: Saveur

How to Serve Tequila Shots

noreply@blogger.com (bevrology) — Sun, 09 Sep 2018 05:07:00 +0000

Your drink is served to you cold and straight in a small shot glass (02floz), you then season your tongue with citrus & salt, by squeezing a wedge of lime & pouring salt on the back of your hand and then licking them up.

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To be anatomically precise, the hand should be held at a 45 degree angle away from the body, with the thumb extended downwards and the juice and salt deposited along the thumb and the forefinger. The tequila is then thrown back in one gulp like schnapps, carrying the seasonings with it. Repeat ad infinitum , believe it or not, this really is how tequila is widely drunk on its native territory.

It sounds like a fiddly and indescribably messy procedure, the answer is that it is, but long practice induces a sort of head tossing, devil may care sanguineness in experienced users.

Tequila Famous brands

noreply@blogger.com (bevrology) — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 03:13:00 +0000

Tequila is a very famous drink among the youngsters, thus there are many approved distillers who work on making the best tequilas around the world, Some of these brands are listed below

El Toro : A superb tequila distilled from blue agave.

Mixes the best traditional drinks: margaritas, sunrise sours, bloody marias and our signature drink -- the matador. They are sure to inspire feelings of warm Mexican sunshine! Gold with a slight orange-amber cast. Medium-bodied. Oil, charcoal, dried pear, honey. Compact texture. A touch rough, with solvent notes prevailing over light fruit flavors.Builds up well into a slightly heated finish. Good mixer.

Credits: http://43oz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/IMG_1470.jpg

Pepe Lopez : Produced at La Mexicana Distillery in Tequila, Mexico, Pepe Lopez Tequila is made from a combination of natural spring water and the highest quality, mature blue agave plants. *Pepe Lopez Silver is a sparkling clear tequila with a fresh lime and agave taste. *Pepe Lopez Gold is light amber with a spicy citrus taste. Both of these Tequila's are the key ingredients for the perfect margarita.

credits:http://sanhruou.com/UserUpload/Bia/Ruou-Tequila-Pepe-Lopez.jpg

Sauza : one of the finest brand comes from jalisco region of Mexico and is been produced from century and it is still ongoing, this brand is famous for its authenticity all over the world and thus it is one of the most preferred brand of tequila.

Credits: https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/597e446d15000084208b43d9.jpg?ops=scalefit_820_noupscale

Two fingers : This tequila is produced in the Los Altos region in the Jalisco Province. The distillery is family run, and the tequila is made from Mountain Blue agave plants which have been aged for between 8 and 10 years. This brand is famous for its relatively astounding and bitter flavor, you will find this brand in posh bars.

Credits: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1780/9427/products/two-fingers-tequila-gold-3_530x.jpg?v=1515266601

These were some very famous brands of tequila, for any further assistance regarding beverages do write me on to my e-mail.

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Tequila Production & Service

noreply@blogger.com (bevrology) — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 02:57:00 +0000

Tequila production is strictly regulated by the Mexican governments rules & regulations, regular inspections are done to ensure that the rules are not broken by the harvesters and distillers

CREDITS: https://cdn-attachments.timesofmalta.com/3ab48ae758a91164c428f34932158272-1050798791-1300229422-4d7fed2e-620x348.jpg

Harvesting- it takes 12 years for an agave plant to mature, if harvested very soon then the adequate level of sugar is not present in the plant. The spiny leaves are cut from the body of the plant to reveal the large pineapple heart shaped base called as Pina weigh about 35-70 kg.

Credits: https://i.huffpost.com/gen/1927025/thumbs/o-PINA-570.jpg?6

Cooking

After the pina is obtained it comprises of pure starch which is steamed in oven traditionally called as Horno for about 24-36 hours at a temp of 80-95.c this is the traditional method, the more improved method is carried out in autoclaves which takes around 12 hours & it is steam cooked.

A raw pina is pale yellow in colour and odourless

A cooked one is brown orange color which emits a sweet candy like scent.at this time the starch converts into sugar, Then the cooked pina is cooled before crushing it.

Crushing

Then the pina is crushed either in tohona which is again traditionally used or steel rollers to extract the juice (aquamiel,honey water). The fibrous pulp turns into a brown color and juice is collected

Fermentation

The juice is collected in large vats and if required natural sugar is added(only if the sugar content in juice is not sufficient enough for the fermentation process to take place) and combined with yeast and fermented for two or three days, this process of was has around 5-7 % of alcohol.

Distillation

The liquid is doubled distilled in copper pot still(104-106 proof) first distillation is known as Ordinario & contains around 20% alcohol, only the tequila of second distillation produces tequila of higher strength, later the alcoholic % is reduced by adding distilled water.

Ageing

Tequila may be aged or unaged and is bottled at 80 to 86 proof for consumption

The clear tequila (silver tequila/blanco/white ) is not aged and is bottled straightway in bottles and ready to be sold.

Credits: https://static.eljimador.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/18195431/640x640_blanco_shot.jpg

The brown or gold tequila is aged in oak barrels formin 9 months and is called as repasado .

Credits : https://cdn.forbes.com.mx/2016/09/tequila-shot.jpg

Anejo is the tequila aged for minimum 1 year in oak barrel

Credits: http://arrogante-tequila.com/img/cocktails/shots4.jpg

If tequila is aged for more than 2 to 5 years it is called as muy anejo

Credits : https://www.buzzle.com/images/food/drinks/tequila/extra-anejo.jpg

Oro is a blend of anejo and muy anejo tequila

Credits : http://kokefm.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/sugar-weight-loss.jpg

Bottling

Connossieurs( wine tasters/experts) they check the quality and the taste of the tequila and approve them for being bottled.

Law

Dgn- direccion general de normas

In an effort to control the production quality of tequila the mexican govt has devised a set of strict regulation known as norma official mexicana de calidad(n o m) on 31^st march 1978

Tequila worm (An Interesting marketing strategy)

Sometimes it is heard of finding a worm at the bottom of tequila which looks like a caterpillar .infact a worm is not found in bottle only genuine mezcal which is made from agave plant in oxaca province.the worm has no real significance other than a marketing strategy .however according to the local people the worm tastes delicious

At the time of bottling mezcal is bottled with the worm and is intended to be eaten as when last drink is poured

Eg : Monte alban

Credits : https://img.cncenter.cz/img/11/normal690/3302083_mezcal-mexiko-v0.jpg?v=0

Service

It has a extreme self life whether opened or unopened .in mexico it is drunk straight .its flavour is herbaceous grassy and vegetable in nature ,it has a natural affinity to salt and lemon juice

..it is served in tequila shot glasses( 1 oz)

Credits : http://blogs.technomic.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/tequila915-915x260.jpg

It can even be served neat,on the rocks and with mixers(soda,water)etc

With this we come to the end of tequila production & service, I hope that it gave you enough knowledge about the alcohol, for any other assistance related to beverages do write me on my mail.

HAPPY READING

Tequila

noreply@blogger.com (bevrology) — Mon, 27 Aug 2018 05:02:00 +0000

Credits : hungryforever

It is distilled from a fermented mash (juice) from a blue variety of genus plant Know as maguey or blue mezcal in Mexico. One interesting thing about the sprit is that it comes Jalisco district of Mexico, if it comes any other part it is then called Mezcal, the method of distillation can be a bit different but the spirit tastes the same. Quality tequila is distilled from 100% agave but the Mexican government & law permits tequila distillers to mix other sugars with it thus corn is mixed during fermentation it can only be mixed to a percentage of 49% Tequila is bottled not less than 80* proof, most tequilas are bottled at 37-40 per cent.

National drink of Mexico.

credit:historyofarmenia

Blue agave tequilana weber.

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The agave plant in America was called as century plant because it was mistakenly believed to bloom only once after every 100 years. Actually, it takes 12 years for the plant to mature before it can be used. The base of the plant called Pina weighs 25-45kg.The plant is grown in the state Jalisco of Mexico and the distillate is called as tequila.

crdit:i.huffpost.

This was an introduction to TEQUILA , There are most posts which will come up accordingly for tequila, I hope it helped you to understand the spirit better,

For any other assistance related to any alcoholic beverage do write up to me on my email id.

HAPPY READING....

Methods of Distillation

noreply@blogger.com (bevrology) — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 02:16:00 +0000

POT STILL METHOD( BATCH STILL)

IT IS A VERY SLOW PROCESS AND MAY RESULT IN SOME LEAKAGE OF ALCOHOL,THE APPARATUS IS MADE UP OF COPPER KNOWN AS (ALEMBIC) WITH A CAPACITY OD 1000-1200 LITERS

Credits: wikimedia.org

This is a manual method of separating alcohol from water .the mixture is taken to a large pot generally made of copper.the pot is heated from below as the mixture starts getting heated and we know that alcohol evaporates at 76*c and water at 100*c,alcohol evaporates first and passes through the neck and enters into the condensation chamber.as soon as it reaches the condensation chamber where it is cooled by water acting as a coolant changes it form from vapour to droplets of liquid and is collected in the vessel

The liquid is produced in three parts

1HEAD(FORESHOTS) 2 HEART 3 TAIL(FEINTS OR AFTERSHOTS)

The head and tail is collected in a separate vessel .the head contains a lot of methylalcohol and not suitable for human consumption .the heart is taken for second distillation which individually produces the same

1 HEAD HEART TAIL : AT THIS STAGE THE HEART IS THE ACTUAL DESIRED SPIRIT

Credits : BNG

It was discovered Mr. Arenas coffering of excise department, but an improvement was needed by Robert stein who patented it thus it came to be know as patent still .it is also called as continuous still. The patent still consists of two stainless steel, heavily insulated columns, each eighty feet high. Column a is the analyzer and column b is the rectifier.in column the spiral copper pipe is supported by plates at each turn. the column a as well as column b is heated by hot steam, in the bottom of the column is the hottest.

Warm wort travels down through the pipe ,and starts boiling by the time it reaches the bottom .the hot wort then travels (pumped up)into the storage tank of the rectifier.(rectification is the removal of other vapors from alcohol).the wort trickles from the tank as very tiny droplets, heats the hot copper plates underneath and vaporizes . The vapors travels through a long tube past the condenser, where they appear as the distillate get rid of the water in the distillate, it is rectified by passing the distillation through the pipe. This process is used for regular brands from grains spirits ,but not brandy “the still can be used continuously and is much faster.no vapor is lost in the process

With this we come to an end of methods of distillation, hope this helps you to know the alcoholic strength more deeply, do write to me if you are need any other assistance about alcohol.

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Alcoholic Strength (alcoholic proof)

noreply@blogger.com (bevrology) — Fri, 17 Aug 2018 14:45:00 +0000

ALCOHOLIC STRENGTH

Alcoholic strength is a measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage.

HISTORY

Before the 17th century, Britain defined alcoholic strength in term of proof, which was defined as the most diluted spirit & it should sustain combination of gunpowder that they used to mix equal quantity of gunpowder & the spirit, then ignite it to a flame, if the mixture failed to ignite then it was called that the alcohol was too weak, if it burnt brightly it was considered as strong & if it burnt with blue flame it was considered fit for consumption, Hence by this method under proof and over proof alcohol was determined.

EUROPEAN UNION

The European Union follows the recommendation of :

ORGANISATION INTERNATIONAL DE METROLOGY LEGALE (OIML)

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OIML recommendation provides standard for measuring alcoholic strength by a percentage by volume,since British system was complicated a new formula was invented

GAY LUSSAC

credit: thefamouspeople

according to him a spirit of 100% proof will cointan an alcohol % of 57.1% of alcohol

There are two types of alcoholic proofs :

1 UNDER-PROOF 2 OVER-PROOF

In case of Under-proof we subtract 25 from 100 = 75 proof

In case of Over-proof we add 5 to 100 = 105 proof

CALCULATION

ACCORDING TO GAY LUSSAC

100 PROOF SPIRIT =57.1%

1 PROOF SPIRIT= 57.1/100

75 PROOF SPIRIT = 57.1/100 *75= 42.8 V/V

USA PROOF

In USA the percentage is measure by Alcohol by volume (ABV)In the terms of % .
The code of Federal Regulations requires that the liquor label must state the percentage of alcohol by volume. Here alcoholic proof is twice the percentage of alcohol by volume. When measure at a temperature of 60' Proof
Example : 100 proof of Whisky means 50% of alcoholic content.

SPIRIT- it is an alcoholic product Obtained after distillation of fermented mixture .

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With this we come to an end of alcoholic strength measurement, hope this helps you to know the alcoholic strength more deeply, do write to me if you are need any other assistance about alcohol.

HAPPY READING.....

Distinguishing Alcohol

noreply@blogger.com (bevrology) — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 04:34:00 +0000

Distinguishing Alcohol

Before finding the difference between types of alcoholic beverages, lets first understand what is an alcohol, as a matter of fact alcohol can be defined as any class of organic compound containing a hydroxyl function group (-OH) is defined as alcohol, Ethanol is the scientific name given to alcohol, thus any beverage containing ethanol is termed as an alcoholic beverage.

On the process of their formation alcohol are distinguished into three parts:-

* Fermented : Fermentation is a process where sugar reacts with yeast at a certain temperature and produces ethyl-alcohol,carbon dioxide gas & energy. Some fermented alcoholic drinks are:

1. Wines : Wines are further classified depending on their characteristics these are:

credit: webstaurantstore

a) Table wines : Red,White,Rose,Blush,Blue.

b) Fortified wines : Sherry & Port

c) Aromatised wine: Aperitif & Vermouth

d) Sparkling wine: Champagne

2. Beer : Further classified into two depending on their method of production which is Ale & Lager

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3. Sake: Japanese drink made up of rice.

credit: image.cookly.me

4. Mead : A fermented alcoholic drink made from honey.

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5. Feni : A fermented alcoholic drink made up Cashew, popular in Goa

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6. Pulque : Pulque is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from Cactus

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* Distilled : Alcoholic beverages obtained after going through the distillation process is termed as a distilled alcoholic beverage.

In this process the alcohol gets separated from the liquid. The base principle of distillation is separating two liquids based on their difference of boiling points, as alcohol evaporates at a temperature of 76 *c and the boiling point of water happens to be 100*c hence , the alcohol vapours are collected in a funnel after condensation in the form of liquid.
some of the alcohol formed after the distillation process are:

1) Rum : Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made out of sugarcane juice.

credit: blog.thewhiskyexchange

2) Tequila : The national drink of Mexico, made from blue agave tequilana weber plant, very popular in pubs and disco the ques

credit: i1.wp.com/media.hungryforever

3) Vodka : National drink of Russia, this drink is quite very popular amongst the females.

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4) Whisky : Made from grains mostly preferred by men.

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5) Gin : National drink of England, Juniper berries play a vital role in the production process.

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6) Brandy : Known as burnt wine, made from grapes and other fruits.

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7) Liqeur : Made from fruits, nuts, barks,roots etc. extremely popular in making cocktails.

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* Processed : Processed alcoholic beverages are mostly handmade Cocktails

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Hence, the distinguish among the various types of alcoholic beverages are complete, in the upcoming blogs we will learn in depth about the other aspects of alcoholic beverages.

Happy surfing...

Frist Alcohol

noreply@blogger.com (bevrology) — Sun, 12 Aug 2018 16:05:00 +0000

First alcohol

Alcohol is one of the most important part of a restaurant these days, but did you know when did alcohol first came into picture?

Discovery of late stone age jugs reflects the culture & common intention of fermented beverages existed at least as early as the Neolithic period (c. 10000 BC)

It was when the Egyptians used fermented grains to form a liquid which was a prototype form of beer, these grains enabled them to enhance the process of bread making and proved in making raised breads. They found that adding the sediments of the ferment was the quickest and easiest method of starting fermentation in a new batch of dough.

credit:pixabay

Wine came after beer but was to become of crucial and religious importance to the Egyptian, Greece & Rome. It was used in celebrations and festivals. In addition to its festive and cultural role wine was also used in culinary purpose as it was used to make tough meat supple, also wine marinades used to remove excess salt from meats which were soaked in brine solution, wine was also depicted in many classic dishes from the romans in their sauce recipes and has an historical importance to the roman cookbook of Apicius (3^rd century B.C.) wine itself was commonly used to infuse spices to mask the rank flavours of oxidation & acetification.

credit:historyextra

Alcohol was believed to be the active ingredient in the healing powers of wine. Up to that time the word alcohol was derived for any generic term of product that derived vaporization & condensation. Not only medicines but the ancient practice of alchemy were involved in the European origins of distillation, alchemy was a respected branch of physical sciences and was chiefly concerned with finding the means of transforming ordinary metals into gold, thus people believed a lot in it and thought if it could be discovered then it will guarantee them eternal youth with lots of gold as gold was highly recognised as a precious metal, with the realization that alcohol could be repeatedly distilled to ever-greater levels of purity, people came to believe that spirits could be the holy grail.

It was Arnold de Villanova , a Catalan physician of the 13^th century, who first coined the Latin term ‘aqua vitae’ meaning ‘water of life’, for distilled spirits, indicating that they were associated with the promotion of vitality and health.

credit:sciencephoto

Bevrological, Welcome

noreply@blogger.com (bevrology) — Sat, 11 Aug 2018 20:50:00 +0000

Hello, Welcome to Bevrology, a place where you will find answer to all your beverage related questions, My Name is Sachin Kumar Keshari, the sole owner of this blog, coming from a humble background & a graduate from Institute of Hotel Management-Ahmedabad, Specialized in food & beverage

I am a beverage enthusiast and the fundamental drive to start this journey is to increase the knowledge of people around about beverages, it is said that when you light candles for others you too get enlightened, this is what I want to do basically believe in. Beverages have a whole lot of things with old classics to the new trendy hence , When I write I also go through the topic which I am about to share with you, so by reading the article I too get a good amount of knowledge about the topic thus, it helps me and my readers to know about beverages very closely,

With the hopes that I will provide ample amount of knowledge to you, I welcome you to BEVROLOGY
Happy surfing.

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