HMPE 204 Unit 3

West Visayas State University 2020
Unit 3: Distilled Beverages
Introduction
Ancient alchemists
discovered that by heating up a
liquid made from fermented
grains, fruits, or vegetables all
containing two key components:
yeast and carbohydrates they
were able to separate the ethanol
and then cool and collect it in a
separate vessel. The key to
distillation is that water evaporates at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius while the
ethanol turns to vapor first at 78.3 degrees. Control the heating element so that only
the ethanol is boiling and we have the birth of the spirit!
Since then, technology and methodology have come a long way. The art of
distillation has evolved into a process that employs countless variables and unending
outcomes. From the water source of a vodka to the barrels used to age whiskeys,
every variable counts.
Distilling is a science. It is a science with no exact cure and no unanimously
procured perfection. Each distiller’s methodology is unique as is each sipper’s pallet.
Each distiller must in their own location and practice create or purchase neutral
source spirit, select added ingredients, select what still they will use, and choose their
distillation methods.
This chapter discusses the process of distillation. Presented the steps of aging,
blending, bottling and storing distilled beverages. Elaborated the different types of
distilled beverages and detailed the the history, types and kinds of brandy, rum,
tequila, vodka and whiskey/whiskey.
The topics were divided into two; Topic One, presents the Distillation
Processes; while Topic Two, Types of Distilled Beverages.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this Unit and after actively participating in the live
and online class the student should be able to:
1. explained the process of distilling beverages ;
2. identified the steps of aging, blending and bottling, beverages;
3. familiarized with the storing procedures of spirits;
4. examined the different types of spirits; and
5. recognized the history, types and kinds of brandy, rum, tequila,
vodka and whiskey/ whiskey.
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Topic 1: Distillation Process

Activity
Name:________________________________ Course, Yr & Sec:__________
Teacher: ______________________________ Class Schedule: ___________
Sequencing: Read and analyze each step. Arrange
the them accordingly. Write your answer from Steps 1
to 6 respectively to the box before each step.
The following are the five (6)

steps in making distilled spirits. Arrange the Process of
Distilling Beverages by writing which comes first to the
last step.
Fermentation of the wash
Collection of “low wine” spirits
Mash Tun: Used to convert barley grain

starches to sugar
Stripping of the wash to remove water
Barreling of aging spirits
Redistilling the low wine to produce final

spirits for barreling
Note to Students: Detached this page and submit to your

Professor on the given due dates.
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Analysis
Instruction: Write your answer on the space provided.
The paradigm below presents the idea of storing beverages. Are you
considering the concept of storeroom presented below?? Agree or disagree
state at least five reasons why? Utilize space provided.
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Abstraction
Distillation
A Brief History of Distilling. Since the

earliest known use of distillation about 5,000
years ago, practice of the art has grown and
spread around the world in several waves, the
speed and extent of each being dictated by
geography, trade routes and cultural and religious influences. Each successive wave
gave rise to significant technical advances in distillation, making it less expensive,
more efficient, and more controllable.
Possibly the earliest written record of distillation is in the Epic of Gilgamesh,
which describes a form of essential oil distillation practiced in Babylon as far back as
3000 BC. Herbs were placed in a large heated cauldron of boiling water, and the
cauldron’s opening was covered with a sheepskin, fleece side down. Periodically the
sheepskin was changed, and the condensate soaking the fleece was wrung out into a
small jar. Essential oils floated to the surface of the water collected in the jar and
were skimmed off. Medieval texts and woodcuts show the same principle being used
to concentrate alcoholic vapors from boiling wine.
Distilling migrates East and West. By 500 BC, alcohol distillation was an
established industry in the ancient Indian area known as Taxila in modern northwest
Pakistan, where archaeologist discovered a perfectly preserved terra-cotta distillation
system. In this process, steam rising from a pot of boiling water passed through a
bed of fermented grains, picking up alcohol and flavors from the grains. The vapors
then struck bottom of a second pot filled with cold water, where they condensed and
dripped into a collection tube.
From Taxila, knowledge spread to the East and the West, and by 350 BC,
knowledge of the distilling process appeared in the writing of Aristotle in Greece and
Sinedrius in Libya. The first arrival of distillation technology in China is misty, but by
AD 25, bronze stills of similar design were being
produced and used there.
By the end of the first millennium AD, the
practice of distillation had spread throughout
northern Africa and the Middle East. The process
had advanced significantly over this 1000-year
period, and the material being distilled was now
boiled directly in a large sealed pot, which had a
long tube leading from its apex to a small
collection jar. When the Moors invaded Spain,
they brought this technology with them, and
soon the genie (or spirit) was out of the bottle.
The technology spread from Spain to
Italy in AD 1100, and was recorded in Ireland by
1200, Germany by 1250, and France by 1300.
England, Scotland, Poland, Russia, and Sweden
joined the club by 1400.
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Distilling Technology Evolves.

European exploration and conquest spread
rapidly around the world, carrying the
technology of distillation with it. The first stills
in the Americas appeared not long after the
conquistadores, and the Portuguese brought
the technology to Japan by 1500.
This technology was largely controlled
by monasteries and alchemists, who
continuously experimented and improved on
the equipment. By the mid-1600s, several texts
had been published on the subject of distillation,
a sample of which included the woodcuts on
this spread, from The Art of Distillation by
Jonathan French (1651). As this information spread beyond clerical and scientific
circles, wealthy individuals began to establish still houses on their estates.
As knowledge blossomed
throughout the Renaissance,
distillation continued to develop rapidly.
Distillation was removed from the
exclusive province of scientists, monks,
and professionals and became a
common household art. Recipe books
abounded.
By the 1700s, the complexity
and sophistication of commercial-scale
distilling equipment had advanced
rapidly. Advances in the understanding
of how distillation actually worked led
to new still designs that could make
better spirits more easily and faster
than in the past. Distilling became
more accessible to the masses, and the monopoly held by the church and the elite
classes was threatened. These centers of power soon enacted restrictions, at first to
protect that monopoly, and later purely for revenue.
Regulation and Rebellion. Since 1700, the regulation and control of
distillation has been mostly a story of lost freedoms and rights. A few rays of sunshine
have since poked through the clouds. The elite and governments of Europe tried
repeatedly to exploit and control distillation. In England, for example, the first
taxation of commercial distillation appeared in 1690 to pay for a war with France.
Private distillation was exempted from this tax, and it remained free from interference
as taxes and regulations were raised, lowered, abolished, and resurrected over the
next century. Private distillation in England flourished and grew significantly during
this time and perhaps not a little of this product found its way into commercial
channels via the back door, until it was outlawed in 1781 to enhance the collection of
revenue. The massive Gin Craze of early eighteenth-century Great Britain had its roots,
in part, in this unfettered spread of distillation.
The United States government’s first attempt to tax distillation resulted in the
Whiskey Rebellion of 1791, which was put down by federal troops led by George
Washington who was serving as president at the time.
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The Whiskey Rebellion in

western Pennsylvania. Federal excise
taxes were abolished after the end of the
War of 1812, only to be imposed during the
Civil War in the 1860s (and continue to this
day).
Napoleon introduced regulation in
France. The laws varied widely over the
next century, but stabilized in 1914, when
the right was granted to anyone with a
vineyard or orchard to distill up to 20 liters
of spirits from their fruit if they agreed to
pay a tax. This right was originally
inheritable, but that was revoked in the
1950s. This system led to the development of traveling stills, known as bouilleurs de
cru, which were once very common sights in the French countryside. Because the
number of permitted individuals has shrunk with every passing year, very few of
these mobile distilleries remain.
Australians lost their right to home-distill their own beverages in the aftermath
of World War I, again as a revenue measure.
“There is more refreshment and stimulation

in a nap, even of the briefest, than in all the
alcohol ever distilled.” Ovid (ancient Roman
classical poet and notorious wet blanket at
bacchanals, 43–17 BCE)
Many African, Latin American, and
southern European nations have continued
to allow private distillation under a wide
variety of rules, ranging from none, through
inspection of stills, to onerous regulations
and high taxation. In general, traditional
alcoholic beverages are made in most
farmhouses using traditional equipment mostly pot stills of various forms, without any
adverse effects on society.
One countertrend to this march of increased government regulation was the
legalization of private, noncommercial distilling by New Zealand in 1996. The New
Zealand government found that the expense of enforcing the ban on private
distillation far outweighed the revenue coming from fines, so the law was abolished.
This change led to widespread adoption of small-scale distilling as a hobby, and, as
hobbyists always will, they experimented with equipment and techniques continuously.
This boom in home distilling in New Zealand did not go unnoticed, and starting
around the turn of the 21st century, a new generation of licensed commercial craft
distilleries started to open in North America, the United Kingdom, and parts of Europe.
Future Trends. Just as the appearance of microbreweries followed the
renaissance of home brewing, increasing the choices and level of quality for all beer
drinkers, craft distilleries are starting to thrive around the world, using new equipment
and methods. Many of these modern small distilleries are experimenting with new
types and categories of spirits, creating novel and sometimes uniquely local spirits.
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The first modern craft distilleries, such as St.

George Spirits, Germain-Robin, Jepson Vineyards,
and Clear Creek Distillery were established in the
1980s, closely following the growth curves of
family wineries after Prohibition and the growth
of craft breweries following Fritz Maytag’s
purchase of Anchor Brewing. Since around 2000,
exponential growth has followed the pattern of a
classic industry resurgence and is expected to
continue for years to come.
The U.S. movement has garnered so
much excitement that it has inspired similar
proliferation of distilleries and brands in Canada,
Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Australia,
India, South Africa, and many other countries around the globe.
Moonshine. The cultural stereotype of “corn likker” moonshine being made
by hillbillies deep in the woods in Southern states was never quite the final word on
moonshine production in the United States. Anywhere fruit or grain is grown, illicit
spirits were distilled for home use and informal commercial sale. The heyday of large-
scale moonshine production was during U.S. Prohibition of the 1920s and 1930s,
when all of the United States and parts of Canada were officially dry.
But illegal moonshine production still continues on a reduced scale to thisday. Some
of it is produced by increasingly sophisticated home distillers, and yes, there are still
backwoods moonshiners, even if some of
those seem to exist primarily to appear on
cable network television shows. Alas, times
and moonshine are not what they used to be.
Modern moonshiners tend to skip the grain
mashing and go directly to fermentation by
dissolving regular sugar in warm water,
fermenting the sugar water with baker’s
yeast and then distilling off the resulting
alcohol.
The results are spirits much inferior to
a distilled grain spirit, and ultimately an
arrested moonshiner. The Alcohol and
Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB, also
known as “the Feds”) keeps track of the sale
of large quantities of bulk sugar, particularly
in rural areas with a past history of moonshining, although a surprising amount of
this“sugar shine” is made, or at least produced for sale in what are sometimes
delicately referred to as urban, ethnic markets, particularly in the mid-Atlantic states.
Dirt Track Distilling. Students of American popular culture know that
moonshine whiskey and NASCAR go together like actor Burt Reynolds and muscle
cars. Starting in 1973 with the movie White, Reynolds made a career of portraying
Southern good ol’ boys delivering moonshine in fast cars, while out running the local
sheriff. The real-life inspiration for such cinema characters was Robert Glen Johnson
Jr. born in 1931 in Wilkes County, North Carolina, better known as Junior Johnson.
Johnson was a moonshiner in the rural South who became one of the early
superstars of NASCAR in the 1950s and ’60s. Johnson grew up on a farm and
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developed his driving skills running moonshine as a young man. He consistently

outran and outwitted local police and federal agents in auto chases, and he was never
caught while delivering moonshine to customers.
A POS card advertising JuniorJohnson’s Midnight Moon by Piedmont Distillers
Johnson became something of a legend in the rural South, where his driving expertise
and “outlaw” image were much admired. Johnson is credited with inventing the
“bootleg turn,” in which a driver escapes a pursuer by sharply putting his speeding
car into a 180-degree turn on the highway, then speeding off in the opposite direction
before his pursuer can turn around. Johnson
was also known to use police lights and sirens to
fool police roadblocks into thinking that he was
a fellow policeman; upon hearing his approach,
the police would quickly remove the roadblocks,
allowing Johnson to escape with his moonshine.
In 1955, Johnson decided to give up
delivering moonshine for the more lucrative and
legal career of being a NASCAR driver.
Unfortunately, the “Revenuers” had not
forgotten Junior. In 1956, federal agents found
Johnson working at his father’s moonshine still
and arrested him. Johnson was convicted of
moonshining and was sent to federal prison,
where he served 11 months of a 2year sentence.
He returned to the NASCAR scene in 1958 and
picked up where he left off. He went on to win
fifty NASCAR races in his career before retiring
in 1966.
A tombstone that was used during Prohibition for stashing moonshine near Morgantown, West Virginia
Specially Crafted Cat daddy Carolina Moonshine by
Piedmont Distillers, Madison, NC. In 1965, writer Tom Wolfe
wrote an article about Johnson in Esquire magazine. The
article, originally titled “Great Balls of Fire,” turned Johnson
into a national celebrity and led to fame beyond his circle of
NASCAR fans. In turn, the article was made into a 1973
movie based on Johnson’s career as a driver moonshiner
titled The Last American Hero. Jeff Bridges starred as the
somewhat fictionalized version of Johnson, and Johnson
himself served as technical advisor for the film. More
recently, Johnson’s family has licensed the Junior Johnson
name for use in promoting a legal distilled product: Junior
Johnson’s Midnight Moon from Piedmont Distillers in Madison,
North Carolina.
Modern “Moonshiners” . The current
interest among hobbyist distillers in creating first-
rate liquors, and the general wholesome quality of
their products, tracks primarily to several
convergent trends: Virginia Lightning Corn Whiskey
by Belmont Farm.
The Distilling Process.There are only five
steps needed to arrive at a distilled spirit. Here they
are:
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Step 1: Choosing the food from which to distill the alcohol

Step 2: Preparing the food for distillation
Step 3: Heating the prepared mixture to produce (distill) a specific spirit type
Step 4: Maturing the distilled spirit.
Step 5: Packaging (and shipping) the finished product
Steps 1, 2, 3, and 5 apply to all distilled spirits; some types, such as vodka,
aren’t aged no Step 4 for them. At every step along the way from carbs to spirits to
the process is monitored by a still master and his assistants (yes, it’s still a very
masculine profession) to make certain that the ethanol the distiller turns out meets
health and safety standards for use in beverages. The still master totals every ounce
of alcohol produced during each distillation period so that the revenue agents have a
clear record for tax purposes.
The Basic Material for Distilling. Virtually any carbohydrate-rich food can be
used as a base from which to distill alcohol. With the exception of milk which contains
lactose or milk sugar and is often used after it ferments to produce an alcohol
beverage called kumis foods from animals don’t contain carbs, which is why nobody’s
ever made a chicken, fish, or hamburger whiskey, gin, or vodka.
Plant foods, on the other hand, are carb rich; grains, fruits, nuts, seeds, and
at one time or another flowers have all been used as the base for a distilled spirit.
Picking the right food(s) is the job of the still master, who, along with other members
of the distillery staff, is charged with creating a shopping list called a mash bill, a
recipe listing the food(s) to be used in distilling a specific whiskey, gin, vodka, or
other spirit.
In most countries, including the United States, the government plays a role in
drawing up the mash bill, laying down some basic rules to govern how much of which
foods go into what kinds of spirits. For example, a Bourbon must be distilled from a
minimum of 51 percent corn with the remainder being other grains. What’s in the
balance is left up to the individual distiller, which is why all Bourbons have a similar
flavor with slightly different flavor notes, depending on the “house style” of the source.
Distillers use neutral spirits in blending dark spirits, such as whiskey, and to produce
clear spirits, such vodka and gin. These neutral spirits may be distilled from any of the
following:
 Any grain, such as barley, corn, rice, rye, or wheat
 Any high carbohydrate food, such as potatoes, agave, sugar cane, and others
 Fruits, such as grapes for brandy. Unfermented fruits, nuts, herbs, and seeds
are also used as flavoring agents.
Milling and Mashing. Milling and mashing may sound like the name of a
really good law firm, but they’re actually two processes used in creating distilled
spirits. In this example, I use grains because distilling from them is basic to all other
plant and vegetable products used to make potable spirits. In the first process, the
grains that are used as a base for distilling go through a mill where mechanical rollers,
hammers, and/or grinders break and strip away the husk outer covering of the grain
to expose as much of the surface of the grain as possible.
In the second of these two processes, the grains are plunked into water and
mushed into a mash. The water pulls carbs out of the grains into a solution so that
those determined microorganisms can get to work.
Before distillation can take place, the mash is heated and fermented by adding yeast.
Starting the Fermentation Process. After the grain is mixed into a mash,
the mash is heated in a large vat so that naturally occurring enzymes in the grains
(malt enzymes) soften the grains into a soupy mass called a wort.
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The wort is then pumped into a large vat called a mash tun. The mash tun
may be either a wooden container with an open top or a steel or copper container
with a closed top. Either way, the bottom of the tun is a strainer through which the
liquid flows from the mash into a separate container (the fermentation tank). Protein
rich residue is left atop the strainer in the mash tun, and it’s compacted and used as
animal feed.
Bringing on the Micros. Now the still master adds microorganisms the
yeasts to the liquid in the fermentation tank. Two kinds of yeast work together.
1. Cultivated yeast: Distillers guard their cultivated yeasts as closely as Fort Knox
to prevent the competition from stealing the strain and preserving it in
temperature-controlled splendor for future growth for generations (of yeasts).
2. Wild yeast: These yeasts enhance flavor differences even in products from
distilleries located within short distances apart. Wild yeasts are a lot less
trouble to handle than their often richer relatives, cultivated yeasts. Leave
the fermentation tank open and zap, you’ve got local yeasts dropping in to
help out. Although still masters don’t often talk about it, there’s a difference
in yeasts. It’s tough fitting these uncontrolled rascals into the ultimate taste
profile desired, but adding complexity is often worth the effort.
Almost immediately, the yeasts go to work digesting carbohydrates in the
liquid, emitting alcohol and carbon dioxide. As the carbon dioxide rises to the surface,
the solution bubbles. Poetic distillers may describe this phenomenon as “the dance of
life.” or fermentation. As the yeasts continue to digest the carbs, the amount of
alcohol in the liquid steadily rises. When the alcohol concentration reaches 3 percent,
the still master transfers the liquid now known as distiller’s beer from the
fermentation tank into the still for the main event: distillation.
Distilling: The Main Event. In the distillery, the distiller pours or pumps the
water/alcohol mash from the fermentation tank into the still (a vessel used for
distillation) and heats the still until the liquid inside boils. Because alcohol boils at a
lower temperature than water, vapors from the alcohol rise first, to be collected and
condensed as liquid ethyl alcohol, the alcohol used in beverages. The alcohol
produced in the still is also known as neutral spirits because it’s free (or relatively free)
of flavoring and aroma compounds. The modern still master works with two distinct
types of stills: the pot still and the column still.
The Pot Still. The first pot still was the alembic still used by the Arabs who
invented distillation sometime during the 11th century CE. The classic alembic still is a
simple copper pot with a rounded bottom and an elongated spout or swan’s neck on
top that traditionally ends in a twisted coil called the worm. So perfect is the design
that modern distillers still use the alembic still centuries after it was designed. The
process goes something like this:
1. A distillers pours his mash into the pot still.
2. He heats the vessel over an open fire.
3. The fire sends the alcohol vapors up into the swan’s neck.
4. The vapors go into a water-cooled condenser or jacket.
5. In the condenser, the vapors are condensed into liquid alcohol.
6. The liquid alcohol runs out of the worm into a waiting container.
What pot stills are used for? The pot still turns out relatively small
amounts of alcohol. As a result, modern distillers most commonly reserve it for batch
distilling, the distillation of limited amounts of alcohol to make hand-crafted spirits.
These spirits are small quantities of brandies, Bourbons, Irish and Scotch whiskeys,
vodkas, rums, and gins.
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As the yeasts continue to digest the carbs, The modern pot still
the amount of alcohol in the liquid steadily
rises. When the alcohol concentration
reaches 3 percent, the still master transfers
the liquid now known as distiller’s beer from
the fermentation tank into the still for the
main event: distillation.
With the increased interest in
whiskey and other types of distilled spirits, a
growing number of small distilleries have
sprung up around the United States doing
all their production on pot stills. Pot stills
also are used by mass market operations to
produce spirits that offer a more complex or deeper flavor to particular brands. One
example of this is Brown-Forman’s Woodford Reserve Kentucky Bourbon, which is
made exclusively on pot stills. As a result, sampling craft whiskeys and other spirits
whether from giant distilleries or limited production brewpubs or wineries can be an
exciting experiment. Of course it can also be a waste of time and money.
How pot stills work. To use a pot still, today’s distiller pumps the liquid from
the fermentation tank into the still; applies heat via piped-in steam, coils, or an open
fire under the still; and then collects the liquid that forms as the alcohol vapors rise
through the condenser (the worm). The distiller goes through this process twice:
Distilling alcohol with a modern pot still means distilling in two pot stills (and
sometimes three). They’re called wash stills and spirits stills depending on when
they’re used in the distillation process.
First pot still. The liquid that comes off the first still, or wash still, is called
low wine. Low wines are suitable for making spirit products because they contain
substantial amounts of compounds called congeners, which are formed during
fermentation. The primary congeners are
1. Aromatic esters: Aroma compounds formed by chemical reactions between
alcohol and acids
2. Aldehydes: Flavor and aroma compounds formed by chemical reactions
between alcohol and oxygen
3. Fusel oils (from the German word fusel, which translates to the English rot
gut): Highly flavored alcohols that can be found in alcohol distilled at less
than 190 proof and used only in very small quantities, if at all
To obtain the alcohol he needs to make a good-tasting, pleasant smelling, safe
bottle of distilled spirits, the still master must eliminate all or most of these congeners.
The amount of congeners the still master allows in the alcohol depends on the
product in which the alcohol will be used; whiskeys have some congeners, vodkas
have virtually none (and some claim no flavor at all).
The trip through the second pot still. The distiller pours or pumps the
low wine from the wash still into a smaller spirits still. Once again, the still is heated,
and the alcohol vapors rise to be collected and condensed into liquid alcohol called
the distillate. The distillate comes off the still in three distinct phases:
 Phase 1: The fore shots (or heads) of the batch are low-boiling compounds
generally not fit to drink.
 Phase 2: The potable spirits (or mid-cut) of the batch is the alcohol you can
drink.
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 Phase 3: The feints or tails of the batch are unpleasant, oily, smelly, bad-
tasting compounds that would make the product, well, oily, smelly, and bad-
tasting.
How the still master earns his big bucks. The still master’s job is to
collect the distillate at exactly the right moment. In other words, like Goldilocks and
her Three Bears, whose chairs, beds, and bowls were “too big, too small, and just
right,” the still master must contend with distillates that are too early, too late, and
just right.
These “just right” potable spirits are set aside to be bottled unblended just as
they are or blended with other spirits of the same type. The too-early fore shots and
too-late feints are poured back into the spirits still and put through again with the
next run of low wines.
The three-phase process is repeated until the distiller has the amount of
potable spirits with the precise amount of flavoring and aroma congeners that he
needs to make his product. The residue left in the still at the end, called spent lees, is
discarded. Then the pot still is cleaned, and soon enough the whole process begins
again.
The column still Column stills were invented in the 19th century to enable
distillers to meet the growing demand for distilled spirits. The column still’s greater
capacity remains its greatest virtue. Its second selling point is that, unlike the pot still,
it doesn’t have to be cleaned at the end of a distillation a point that anyone who’s
ever wanted to throw out the dinner dishes rather than wash them one more darned
time will appreciate. As a result, the column still predominates in large commercial
distilleries in producing just about any type of mass-market spirit from whiskey to rum
and certainly vodka.
Working the column still. The
column still itself is an enormous piece of
equipment that has two huge stainless steel or
copper cylinders that may stand as high as a
three-story building. Inside each cylinder are
perforated, heated copper or steel plates
placed evenly apart. The plates at the top of
the first column in the still are cooler than the
plates farther down the column. As a result,
when the alcohol/water wash from the
fermentation tank is pumped into the column,
the alcohol which has a lower boiling point than
water boils first, producing vapors that collect
near the top of the column. The vapors at the
top of the column move into a cooled
condenser tube where they turn back into liquid alcohol, spilling down the tube to an
opening at the bottom of the second column in the still. Presented above.
If two columns are used, the second column also has heated, perforated
copper or stainless steel plates that are hotter at the bottom and cooler at the top. As
the alcohol enters the second column, it’s again heated. The alcohol vapors rise to an
opening near the middle of the second column and flow through the opening to a
cooling condenser tube. From there, they spill as distillate into a holding vat. (As with
the pot still, the still master must choose the “just right” distillate with which to make
his spirits product; see the earlier section, “How the still master earns his big bucks,”
for more info.)
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And then the distiller pours more wash into the first column, and the whole
process continues without interruption. Remember: There’s no need to clean the
column still between distillation sessions, which, of course, is why the column still is
also known as the continuous still.
Two columns or three? Like the pot still, the column still produces fore
shots, potable spirits, and feints. The potable spirits are drawn off for use in spirits
products. The flavor and aroma of the potable spirits can vary with the amount of
congeners remaining in the liquid.
To remove as many congeners as possible, some distillers usually those
making vodkas put their wash through a still with three columns. This procedure
makes it possible for them to label the finished product as triple distilled, which is a
fancy way of saying, “the still has a third column and others doesn’t.”
Does removing more congeners through the extra column make a better product? If
better means more flavorful or safer to drink, the answer is no. On the other hand, if
better means less flavor and virtually no aroma, the answer is yes. In other words, for
a distiller making vodka, triple distilling may make sense. For those making whiskey,
the two-column column still is just dandy.
To remove as many congeners as possible, some distillers usually those
making vodkas put their wash through a still with three columns. This procedure
makes it possible for them to label the finished product as triple distilled, which is a
fancy way of saying, “the still has a third column and others doesn’t.”
Does removing more congeners through the extra column make a better
product? If better means more flavorful or safer to drink, the answer is no. On the
other hand, if better means less flavor and virtually no aroma, the answer is yes. In
other words, for a distiller making vodka, triple distilling may make sense. For those
making whiskey, the two-column column still is just dandy.
A Still’s Blueprint. The whiskey still has four parts: pot, swan neck, lyne
arm, internal steam coil and condenser. The shape of each section affects rectification
(re-distillation) and the taste of the spirits. There is no perfect design; each
manufacturer says its pot still makes the best-tasting whiskey. At this point, distilling
is an “art.” To make good whiskey, you need to have good ingredients (clean wash)
and a good palate (nose and tongue), and you need to know when to start and stop
(making heads and tails cuts). When it comes to whiskey distilling, the process is
controlled by a distiller not a computer or a manual.
The pot can be any shape: round, onion, or conical. The shape of the pot
affects how the wash is heated (to 172°F [77.8°C]). It can be heated by direct fire,
steam, gas, or wood. All systems have advantages and disadvantages. There is no
right way to heat wash. Most manufacturers, however, prefer a double-jacketed
steam-water system that provides a gentle heat to the wash. Mainly, so don’t want to
burn the wash. Most pots have a sight glass so the distiller can check for foaming
during the distillation process.
The swan neck sits on top of the pot. It can be tall, short, straight or
tapered. Often the swan neck is connected to the pot via an ogee, sometimes called a
“lampglass,” which is a bubble-shaped chamber. The ogee allows the distillate to
expand, condense, and fall back into the pot during distillation. Most pot stills have a
tapered swan neck, allowing for better separation and better enriching of the spirits
during distilling.
The lyne arm sits on top of the swan neck. It can be tilted up or down, and it
can be tapered or straight. Most arms are tapered down. Often pot stills are fitted
13 | H M P E 2 0 1
with a dephlegmator or what Scottish distillers call a purifier. The dephlegmator is

fitted with baffles that use water plates or
tubes to cool the distillate, sending most of
it back into the pot. Its main purpose is the
enrichment of the spirits before they’re sent
on to the condenser.
Internal steam coil internal steam
coil heats the wash to 173°F (78°C),
where the alcohol separates from the
wash.
The condenser, or worm, is used
for condensing the vapor back to a liquid
and entraining a small stream to a
collection receiver.
Illustrated on the side,a whiskey still
has four parts: pot, swan neck, lyne arm
and condenser. The shape of each affects
rectification and the flavor of he spirit.
Whiskey Stills on Detail. There are several different designs of stills used
for making whiskey. These include the moonshine still, gooseneck still, continuous-run
column still, French Charentais alembic still, and hybrid pot still. (The traditional
English spelling of this French word is alembic.)
In the basic moonshine still, vapors from the
heated wash rise into the cap. After hitting the
flattop of the still, vapors exit via the lyne arm into
the condenser, Where they condense and become
spirits.
Moonshine Still. The most basic and
rudimentary design is a crude pot still, or
moonshine still, which is a closed pot, like a
pressure cooker, with a pipe leading from the lid
into a condenser coil. The condenser coil can either
be long enough to air-cool the vapors, or it can be
shorter and immersed in a water jacket. Such a still
affords minimum separation of the vapors because
there is almost no separation once they leave the
kettle. Although this design of still is not suitable for
producing beverage alcohol by modern standards, it will still
concentrate an 8 or 10 percent ABV (alcohol by volume)
wash to 60 percent in a fairly fast run.
There are many home distillers and illicit commercial
moonshiners using this type of still today. And, because this
type of still is typically heated on a stovetop or on a gas
burner, it is necessary to remove all suspended solids from
the wash before placing it in the pot. To do otherwise
would risk burning solids on the bottom of the pot.
Cross-Section of a Still’s Column Showing the
Bubble Cap Trays. The bubble caps sit on a tray over
vapor tubes in the column. The caps provide contact
between the rising vapors and descending reflux, creating a
14 | H M P E 2 0 1
distilling cycle and enriching the alcohol. Arrows indicate vapors rising from the wash
and hitting the bubble caps. A percentage of pure vapors continues to rise and the
“less pure” fall back into the still for re-distillation.
Gooseneck Still. The gooseneck pot still is the most common design of still
used to produce Scottish malt whisky. Some Irish whiskeys and a number of American
and Canadian whiskeys are also distilled in this type of still. This style of pot still has
been in use for centuries for commercial whiskey production, and it is even more
popular today in modern whiskey distilleries than ever.
The gooseneck still has a large round kettle and is functionally very similar to
the crude pot still, except it has a long, broad neck rising from the kettle that allows
enough separation to hold back most of the fusel alcohols from the distillate while
retaining the desired flavors in the finished spirit. The neck bends at the top and
connects to a pipe called a lyne arm that leads to a condenser coil immersed in water.
The lyne arm usually angles downward slightly toward the condenser, but in some
distilleries it tilts upward.
The level of separation in a gooseneck pot
still is affected by the amount of condensation
that takes place in the neck and lyne arm that
falls back into the kettle. This condensation is
called reflux, and the more reflux, the higher the
level of eparation. If the lyne arm is angled
downward, then any vapor in the lyne arm that
condenses will fall forward toward the condenser
and become part of the distillate passing to the
receiver. However, if the lyne arm is angled
upward, condensation falls back to the kettle and
will create additional reflux and, therefore,
additional separation.
A gooseneck still clearly showing the Lyne arm at Woodford Reserve Distillery
Beverages Produced In Gooseneck Stills. Because the long, broad neck
provides a large surface area, which results in a larger proportion of reflux than crude
pot stills, gooseneck stills are more suitable for distilling beverage alcohol.
The gooseneck stills are suited to the production of whiskey, brandy, rum,
schnapps, and other non-neutral spirits,
for which they are widely used
commercially. However, they are not
suitable for the they are widely used
commercially. However, they are not
suitable for the production of vodka,
gin, or other spirits derived from
neutral alcohol, which requires a high-
separation still capable of producing
pure azeotrope ethanol.
The wash distilled in gooseneck
stills is typically separated from the
suspended solids, much like the malt
washes used for making Scottish malt
whisky. Some gooseneck stills are
heated by an open fire under the kettle,
which would result in the burning of
15 | H M P E 2 0 1
suspended solids if they were in the wash. However,

most contemporary stills are heated with steam jackets.
This, combined with a rummager, can enable
these stills to boil full mashes with all the grain in the
kettle without burning the solids on the bottom of the pot.
A rummager is an agitating device that slowly turns
around inside the still pot, dragging a net of copper
chains along the bottom of the kettle to prevent solids
from caking up and burning during distilling. Not all craft
whiskey stills are alike, but most share the same basic
construction. Model of a gooseneck Forsyths whisky still
presented on the side.
Continuous-Run Column Still. This type of still
is used for producing enormous volumes of spirit in a continuous operation that runs
constantly for up to eleven months straight before it is shut down for cleaning and
overhauling. They commonly have a fractionating column that stands about 100 feet
(30.5 m) high (similar to that, of an oil refinery) and a series of bubble-captrays
spaced every couple of feet (0.8 m) up the column. The trays are farther apart near
the bottom and get closer together toward the top. It has no pot or kettle, per se,
and it is heated by blasting steam upward from the bottom of the column while the
wash is continuously fed into a tray at the middle of the column.
As the wash runs down through the trays of the column, it encounter the hot
steam, which vaporizes the compounds in the wash and carries them up the column.
The lower-boiling compounds continue to rise up the column while the higher-boiling
ones condense and are carried down the column. The column has an exit at every
tray where vapor can be drawn off and led to a condenser. This enables the operators
to configure the system so certain trays lead to a condenser that goes to the heads
receiver another set of trays can be sent to the hearts receiver, and other trays can
be sent to the tails receiver. What flows to the bottom of the column is residue that is
sent to the drain. A possible configuration for bourbon would have the top two trays
configured for heads, then the next four configured for hearts, the next five for tails,
and the rest of the trays would reflux with no draw off and what reached the bottom
would be discarded as residue.
The draw-off rates would be set up to maintain a hearts fraction with, say a
constant 65 percent ABV. Bourbon that’s distilled in a continuous-run column still is
usually done in two distillations, both with the hearts drawn off at about 65 percent
ABV. Because a continuous-run still runs for many months at a time, the wash must
be fairly clear with a minimum of solids; otherwise, the buildup of residue in the
system would become untenable and the system would need to be shut down to be
cleaned. So, there is no process with a continuous-run still whereby the entire mash is
distilled. The mash must always be strained or filtered before being placed in the
reservoir supplying the still.
The distillery must have battery of fermenters that are in constant operation at
each stage of the fermentation process to keep up with the continuous demand each
stage of the fermentation process to keep up with the continuous demand for wash
for the stills.
French Charentais Alambic Still. This type of still is used almost
exclusively for making brandy, including Cognac, Armagnac, Calvados, and other
famous French brandies. It is designed especially to leave a lot of the aromatics and
flavor in the, distillate, and is therefore one of the lower-separation beverage-alcohol
16 | H M P E 2 0 1
stills. Because of this quality, spirits are usually

distilled twice in a French Charentais alembic still.
Whiskey can also be made in this design of still. It
is functionally quite similar to the gooseneck still,
but it creates a lower level of separation, making
a richer and creamier-tasting whiskey, but with a
little more fusel alcohol.
The French Charentais alembic still has
three major components: the kettle with helmet,
the preheater, and the condenser. The helmet is
the chamber just above the kettle, and it serves
as an expansion chamber, which works, to hold
back a lot of the heavier compounds, such as
fusel alcohols and furfurols, while allowing the
desirable aromatics and flavors to be carried over
into the distillate.
The preheater, as the name implies, preheats the next batch of wine to be
distilled. It is also used as a reservoir to enable a near-continuous distillation process.
Some brandy distillers simply include them as part of the hearts (not the heads). In
this way, continuously feeding wine into the kettle is possible. Because there is no
workable way to drain the pot during operation, the continuous feeding of wine must
stop when the kettle is too full to take any more.
This alembic still was custom-built by Dynamic
Alembic by reconfiguring a Grundy beer tank on
the side.
Prior to a distillation run, the
preheater is filled with wine to be heated
for the next distillation. The preheater has
the vapor tube from the pot passing
through it on its way to the condenser.This
transfers heat from the vapor to the wine
before the vapor enters the condenser.
This heats the wine in the preheater to
near boiling during the distillation run and
reduces the amount of heat that the
condenser has to dissipate, thereby making
efficient use of heat and reducing the
amount of cooling water used. The

preheater has a pipe with a valve leading
from it to the kettle. Whena distillation run
is finished and the pot has been drained,
the operator can open the valve and fill the
kettle with another charge of wine from the
preheater that’s already at near-boiling
temperature. This makes efficient use of
heatand significantly reduces the amount of
time to bring the next batch of wine to a
boil. Alembic still installation in France
17 | H M P E 2 0 1
The condenser in a French Charentais alembic still, as in most types of stills, consists
of the copper coil immersed in a water jacket with cold water circulating consists of
the copper coil immersed in a water jacket with cold water circulating around it.
Beverages Produced In Alambic Stills. These stills are invariably used to
distill wine, or in the case of whiskey, distiller’s beer. They are not generally used to
distill full mashes with all the solids left in. However, design-wise, the Charentais
could be used to distill mashes with solids because its kettle is the same as that of the
standard alembic, which is widely used to make grappa and marc from grape pomace.
To do this, a sieve tray must be inserted into the kettle to serve as a false bottom
to hold the solids above the bottom of the pot and prevent burning.
Hybrid Pot Still. This type of still is the most versatile of all the stills. Each
artisan pot stillis nearly made order, based on a distiller’s needs and preferences.
Its components include a spherical-shaped kettle, a condenser, and a wide variety of
optional components, such as a steam jacket or a direct fire, an agitator, a helmet,
one or two columns of bubble-cap trays, a dephlegmator, and a catalyzer.
The spherical-shaped kettle evenly heats the substrate, particularly if there is
an agitator. And, a hybrid still that’s steam heated and has an agitator can be used to
distill any wash. Even washes full of fruit pulp or grain mash can be heated in this
configuration of kettle without any risk of
burning on the bottom of the pot. Also,
by constantly agitating the wash
throughout the distillation run, the
distillery can save about 20 percent on
the heat required to perform the
distillation.
The ability to distill the entire wash,
including all the solids, purportedly gives
a superior flavor to the spirit produced.
Apparently, the fruit mashes for making
schnapps yielda richer, more complex
flavor if they can be distilled with all the
fruit pulp in the kettle. Many whiskey
distillers contend the same to be true for
distilling grain mashes, and almost all
brands of American whiskey are distilled
with the grain solids in the still. A 2-column, 16-plate hybrid still for vodka production
at NOLA Distilling, New Orleans, LA.
The helmet component (optional) is

technically an expansion chamber, and it is a
nearly spherical dome that sits directly on top
of the kettle. As vapor rises from the pot, it
passes through a comparatively narrow
passageway into the larger volume of the
helmet. This results ina sudden reduction in
vapor velocity, which helps hold back higher-
boiling-point compounds while allowing
desirable aromatics and flavors to continue up
the column. Some distillers say this helmet is
key to producing a truly excellent spirit.
Twin columns of bubble-cap trays on the side.
18 | H M P E 2 0 1
From the helmet, the vapor rises into the column. In some hybrid-pot still
configurations, the column is mounted directly on top of the helmet. When there is no
helmet, the column is mounted directly on top of the kettle. In other configurations,
such as two columns, the column is positioned beside the pot. The reason for this is
the still would stand too high for most facilities if the column were stacked on top of
the helmet or even on top of the kettle. Within the column are bubble-cap trays. The
vapor rises up the tubes under the bubble caps and bubbles out from under the cap
and through the standing liquid on each tray. The standing liquid overflows at a
certain depth to the next tray below. Compound separation takes place by the re-
distillation that occurs when the heat from the vapor transfers to the standing liquid.
This causes higher-boiling-point compounds in the vapor to condense and lower-
boiling-point compounds in the liquid to evaporate. The overall effect is to drive the
lower-boiling-point compounds up the column in vapor state and the higher-boiling-
point compounds down the column in liquid state.
Optional Still Components. Modern hybrid stills have an interesting feature
that allows the operator to bypass any of the trays to vary the separation level for the
column. There are levers on the side of the
column connected to each tray, and the operator
can position the lever to cause the tray to turn
sideways and allow the vapors and liquid to pass
by. Or the operator can position the lever the
other way to put the tray in place so that it is fully
engaged in processing reflux. The dephlegmator
resides above the top bubble-cap tray. It is a
chamber at the top of the column with numerous
vertical tubes for the vapor to travel through on
its way to the condenser. There is a water jacket
around the vertical tubes that the operator can
flood with cooling water to increase the amount of
reflux. The rate of water flow in the dephlegmator
can be adjusted to give granular control over the
amount of reflux. The Moor’s cap on this alembic still has a distinctive look and gives a unique flavor profile to the distillates.
Having the capability to dial up or down the reflux creates a great deal of
control over the compound mix in the finished spirit. For example, if a given spirit had
an excellent aroma and flavor profile but a rough finish due to an excess of fusel
alcohol, the reflux could be dialed up slightly to hold back the fusel.
The catalyzer is positioned above the dephlegmator and has an array of
“sacrificial” copper. Copper is an important material in a still because the “sacrificial”
copper. Copper is an important material in a still because the noxious sulfides in the
vapor instantly react out upon contact with copper. However, as this occurs over time,
the copper material of the still becomes compromised, and expensive still components
require replacing. The idea of the catalyzer is to have a chamber with copper in the
vapor path specifically designed to react out the sulfides from the vapor.
Over time, this copper erodes from the reaction with the sulfides, but it can be
cheaply replaced. In effect, the copper in the catalyzer is being sacrificed to save the
copper material of the still. The catalyzer also reacts out ethyl carbamate (also called
“urethane”) which is carcinogenic. Ethyl carbamate is generally formed as a result of
urea in the fermentation substrate.
The amount of natural urea in a fermentation is very low, but over the years
urea has been added as a yeast nutrient to provide nitrogen for the yeast. In
19 | H M P E 2 0 1
summary, hybrid stills can be superb stills and are well known for making quality
spirits. Unfortunately, their throughput is comparatively slow, and distilleries are often
put in the position of having to opt for larger throughput stills, such as the
continuous-run column, to meet the demands of their markets. Hybrid still.
The Batch-Still Process of
Distillation. The distillation process is
operationally the same for all four batch stills
discussed previously: the moonshine still, the
gooseneck still, the French Charentais, and the
artisan pot still. The continuous-run column still
has a different regimen, and it is described in
the section that follows.
Heads, Hearts, and Tails
In distilling parlance, the compounds in the
wash that are not ethanol or water are called
congeners. Some congeners, such as
acetaldehyde, methanol, and certain esters
and aldehydes, have lower boiling points than
ethanol; certain other esters, the higher
alcohols (fusel alcohols) and water, have
higher boiling points than ethanol. This means
the lower-boiling-point congeners come out in
high concentration at the beginning of a batch
distillation run, and the higher-boiling-point
ones come out in high concentration toward
the end of the run, leaving the ethanol and the
most desirable compounds as the most
abundant components during the middle of the
run. When distillation takes place in a batch
still, the distillate that comes out is divided into
three fractions called heads, hearts, and tails. Hybrid Still.
20 | H M P E 2 0 1
1. Mash Tun: Used to convert barley

grain starches to sugars.
2. Fermentation of the wash.
3. Stripping of the wash to

remove water.
4. Collection of “low wine” spirits.
5. Redistilling the low wine to

produce final spirits for
barreling.
6. Barreling or aging of spirits.
21 | H M P E 2 0 1
The heads contain the

unwanted lower-boiling-point
congeners that come out at the
beginning of the run.
The tails contain the
unwanted higher-boiling-point
congeners that come out at the
end of the run.
The hearts are the
desired spirit in the middle.
Whiskey is not distilled at
a high-separation level, it means
that each fraction bleeds into
the adjacent fraction. That is to say, there is a considerable amount of ethanol in the
heads fraction, and there are late-heads congeners at the beginning of the hearts
fraction. Similarly, there is a significant amount of early- tails congeners at the end of
the hearts, and there is a considerable amount of ethanol in the tails fraction. The
whiskey, comprised mostly of ethanol and, has a delicate balance of late-heads and
early-tails congeners that make up the flavor profile of the whiskey. The flavor profile
of the whiskey.
There are literally thousands of these congeners, or chemical flavor
compounds, created during the distilling process, all of which have the potential of
adding to or subtracting from the desired final flavor profile of the distilled spirit. Part
of the art (as opposed to the science) of distilling is knowing when these congeners
are coming out of the still, and when to add them to the hearts or add them to the
feints. In flavor-specific spirits, such as brandy and whiskey, it is desirable to carry
over selected congeners into the finished spirit.
However, in flavor-neutral spirits, such as vodka, the goal is to remove as
many congeners as possible to end up with a spirit that has a clean, nonspecific
palate. Because both the heads and the tails contain a lot of ethanol and residual
desirable flavor, they are mixed together and saved for future recovery. The heads
and tails when mixed together are called feints. Feints can be distilled separately to
produce another whiskey run, or they can be mixed in with a future spirit run, where
their ethanol and flavors are recovered as a part of that run. However, each
subsequent distillation produces its own set of heads, hearts, and the feints from
those runs are also saved for future recovery.
Two-Run Distillation. When whiskey is made, it is usually done in two
distillation runs: a beer-stripping run and a spirit run. The beer-stripping run is
generally done in a larger, high-volume pot still called a beer stripper. The beer
stripper is used to distill the fermented wash and concentrate the ethanol and all the
impurities into a distillate of about 25 percent ethanol, called low wine. The spirit run
is done in a smaller whiskey still, such as a gooseneck or a hybrid still, called a spirit
still. The spirit still is used to distill the low wine and refine it into the finished spirit.
There are two outputs retained from the spirit run: the finished spirit and the
feints. For a beer-stripping run, the fermented wash, which is typically about 8
percent ABV, is loaded into the beer stripper, and the contents are brought to a boil.
Because this run is just a primary distillation, the heads, hearts and tails are not
separated out. The entire output from this run is collected in a single lot, and the run
is continued until the aggregate percent alcohol is down to 25 percent ABV.
22 | H M P E 2 0 1
This distillate is the low wine, which is the input to the spirit run. To produce
the finished whiskey, the spirit still is filled with the low wine from the beer-stripping
run and often a measure of feints from previous spirit runs. The spirit still is then
brought to a boil. It is with the spirit run that the distiller adjusts the boil-up rate to
achieve a gentle, slow flow of distillate and carefully separates out the heads, hearts,
and tails.
Single-run distillation. Some whiskey distilleries produce their whiskey in a
single distillation. They do a spirit run directly from the wash. The hybrid stills
discussed previously are well
suited to this type of whiskey
distillation, but it is labor
intensive and the distiller must
pay a lot of attention to
numerous smaller runs rather
than one larger run. Some
people find the whiskey from a
single-distillation run to be
richer and have more natural
flavor, while others find it to be
harsh and unrefined. In the
following text, the more
common double-distillation
method is used.
Making the cuts. Probably the most elusive part of the distilling process for
making whiskey is making the cuts from heads to hearts and then to tails. Making a
cut from one fraction to the next is the point where the distiller switches the output
so that it is collected in a different receiver than the previous fraction. At the end of
the spirit run, the heads will be in one container, the hearts in another and the tails in
a third one. The question is: when do you switch from one fraction to the next?
Experienced distillers do this by taste. Even though there are measurable parameters,
such as still-head temperature and percent alcohol of the incoming spirit that can be
used to judge when to make the cuts, taste and smell still remain the most reliable
methods for determining them. Here are the empirical parameters for judging the
cuts:
1. The percent alcohol of the spirit that is flowing out of the still (the incoming spirit)
2. The still-head temperature
These vary from one still to the next, and they vary based on the properties of
the low wine (e.g., percent alcohol and quantity). It is possible to develop a
consistent process using the same still and the same quantity and formulation of wine,
such that the parameters remain the same for each run. For example, in a spirit run
in a hybrid still with low wine that is 25 percent ABV:
Begin-cut (the cut from heads to hearts) is usually done when the evolving
distillate is at about 80 percent and when the still-head temperature is about 180°F
(82°C). End-cut (the cut from hearts to tails) is often done at about 65 percent and
when the still-head temperature is about 201°F (94°C).
However, a spirit distilled from a straight malt wash can often be end-cut as
low as 60 percent ABV. Also, a gooseneck still distilling the very same wash may
begin-cut at 72 percent ABV and end-cut at 59 percent ABV. Therefore, it is because
of these nuances that smell and taste become the only truly reliable indicators of
when to make the cuts.
23 | H M P E 2 0 1
Begin-Cut. When making the begin-cut, the taste characteristics that the
distiller is looking for are as follows. When a spirit run comes to boil and the first
distillate starts flowing from the still, this is the beginning of the heads fraction. The
distiller can collect a small sample of the distillate on a spoon or in a wineglass and
smell it. At this stage, the distillate will have the sickening smell of solvents (such as
nail-polish remover or paint-brush cleaner).
However, before long, this solvent smell diminishes, and even when a sample
is tasted, these compounds will be very faint. As the solvent character disappears
completely, the distillate will start to take on a hint of whiskey. This flavor will
increase until it becomes very pronounced and highly concentrated. It is when this
flavor is clearly evident, but is still
increasing in intensity, that the distiller
cuts to the hearts fraction.
End-cut. To make the end-cut,
the distiller needs to monitor the flavor for
changes in taste. At the beginning of the
hearts fraction, the intensity of the
whiskey flavor will still be increasing, and
it will continue to do so until it becomes
very strong. However, as the hearts
continue, the intense whiskey flavor will
fade into a smooth, sweet, pleasant flavor
that will persist for most of the hearts. The flavor will change slightly as the hearts
progress, but it will remain sweet and pleasant.
Toward the end of the hearts, the flavor will start losing its sweetness, and a
trace of harsh bitterness will begin to appear in the flavor. This harsh, bitter flavor is
the onset of the tails. Although a small amount of this bitterness is considered to
contribute to the “bite” character of the whiskey, the distiller should cut to the tails
receiver before much of it is allowed to enter the hearts.
The tails can be collected until the evolving distillate is down to about 10
percent and the still-head temperature is about 206°F or 208°F (97°C or 98°C). The
reason for doing this is to render all the residual alcohol that is left in the still at the
end of the hearts fraction. This alcohol can then be recovered in a future spirit run.
The tails fraction starts out bitter and the bitterness becomes more intense as the
tails continue, but as the tails progress, the bitterness subsides and gives way to a
sweet-tasting water. This sweet water is called back ins.
The Continuous-Run Process of Distillation. In a continuous-run
distillation process, wash is constantly entering the column, so all three fractions
(heads, hearts, and tails) are present in the column at all times. This means there
can’t be a discrete cut where the heads are drawn off and the hearts begin, or that
the hearts end and the tails begin.
All three fractions must be
drawn off at the same time. A
continuous-run column is a high-
separation fractionating still that
separates the compounds very well,
so once the still is equilibrated and
functioning in its steady state of
operation, the distillers can determine
which families of compounds are at
24 | H M P E 2 0 1
each tray. For example, they might determine that the compounds coming out of the
top two trays are heads compounds and route those two trays to the heads receiver.
Similarly, they might observe that the compounds coming out of the next four
trays down are hearts. Then they might determine that the five trays below the
hearts trays are producing tails and route them to the tails receiver. Below the tails
trays just water would be coming out, and the valves would be closed, so it would be
left to flow to the bottom of
the column and then to a
drain.
This type of still is
not intermittent in its
operation, it must be set up
to constantly draw the three
fractions of distillate at all
times. Although this is
difficult to set up, it can
produce very large quantities
of spirit twenty-four hours a
day for a long time.
The following table lists some of the basic vocabulary.

Term Meaning
ABV A measurement term used to describe the concentration of
(alcohol by volume) alcohol in a bottle of beer, wine, or spirits.
Batch Alcohol distilled in one limited run through the still; also used
to describe selecting barrels for use in making a special
product.
Congeners Flavoring agents and alcohols generated by reactions and
procedures in making spirits.
Ethanol, ethyl alcohol The chemical name for the alcohol used in food and
beverages.
Fermentation The process by which microorganisms digest and convert
carbohydrates (sugars and starches) to a liquid (alcohol) and
a gas (carbon dioxide).
Milling Procedure to strip away the outer covering of grains used in
making distilled spirits Mash Soupy mass of fermenting food
from which spirits are distilled; the process of creating a
mash is called mashing.
Mash bill The recipe for amounts and types of foods used in the mash
Neutral spirits The ethanol collected and condensed during
distillation at or above 190 proof.
Proof An increasingly outmoded measurement term used to
describe the concentration of alcohol in a bottle of beer,
wine, or spirits.
Still The container in which the alcohol/water liquid from
fermented food is distilled Still master The person who
determines the “recipe” for a distilled spirit and who watches
over its creation.
Wort Soup of milled and soaked ingredients mixed with water.
25 | H M P E 2 0 1
Aging of Spirits
What is Aging? Aging is a process of storing
distilled spirits in barrels for a specific period of time. The
goal of maturation is to remove harsh flavors from the raw
alcohol while adding distinct flavor characteristics found in
barrels wood. Brandy and Whiskey are the most common
that requires aging. All neutral spirits flow colorless from
the still, but they can still have a lot of flavor sometimes
with a natural but unpleasant “bite” that makes your
mouth pucker (sort of like biting into a lemon). Allowing
the distillates to rest and age with others in a finished blend or alone for a while in
wooden barrels and casks smoothes away the bite caused by excessive tannins (bitter
flavor compounds found in plants). Because of the intimacy among the spirits in the
barrel, it’s called marrying. Rarely is a divorce necessary.
Aging in a wooden barrel or cask is a legal requirement for any dark spirit such as
whiskey or rum. A little aging enough to smooth the bite but not to add flavor, aroma,
or color may also benefit vodka, but it isn’t a legal requirement
As the spirits age in the barrels, some alcohol and water evaporates; distillers
commonly call the alcohol lost to evaporation the “angels’ share.”
Oxygen flowing through the porous barrel triggers chemical reactions that promote
the formation of flavor and aroma. The spirits absorb specific flavor, aroma, and color
compounds from the wood itself or from the previous contents of the barrel. For
example, whiskeys aged in casks that once held sherry or port absorb some of the
sweetness of these wines.
This absorption of some flavors and aromas occurs immediately in the barrel.
But other compound extractions and oxidation take place at various times, some early
“in the wood,” and others later. In the first two years of aging, the changes in the
spirit depend to a large extent on how much color, flavor, and aroma are in the wood
itself. In the end, what goes into the barrels as a relatively sharp-tasting, clear liquid
emerges smooth, flavorful, and glowing amber to rich dark brown in color.
The classic oak barrel. Distillers use different kinds of wood to form the barrels
in which they age their spirits. For example, in Japan, sake is sometimes aged in
cedar barrels to give the products an unusual piney flavor. But the favorite wood by
far is the noble oak that is, the American oak in the United States, Spanish oak
(sherry) casks, and Limousin oak from France. No one knows for sure exactly why the
Romans chose oak wood to make the first spirit aging barrels or why early distillers
decided to think that was the only way to go. Maybe oak trees were the most
abundant and thus the best renewable source of wood. Maybe oak was the easiest
wood to work into barrels flexible, strong, and resilient. Or maybe someone noticed
strictly by accident that spirits aged in plain oak barrels just plain tasted better.
Fancy oak is good, too. For making American whiskeys, the law dictates that
the inside of the barrel must be charred before use. The depth of the char depends
on the desired flavor profile. As you might expect, the charred wood yields more
flavor, aroma, and color than bare wood does. Other distillers, notably the Scots, age
their spirits in barrels once used for sherry or American oak once used to age Bourbon.
In addition to contributing to flavor and smoothness, the distiller must decide
what kind of wood to use in light of its porosity (allowing oxygen to join in the
ceremony). Several other economic and technical factors keep the interaction
between barrel and its contents active for a specific period of time. Is getting older
always better?
26 | H M P E 2 0 1
Is getting older always better? To a point. A touch of aging benefits most

spirits, including clear spirits such as vodka, by reducing the original bite. But aging a
vodka is a distiller’s choice. Aging a whiskey is mandatory. For example, in the U.S.,
Bourbon must be aged for at least four years before it can be bottled. Scotch whisky’s
minimum aging is three years; however, tradition says that the longer it rests in the
barrel, the tastier it will be. Many Scotch whisky distillers disagree. The common
wisdom seems to be that after 21 years, the whisky begins to lose some flavor notes.
If that supposition is true, then why is it that older whiskies have a greater value in
the marketplace? There’s a lesson there.
A newly distilled spirit is raw, sharp, and biting. How is it turned into the
mellow and flavorful product we sell at the bar? Our less sophisticated ancestors
drank the spirit as it came from the still. The story goes that someone noticed that a
batch of spirits shipped a long distance in wooden barrels tasted well on arrival than it
did when it left the still. However the discovery was made, most of today’s spirits
distilled at less than 190 proof are aged in wooden (usually oak) barrels for periods
ranging from one year for some light rums to 20 or so years for choice brandies.
The age on the label is the length in years that the distiller kept the product in the
barrel. Longer time periods do not necessarily indicate a better-quality product; it’s all
relative. Some Cognacs can improve for 25 years, while other spirits turn woody and
bitter after only three years.
Two things happen in the barrels. First the spirit undergoes changes as the
congeners interact with air filtering through the porous wooden casks, then new
congeners are absorbed from the wood itself, adding other flavoring agents. In due
course all of the flavors are “married,” or blended, and mellowed to the desired final
taste. Aging in wood add color as well as flavor to the spirit.
Not all spirits are aged. Sometimes the sharp bite of a raw but flavorful spirit is
part of its appeal, such as gin or kirsch. There are other means of producing or
modifying flavors after distillation. One is by introducing new flavors, as is done with
gin and liqueurs. Another is by blending two or more distillates, as is done with many
whiskeys. A spirit taste may also be modified by filtering through charcoal, as is done
in making vodka, or by other special ways of removing certain congeners.
How to Choose Barrels for Aging. How to Select Your Barrel Type of wood:
American oak tends to contribute a slightly stronger flavor and aroma to the spirit
than French oak, which is more subtle. This may lead you to select American oak over
French oak, but a stronger flavor is not necessarily the best flavor. This is a matter of
personal preference. Hungarian oak is very similar in character to French oak, but at
considerably lower cost. Also note that when we are discussing aging any type of
wine or spirits in oak, we are referring to white oak. Red oak is primarily used for
furniture production.
Charred or toasted: In general, toasted barrels are used primarily for wine,
while charred barrels are used for spirits. While this is often regulated for commercial
spirits, the hobbyist is not under the same requirements and can select a barrel based
on the desired character. The level of toasting or charring is based on how long the
oak barrel is exposed to fire, starting with a light toast and progressing to a heavy
char, often referred to as “alligator char” because the surface of the wood cracks,
creating an appearance reminiscent of an alligator’s skin. As the wood is heated, the
sugars in the wood will caramelize and different levels of vanillin and tannins will
develop. The carbon created by charring the wood will remove some of the harsh
congeners in the spirit, which is why a spirit aged in a charred barrel tends to be
much smoother in character than a spirit that has not been aged.
27 | H M P E 2 0 1
Size of barrel: The hobby distiller is not interested in the large barrels used
by commercial distilleries. These are far too large for the small batches that the
hobbyist produces. Instead, the hobby distiller will usually select barrels that are a
few gallons in size or smaller. Common sizes available to the hobbyist range from 1/4
gallon (approximately 1L) to 5 gallons (19 to 20L). It is important to select a barrel
that you will be able to fill completely, so do not simply opt for a larger barrel because
it seems to be a better deal (small barrels can cost nearly as much as larger barrels).
Aging will generally progress much more quickly in a smaller barrel than in a larger
barrel and also much more quickly the first time that the barrel is used than on
subsequent uses.
Barrel quality: Do not skimp on quality when you purchase a barrel for aging
your spirits. If cost is a deciding factor, then it is far better to opt for one of the
alternatives discussed later than to purchase a “cheap” barrel. Some low-cost barrels
may utilize used furniture wood or a host of other tricks to be able to keep the price
of the barrel down. They may also reduce the thickness of the barrel staves,
shortening the life of the barrel and compromising its strength. Premium quality
barrels are most often worth the difference in cost. You have come too far to risk the
quality of your spirits now
Bottling of Spirits
The last step in the
production of spirits is
bottling.
Choosing a model
bottle. According to the Food
Marketing Institute, a trade
organization for the nation’s
food markets, in 2005 the
average American
supermarket carried 45,000
different products.
The average liquor store has fewer bottles than that, but you still see plenty of
brands in all different sized bottles vying for your attention whenever you step into
the spirits section. As a result, the distiller’s job is to make sure his product yells “buy
me” louder than the next one on the shelf. And that means making his bottles as
attractive as possible.
To that end, a designer makes a clay model of the bottle for any new product
(older products are presumably as attractive as they can be). If the distiller approves
it, the designer makes a mold from the model and produces test bottles. If the
distiller approves again, the designer sends the mold off to the glass factory to be
manufactured. The bottles come back and, at last, the end of the distilling process is
really in sight. Sometimes the bottle may even be tested on a random sample of
consumers called a focus group. The winning bottle shows up down there at the end
of the bottling line.
The bottling line. Pay attention, watch your fingers, and keep your eye on
the moving bottles. This part of the distillery-to-you process really zips along.
First, cases of empty bottles are delivered to the distillery. The cases are opened and
placed upside down on a conveyor belt so that the bottles slip out (still upside down)
while the cases go off to wait for the filled bottles. Next, the upside-down bottles ride
along the conveyor belt to be cleaned and sanitized with a compressed
air/vacuum/suction device that swooshes out any stray particles.
28 | H M P E 2 0 1
After that, the cleaned bottles, now right side up, move along to the part of
the conveyor belt where jets above the conveyor belt squirt spirits into the bottles,
filling them to precisely the right level. No muss, no fuss, no expensive waste.
Now the bottles move on to the capper, which is exactly what it sounds like: the
device that either corks the bottle, or, more likely, screws on the top.
After they’re sealed, the bottles continue along to the label station, where
paper labels are applied with glue. (Sometimes a label is already etched or silk
screened onto the glass and this step is skipped.) If the labels are glued on, the next
step is a pass through a machine that’s something like a carwash, where pads press
the label in place and swinging brushes clear away any excess glue.
Storing Spirits
The storeroom is the setting for the third phase of the purchasing cycle. This
area performs three functions: security from theft, the physical care to maintain
quality, and inventory maintenance and record keeping. Computerized ordering has
made it easier for bars and restaurants to order smaller amounts of goods more
frequently, which may minimize the sizes of storage areas but nothing will ever
completely eliminate the need for storage.
The first essential step to running an effective storeroom is to limit access:
Make the room off limits except for specific, authorized personnel. Anyone
withdrawing beverages does not enter the room; they must request what is needed
from the storeroom staff or whoever has responsibility in a small operation. When
open, the room must never be left unattended. If the person in charge must leave,
even briefly, the door must be locked.
This should be a substantial door with a deadbolt lock and only two sets of
keys, one for the storeroom manager and one for emergencies, which is kept in the
safe. Or, it might have a combination lock that can be reset frequently, with only two
people knowing the combination. If keys are used the locks should be changed often
in case someone makes duplicate keys. Locks should always be changed when
someone who has had keys leaves your employment. Windows should be barred or
covered with barbed wire. Alarm systems are frequently used to protect against off-
hour break-ins. Some of these systems depend on light or noise to scare away
intruders or summon help; others alert police or a private security system directly.
An orderly storeroom is
both a security measure
and a necessity for
efficient operation. It
should be divided into
areas, each designed to
stock a particular type
of liquor. Each of these
areas should be
subdivided and clearly
labeled so that each
brand has a specially
marked place. This also
holds true for ancillary
items, from cocktail
napkins to Champagne.
A sample layout of a
liquor storeroom on the side.
29 | H M P E 2 0 1
When everything is systematically in place, anything amiss is soon noticed.

Opened cases should be emptied immediately, their contents shelved, and the stock
should be rotated so that the older bottles are in front. Never leave a case half empty;
flatten empty cases and remove them promptly. It could be easy to steal hidden
bottles along with the trash.
Shelving should be made of wire, heavy, and well braced because liquor is
heavy. Select shelf units that are easy to assemble and add to, and that can be fitted
with casters so they can roll. Technology now allows so-called “smart shelves” that
sense when a bottle or case has been removed and can be programmed to reorder
from the distributor of the product. Sealed cases can be stacked on low platforms
until you need their contents.
Wine storage takes special care, since wines are perishable and must be
protected from temperatures that are too high, too low, or fluctuate too often; also
from vibration, sunlight, and excessive humidity, which may cause mold to form
around the foil cap. Wines survive best in a cool, dark environment between 50°F and
70°F (0°C to 21°C), with the ideal temperature being a constant 55°F to 60°F, which
is known as cellar temperature. Wines that get too warm can leak through their corks
and the seepage can stain or ruin the label. While high humidity is a problem, low
humidity (below 55 percent) can dry the cork and allow air in.
Cellar designer
David Spon builds a variety
of shelving styles to store
and show off his clients’
wine collections. He calls
these five his most
practical and versatile.
Source: Food and Wine
magazine, April 2008.
When
determining wine
storage needs, do not
overlook the marketing
potential of letting
customers see the wares.
If there is a place in
your bar for displaying
at least some wines,
provide some design ideas for bottle storage. Move wines as little as possible and
when you do handle them gently. Agitating a wine may upset both its chemistry and
its sediment, and it won’t be ready to serve until the sediment settles again.
For this reason, newly imported wines should rest for 30 to 45 days before
being served. However, since wines have limited life spans, rotating the stock
becomes particularly important. Wine racks are the best places to store wine, but not
everyone has the room or money to purchase them. You can store wines on their
sides or upside down in their sealed cases, but be careful not to stack them too high.
More than five cases stacked on top of each other causes too much pressure on the
necks of the upside-down bottles and can cause them to break. Also, the sediment
collects inside the bottle’s neck, sticking to the cork and making it difficult to extract
when the wine is finally opened. Places not to store wine? Near loading docks, the
dish room, the kitchen, ducts for the air-conditioning and heating system, and never
under stairways.
30 | H M P E 2 0 1
Application
Instruction: The design a modern distillers that still uses the alembic still
utilized way back centuries. Select the best and correct process in the box
below and put your answer on the space provided.
 The liquid alcohol runs out of the worm into a waiting container.
 In the condenser, the vapors are condensed into liquid alcohol.
 A distillers pours his mash into the pot still.
 He heats the vessel over an open fire.
 The vapors go into a water-cooled condenser or jacket.
 The fire sends the alcohol vapors up into the swan’s neck.

31 | H M P E 2 0 1
Assessment
Instruction: Read each statement carefully and follow what is being ask.
Multiple Choice: Choose and circle the LETTER of the correct answer.
1. What was the result United States government’s first attempt to tax distillation?
A. Gin Craze C. Happy Hour
B. Whiskey Rebellion D. Great Balls of Fire
2. What are the two processes used in creating distilled spirits?
A. Mashing and Molding C. Mashing and Mixing
B. Milling and Mixing D. Milling and Mashing
3. The most common design of still use to produce Scottish malt whisky. Some Irish
whiskeys and a number of American and Canadian whiskeys are also distilled in
this type of still.
A. Moonshine Still C. Continuous-Run Column Still
B. Gooseneck Still D. French Charentais Alambic Still
4. Aroma compounds formed by chemical reactions between alcohol and acids.
A. Aromatic esters C. Aldehydes
B. Fusel oils D. None of the above
5. The swan neck is one of the part of the blueprint of a still. Which among the
following is the best definition of Swan Neck?
A. Used for condensing the vapor back to a liquid and entraining a small
stream to a collection receiver.
B. It can be tilted up or down, and it can be tapered or straight. Most arms are
tapered down.
C. It can be tall, short, straight or tapered. Sometimes called a “lampglass,”
which is a bubble-shaped chamber.
D. It can be heated by direct fire, steam, gas, or wood. All systems have
advantages and disadvantages.
6. The spherical-shaped kettle evenly heats the substrate, particularly if there is an
agitator. And, a hybrid still that’s steam heated and has an agitator can be used to
distill any wash.
A. Hybrid Pot Still C. Continuous-Run Column Still
B. French Charentais Alambic Still D. All of the above
7. Proof is of the basic term used in bar. Which of the following choices is the best
definition of proof
A. An increasingly outmoded measurement term used to describe the
concentration of alcohol in a bottle of beer, wine, or spirits.
B. Alcohol distilled in one limited run through the still; also used to describe
selecting barrels for use in making a special product
C. A measurement term used to describe the concentration of alcohol in a
bottle of beer, wine, or spirits
D. Soup of milled and soaked ingredients mixed with water
8. The following are the functions of a storeroom except?
A. Security from theft C. Serving and display of products
B. Physical care to maintain quality D. Inventory maintenance/record keeping
32 | H M P E 2 0 1
9. What is the best color of an oak in storing spirits?

A. Brown C. Black
B. Red D. White
10. Which is the best definition of Aging?
A. A process of storing distilled spirits in barrels for a specific period of time.
B. A process making distilled spirits.
C. A process of mixing distilled spirits with liqueur.
D. All of the above.
11. Part of still blueprint also known as worm, is used for condensing the vapor back
to a liquid and entraining a small stream to a collection receiver.
A. Pot C. The lyne arm
B. The swan neck D. The condenser
12. When distillation takes place in a batch still, the distillate that comes out is divided
into three fractions the heads, hearts, and tails which among the following best
describes the function of hearts.
A. Contain the unwanted lower-boiling-point congeners that come out at the
beginning of the run.
B. Contain the unwanted higher-boiling-point congeners that come out at the
end of the run.
C. Contain the desired spirit in the middle.
D. None of the above
13. Flavoring agents and alcohols generated by reactions and procedures in making
spirits.
A. The chemical name for the alcohol used in food and beverages.
B. The process by which microorganisms digest and convert carbohydrates
(sugars and starches) to a liquid (alcohol) and a gas (carbon dioxide)
C. Flavoring agents and alcohols generated by reactions and procedures in
making spirits.
D. Soup of milled and soaked ingredients mixed with water.
14. These yeasts enhance flavor differences even in products from distilleries located
within short distances apart.
A. Cultivated Yeast C. Fresh Yeast
B. Wild Yeast D. All of the above
15. Aldehydes is one of the primary congeners. Which of the following definition best
describes aldehydes.
A. Flavor and aroma compounds formed by chemical reactions between
alcohol and oxygen.
B. Aroma compounds formed by chemical reactions between alcohol and acids
C. Highly flavored alcohols that can be found in alcohol distilled at less than
190 proof and used only in very small quantities, if at all
D. None of the above

Professor on the given due
33 | H M P E 2 0 1
Topic 2: Distilled Beverages

Activity
Word Hunt: Find and circle the words in the grid, running in one of eight possible
directions horizontally, vertically, or diagonally and including
backwards.
BRANDY TEQUILA RUM

VODKA WHISKEY WHISKY
STOLICHNAYA JOSE CUERVO BACARDI
HENNESSY GLENMORANGIE CROWN ROYAL
B A R E S U P O U N S C R E A D M A S E
A A I N P R E O B S T U S C H E F T P A
L C F E N E E B I S O L U O D C O E L C
T C R U C U G J M S L A K E U O C Q A U
R O R O S S E J R U I L V O N R E U S I
U O A O W I V O T K C B A C A R D I I S
M H H E N N E S S Y H J N E C T R L D E
S U E S S W R E D V N H A I B E A A H I
S S A U C E I O R A A D Y N E U R I D G
L A D S A D F U Y U Y E N R U R I E L N
D E B U T W S E L A A T E A S A M U F A
R R A P M U E R O N L I S E U R R E T R
I U K N G B M V O S S E E T E A Y E T O
E P E A D K N O T S H H X G L A K I E M
B R W H I S K E Y U C A N F J S S I A N
I E L I S A E T A C L A R M R P I I M E
N C V I S S A U G G L A C E I O H A T L
V O D K A P Q D I U E R R T B U W I T G

34 | H M P E 2 0 1
Analysis
Instruction: Write your answer on the space provided.
Given the picture and name of the spirit below, what do you think are the
basic ingredients?
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35 | H M P E 2 0 1
Abstraction
Distilled Spirits
The process of
distillation was done by first
heating, then cooling and condensing liquids to extract and concentrate their
alcohol content was known in crude form even in ancient times. The Chinese
and the peoples of the East Indies distilled liquids and used the resulting
potions for medicinal purposes as early as 800 B.C. About the time the Pilgrims
ran out of beer at Plymouth Rock, these forms of concentrated alcohol were
coming into favor in Europe.
Distilled spirits made from fermented liquids were much more potent
than the original liquids. The first ones were called aqua vitae (water of life)
and used as medicines, but they were quickly assimilated into society as
beverages. Highland Scots and Irish distillers made whiskey. The French
distilled wine to make brandy. A Dutch doctor’s experiments produced gin,
which is alcohol flavored with the juniper berry. In Russia and Poland the
distilled spirit was vodka. In the West Indies rum was made from sugarcane,
while in Mexico, Spaniards distilled the Indians’ native drink to make mescal,
the great-grandfather of today’s tequila.
With increasing supplies of spirits and their high alcohol content,
excessive drinking became a national problem in several European countries.
In England cheap gin became the drink of the poor.
Across the Atlantic, Americans welcomed the new spirits. Rum soon
became the most popular drink and New England became a leading
manufacturer. George Washington put rum to political use when he ran for the
Virginia legislature, giving each voter a barrel of rum, beer, wine, or hard cider.
By the end of the century, whiskey was challenging rum in popularity.
Seeing a potential new income source, the new U.S. Congress enacted
the first tax on whiskey production in 1791. Many of the distillers, still trying to
recover financially from the Revolutionary War, did not have much money and
refused to pay the taxes. By 1794, President Washington had a real problem
on his hands. He mustered 12,000 troops and marched into Pennsylvania to
avert the so-called Whiskey Rebellion. It ended without a shot being fired, but
many angry distillers packed up and moved farther west to enjoy greater
freedom and avoid future confrontations.
When Washington’s presidency ended in 1797, he was once again a
forerunner in the distilling business, making his own rye from his own grain in
his own stills at Mount Vernon, Virginia. In one year, his distillery produced
11,000 gallons of whiskey and showed a profit of $7,500, which is equal to
about $105,000 today. Here’s his recipe, called a mash bill:
1. Start with 65 percent rye, 30 percent corn, and 5 percent malted
barley, each ground (separately) into a coarse meal.
36 | H M P E 2 0 1
2. Mix the rye and corn. (This was done in a wooden vessel called a
hogshead.) Add hot and cold water, and stick your hand into the
mash to make sure it is not too hot. If it does not burn, the
temperature is just right. Add the barley and stir.
3. Cool the mixture a bit more and add yeast. Let the mixture
ferment for a few days.
4. Pour the mixture into a copper still and let it boil. The alcohol will
vaporize and condense, fl owing out of a tube (also known as a
worm).
5. Collect the liquid and run it through the copper still one more time.
Washington probably barreled his whiskey and sold it immediately;
modern-day distillers would have aged it for a few years. A few of today’s top
U.S. whiskey makers followed the recipe in 2003 to create a special batch for
an auction to benefit the Mount Vernon estate, now an historic landmark. The
Distilled Spirits Council, a trade group, spent more than $1 million to excavate
the site where the original distillery stood and re-created it as an educational
exhibit. It includes five copper stills, mash tubs, and a boiler where distillers
demonstrate eighteenth-century techniques in a two-story building. George
Washington’s Distillery is known as the “Gateway to the American Whiskey
Trail.”
The distillers who relocated to Tennessee and Kentucky after the
Whiskey Rebellion inadvertently discovered a gold mine of sorts there: cold,
clear water supplies that are still famous for their role in whiskey production.
The spirit soon became known as Bourbon, since some of the first distillers set
up shop in Bourbon County, Kentucky. As the American West was settled,
whiskey was easier to store and transport than beer or wine; in great demand,
it became a very popular commodity in the trade-and-barter commerce of
frontier life.
Distillation gained momentum as the process was refined. Rectification,
or distilling a liquid more than once, yielded a much cleaner and almost 100
percent pure spirits than previous efforts. Before rectification was perfected,
spirits contained flavor impurities. Herbs, honey, and/ or flowers were added
to mask them. After rectification these items were also routinely added, but
now to enhance the flavor. Some of today’s grand liqueurs are the results of
these early flavor concoctions. Cognac, for instance, was a pale, acidic French
wine for which there was little public demand
until it was concentrated in the 1600s as an
eaudevie, French for aqua vitae. It became
enormously popular and still is today.
Production All spirits are produced by
the distillation of an alcoholic beverage. The
history of distillation goes back over 2000
years when it is said that stills were used in
China to make perfumes, and by Arabs to
make spirit-based drinks. The principle of
distillation is that ethyl alcohol vaporises (boils)
37 | H M P E 2 0 1
at a lower temperature (78 °C) than water (100 °C). Thus, where a liquid
containing alcohol is heated in an enclosed environment the alcohol will form
steam first and can be taken off, leaving water and other ingredients behind.
This process raises the alcoholic strength of the resulting liquid. There are two
main methods of producing spirits:
1. The pot still method, which is used for full, heavy flavoured spirits
such as brandy.
2. The patent still method (also referred to as the ‘column still’ or
‘continuous still’ or the ‘Coffey still’ after its inventor), which
produces the lighter spirits such as vodka.
Distilled Spirits. Definition as "distilled rather than fermented," every
distilled spirit begins with the fermentation of a base ingredient. During this
process, yeast is added to a wort, which is a mixture of water and a mash
containing a fermentable organic substance. As the yeast works its magic, the
base ingredient's sugars are converted into alcohol. Distilled spirits are the types
of alcoholic beverage made from grains, fruits and plants.
Spirits. A spirit (in some countries, and circumstances, called liquor) is
an alcohol beverage containing ethanol. The ethanol is produced by
fermenting grains, fruit or some vegetables. The production of distilled spirits
is based upon fermentation, the natural process of decomposition of organic
materials containing carbohydrates. It occurs in nature whenever the two
necessary ingredients, carbohydrate and yeast, are available. Yeast is a
vegetative microorganism that lives and multiplies in mediums containing
carbohydrates particularly simple sugars. It has been found throughout the
world, including frozen areas and deserts.
Distilled spirits are all alcoholic beverages in which the concentration of
ethyl alcohol has been increased above that of the original fermented mixture
by a method called distillation. The principle of alcoholic distillation is based
upon the different boiling points of alcohol (78.5° C, or 173.3° F) and water
(100° C, or 212° F). If a liquid containing ethyl alcohol is heated to a
temperature above 78.5° C but below 100° C and the vapour coming off the
liquid is condensed, the condensate will have a higher alcohol concentration,
or strength.
For a liquid to be deemed a spirit is must be at least 20% alcohol by
volume (ABV) and contain no sugar. By adding sugar, flavours or other
additives creates a spirit called Liqueurs. Fermentation ceases at around 20%
ABV which is why all beers and wines have ABV’s less than 20%. Common
spirits are Tequila, Rum, Vodka, Whiskey and Rum. Within these common type
spirits are a multitude of styles, brands and flavours.
Liqueur. A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage made from a distilled spirit
that has been flavoured with fruit, cream, herbs, spices, flowers or nuts and
bottled with added sugar or other sweetener (such as high-fructose corn
syrup). Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long
after the ingredients are mixed, but they may have resting periods during their
production to allow flavours to marry. In the United States and Canada where
spirits are often called “Liquor”, there is often confusion over Liqueurs and
38 | H M P E 2 0 1
Liquors, especially as many spirits today are available in flavour form (e.g.
flavoured Vodka). The most reliable rule of thumb is that liqueurs are quite
sweet and often syrupy in consistency, while liquors are not. Most liqueurs
have a lower alcohol content than spirits, but some contain as much as 55%
ABV. In parts of the United States, Liqueurs may also be called cordials, while
in Australia, cordial means concentrated non-alcoholic fruit syrup that is diluted
to taste as a non-carbonated soft drink.
Liqueurs have a wide range of flavors, from coffee to almond to orange.
There are also cream liqueurs, like Baileys Irish Cream, and crème liqueurs,
which are much sweeter and likened to a potent syrup, like crème de cacao.
Grand Marnier is a delicious example of an orange liqueur. It is an ingredient in
classic cocktails such as the whiskey daisy and makes a flavorful addition to
many recipes. It's also a delight when sipped as a nightcap in hot tea.
Other well-known liqueurs are amaretto, Chambord, Cointreau, crème de
cassis, crème de menthe, Irish cream, Kahlua, and the variety of flavorful
schnapps, to name just a few. Some are brand names and use exclusive recipes,
while others are made in a style with a signature flavor that are produced by
different companies.
Liquor. Liquor, also known as spirits, is an alcoholic beverage made of
grains or other plants that are fermented into a potent drink. Though a few
others fall into this category, it's generally accepted that six types of distilled
spirits are liquors: brandy, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whiskey.
The distillation process,
which occurs after fermenting,
separates the water from the
alcohol. This process increases
the alcohol content of liquor to
at least 20 percent alcohol by
volume (ABV). Brandy, rum,
tequila, and vodka are
generally 40 percent ABV,
while whiskey usually ranges
from 40 percent to 55 percent
ABV. Gin can range from 37
1/2 percent to 50 percent ABV. Liquors are the base of cocktails and mixed
drinks and are also very often drunk on the rocks and neat.
Bases for spirits. The bases used in the most common spirits are listed
below. In each case the base is made into a fermented liquid (alcoholic wash)
before
distillati
on can
take
place.
39 | H M P E 2 0 1
The Types of Spirits

All distillates come off the still as clear liquids. How the distiller
processes the liquid determines the taste, smell, and appearance of the final
product. As a rule, however, all spirits fall into one of two broad categories:
clear spirits and dark spirits. Put in the simplest terms, clear spirits are the
ones you can see though; dark spirits range in color from warm amber to deep
brown.
The clear spirits All clear spirits are clear, but depending on the foods
from which they were distilled, some have a specific flavor.
Gin comes in two basic styles. There’s the original Dutch jenevre (which
the French called genievre), a distillate of malt spirits that include juniper
berries. London dry gin is a clear spirit that’s redistilled with juniper berries
and further flavored with aromatic botanicals (plant products).
Rum is distilled from molasses or sugar cane. All rums start out as
totally clear spirits; some are aged in barrels, a process described in Chapter 2.
Aging turns the rum golden, amber, or very dark. Sake is a clear spirit distilled
from rice wine.
Tequila is distilled from the fruit of the blue agave plant. Like rum, all
tequilas start out clear, but some turn golden or amber with aging. Vodka is a
true neutral spirit, crystal clear, with no discernible flavor or aroma. Modern
vodka producers, however, may flavor their vodkas, changing the taste and
sometimes the color to match the color of the fruit juice or synthetic flavoring.
The dark spirits With the exception of brandy, which is distilled from
wine (remember Geber from earlier in this chapter?), dark spirits are
beverages distilled from grains. Like clear spirits, the dark spirits start out clear,
but aging in barrels and the addition of coloring agents such as caramel (burnt
sugar) to maintain color consistency from year to year turns them
characteristically golden amber. Brandy is a spirit distilled from wine or a mash
(fermented mass) of any fruit, most commonly grapes.
Whiskey is a spirit distilled from grain, such as barley, corn, rye, or
wheat. A straight whiskey is made from the distillate produced by one
operation of a still and added neutral spirits. A blended whiskey contains
several straight whiskeys and added neutral spirits.
Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey are distilled spirits made only in the
United States; by law, they must be made of 51 percent corn.
Canadian Whisky is a distilled spirit made in Canada, generally from a
mix of grains, primarily corn, plus rye, wheat, and barley.
Irish Whiskey is a distilled spirit
made in Ireland from a mix of
grains dominated by barley.
Scotch Whisky is a distilled spirit
made in Scotland from a mix of grains,
primarily barley, plus “small grains”
so-called because they’re used in
limited amounts. The small grains
usually include oats.
40 | H M P E 2 0 1
Brandy
Brandy may be defined as a spirit
distilled from wine. The word brandy is
more usually linked with the names Cognac
and Armagnac, but brandy is also made in
almost all wine-producing areas.
Brandy is made by distilling wine or
fruit and then aging it in oak barrels. The
difference in brandy varies from country to
country. Soil, climate, grapes, production
methods, and blending give each brandy its own unique flavor and style.
When brandy is produced, it undergoes four basic processes: fermentation of
the grape, distillation to brandy, aging in oak barrels, and blending by the
master blender.
History of Brandy. Cognac is a wine-producing region in France with
an affinity with the grape dating back to the third century gives a little insight
into this spirit’s epic history. The river Charente runs through Cognac and as a
result the town has been in the business of export from the moment wine
became of commercial interest. However, by the 1500s the locals had
discovered the grape juice could be distilled and as ships looked to create
more space for cargo they realized a bottle of “burnt wine,” or brandy, gave
them more value for their buck The original plan had been to water the
brawny beverage down, but appreciation of the spirit took hold and brandy
was soon in great demand. The Dutch were particular fans but word spread
across the seas and the British navy established a thirst for it, part of their
salary even being covered by a drop of brandy.
By the 18th century the British and Irish had moved to the next level
and began to dominate trade, even taking over some of the distilleries, with
Irishman Richard Hennessy founding the eponymous cognac distillery in 1765.
The 1700s were a heady time for the spirit, literally. People even drank it for
breakfast, with one particularly stimulating start to the morning taking the
form of a mix of 1 part brandy with 4 parts strong tea. Such was the affection
for the spirit in fact that it could have enjoyed global domination were it not
for the appearance in the 1870s of the phylloxera aphid, a bug that attacked
the grapes and decimated vineyards for twenty years, thereby enabling scotch
and whisky to get a grip on the market.
The Second World War helped revive spirits, so to speak, and cognac
was introduced to a wider audience including Asia Pacific, a market still crucial
to the industry today. Indeed, export remains the key to the success of brandy,
with the French only drinking around a mere 5 percent of their own annual
production. Throughout its history people have mixed brandy, and much of the
credit for early cocktail flourishes should be given to seafarers. In the 16th
century Sir Walter Raleigh’s Sack Possett was an early form of punch to which
French brandy was added, while in the late 18th century British naval hero
Horatio Nelson gave his name to the drink known as Nelsons’ Blood, which,
along with rum, is thought to describe a 50/50 mix of port and French brandy.
41 | H M P E 2 0 1
In the 1840s the English author Charles Dickens became an advocate of

the French fancy and championed its inclusion in punches, some of which are
referenced in A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, and The Pickwick Papers.
Upon his death in 1870, no fewer than 216 bottles (eighteen dozen) marked
“pale brandy (F. Courvoisier)” were found in his cellar at Gad’s Hill Place in
Higham, Kent.
During the 19th century, interest in brandy cocktails traveled from
Europe to America via the Julep, the popularity and influence of which helped
to encourage mixing with the spirit. As if to reinforce this point, Jerry Thomas
opens his 1862 book Bartenders Guide with a Brandy Punch recipe and his
contemporary Harry Johnson used brandy in several of his recipes in his
Bartenders’ Manual. The spirit found companions in myriad mixed drinks, with
the Brandy Smash, Crusta, Fizz, and Daisy all enjoying a dose of a little
something French.
The damage caused by phylloxera obviously had an impact, denting the
chances of brandy cocktails, and whiskey emerged as a replacement as the
19th century drew to a close, with first gin and then vodka playing to the
crowd in the decades that followed.
In more recent times cognac producers have recognized the resurgence
of interest in historic drinks and have taken to reviving some of these classic
themes. Courvoisier in particular has
jumped on the punch bandwagon and
brought much of its history to our attention.
Cognac. Cognac is a brandy made

in the French region of Cognac. It is a
brandy made from grapes that are very
acidic. After fermenting into wine, it is
distilled twice within strict parameters.
Cognac is a blend of many vintages. The
age of Cognac is determined by the amount
of time spend in the oak cask. The labels
on the bottle will tell you the age of the
Cognac.
A. C. - Two years old. Aged in wood V.O. - Very OLD: Aged a

minimum of four years
V.S. - Very Special: Three years of aging in wooden casks. Also called
Three Star.
V.S.O.P - Very Special Old Pale: Minimum aging is eight years in wood
for the youngest in the blend. Industry average is between 10 and 15 years
old. Sometimes known as Five Star
X.O. - Extra Old: Also called Luxury. Has a minimum age of eight years.
This class also can include Napoleon and Vielle (“Reserve”)
Varietal - Made using only one type of varietal grape.
Vintage - Aged and was put into the bottle in the year of the vintage
42 | H M P E 2 0 1
Armagnac. While the rest of the world drinks

cognac, the French prefer to keep Armagnac for
themselves and it’s not difficult to see why. It’s incredible
stuff and continues to attract bartenders in search of new
approaches to brandy drinks. In fact, Armagnac was first
on the scene, with recipes from the French Gascony
region that date back to 1411. However, cognac had the
edge during early trade tussles between the two, with the
Charente river that runs through the cognac vineyard
providing the perfect opportunity for export. In the 19th
century the Armagnac producers started using a different
still and what had begun life as a product that was similar
to cognac began to forge its own identity. The Armagnac of today is a fuller
and more rustic spirit than cognac. You’ll detect floral tones, including violet,
dates, and nuts, and different grapes are used to produce more aromatic wine.
Due to different maturing processes and selection, the VS is aged for less time
than its cognac counterpart, so I’d aim for a VSOP or an XO if your budget will
allow.
Armagnac is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac
region in Gascony, Southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made
from a blend of grapes, traditionally using column stills rather than the pot
stills used in the production of Cognac. The resulting spirit is then aged in oak
barrels for a minimum of three years. Armagnac is fuller and richer than
Cognac and is described as mellow.
Brandy styles. When using a luxury spirit such as cognac in mixed
drinks, the key is to play to its strengths and not to trample over its virtues
Just because it’s expensive doesn’t mean it can’t be mixed; after all, a Rémy
Martin Louis XIII (at $2,056 a bottle) and cola will beat the pants off a
supermarket own brand cognac. In fact it’s easier to hide a body under a patio
than it is to cloak the overpowering dry wood flavors of an inferior cognac, so
if you understand your spirit, you can learn to mix it well.
Terroir plays a part in quality cognac and the more chalk in the soil, the
better the grapes. The cognac region is divided into six zones, also known as
crus. Grande Champagne is top dog, followed by Petite Champagne, Borderies,
Fins Bois, Bons Bois, and Bois Ordinaires, in descending order of importance.
The most widely used grape variety is Ugni Blanc, which produces an
acidic wine, low in alcohol, and ideal for distillation. As is the case with wine
production, the vines’ geographical location and the conditions experienced by
the grapes during the year can influence taste.
All cognac must be distilled by midnight on 31 March of the year
following the harvest, and during production all cognac houses must use a
Charentais still, a specific type of traditionally shaped copper still. The process
is multilayered with distillers having to establish flavor signposts at every stage,
adding to the complexity involved in achieving consistency in the finished spirit.
Aging follows, taking place in barrels, both old and new, made of oak from the
Limousin and Tronçais forests near the Cognac region. During the process the
43 | H M P E 2 0 1
cognac takes on and develops flavors that include vanilla, hazelnut, cooked
citrus, and dried flowers. Aging also influences the quality grading of the spirit.
VS (Very Special) is the youngest cognac at a minimum of two years. VSOP
(Very Superior Old Pale) aging for a minimum of four years and XO (Extra Old)
youngest stored for six.
Many factors influence what ends up in the bottle and all in all it’s a
timeconsuming and complicated business, hence the price tag. Among the
more familiar cognac houses is Courvoisier. Its Exclusif range was designed for
mixing but I find the VS works just as well in long drinks, it’s a fresh brandy
and actually cheaper. Martell VS is another useful brand for longer drinks.
Again it’s a young and fresh cognac that works less well in short and stirred
cocktails.
Hennessy is another familiar name and the VS is rich,
sweet, and quite dry on the finish. If the budget will allow, the
XO is a little pricey but with its powerful leather nose and coffee
on the palate, it is excellent for serious and stirred drinks. Remy
Martin VSOP is a solid example of the age statement and has a
blend of four-to twelve-year-old cognacs. It’s affordable and
gives you dried flowers and apricot flavors to play with, although
it does have a dry finish and may need some sweeter ingredients
in the mix as a result. The Hine VSOP offers a little more with
plenty of floral notes to mix around, while retaining some of the
rich chocolate, making it great for cocktails.
It is worth hunting around for less obvious brands. For
example, the Frapin VSOP has plenty of warm apple flavors to
work with while the Louis Royer Force 53 VSOP (look for the
Louis Royer bee emblem on the label), is spicy and works well as
a contrast to sweeter flavors. The Grosperrin VSOP will give you
something fresher and cleaner but it also has a smoky finish. Cognac Leyrat
VSOP Light is, as indicated, slightly lighter and more tropical, and works well
with fruity long drinks.
Moving up a price notch you’ll discover lots of cocktail angles with the
Delamain Pale & Dry XO, a blend of several old Grande Champagne cognacs.
Rich, nutty, and sweet flavors are contrasted by citrus zest and spice on the
nose, with hints of hazelnut,
candied fruits, vanilla, and
spice. I particularly enjoy this
brandy in a Sidecar.
Cognacs from the fantastic
Pierre Ferrand cognac house in
the Charente region of France
offer plenty of different options
to investigate, but the Ambre
has been used to good effect
in cocktails, some of which can
be found in Modern Mixes.
44 | H M P E 2 0 1
The 1840 is also worth a sniff,

designed specifically for the
mixed drink. Merlet is another
house that has worked with
bartenders, particularly the
talented Tony Conigliaro,
who uses the Brothers Blend in
his Merlet Sangria.
American Brandy Brandy was introduced to California more than 200
years ago by Spanish missionaries. Taking advantage of the healthy soil, good
climate, and water, American brandy production primarily occurs in the San
Joaquin Valley. California producesthe largest percentage of American brandy,
and all California brandy has to be aged a minimum of two years. Here are
some popular brands:
✓ Carneros Alambic: The first alambic (cognac-style) brandy in
California.
✓ Christian Brothers: This brandy is processed and aged in Napa Valley.
✓ E. & J. Gallo: Gallo produces E. & J. Brandy (Gold), E. & J. V.S.O.P.
Brandy, and E. & J. White Brandy.
✓ Germain-Robin: Another excellent alambic brandy from California.
✓ Korbel: A California brandy from the Korbel Distillery
Pisco. Pisco is a South American brandy with a long history dating back
to the 16th century. It’s a colorless or amber-colored grape brandy. Pisco is
imported from both Peru and Chile, and both countries claim to be the original
producers of this spirit. Here are a few brands:
✓ Chilean Piscos: • Pisco Control • Pisco Especial
✓ Peruvian Piscos: • BarSol • Campo de Encanto Pisco • Macchu
Pisco • Pisco Portón • Tres Generaciones.
Brandies from Around the World. Check out the following list to find
the names of just a few brands that are worth trying:
✓ Asbach Uralt (Germany): The top-selling brandy in Germany.
✓ Aztec DeOro (Mexico): A 12 year old brandy made using the solera
method.
✓ Brandy de Jerez (Spain): Produced in southern Spain.
✓ Carlos I (Spain): Ranked among the finest in the world.
✓ Don Pedro (Mexico): Pot-stilled and solera-aged.
✓ Fellipe II (Spain): The number-one-selling Spanish brandy in the
United States.
✓ Metaxa (Greece): The most famous Greek brandy.
✓ Presidente (Mexico): The largest-selling brandy in Mexico and the
world.
✓ Stock 84 (Italy): Produced by Stock Distillery of Trieste, Italy.
Fruit Brandy. Fruit brandies are produced from all kinds of fruits. The
fruit is washed and ground into a mash. Water and yeast are added and
allowed to ferment. After the sugar metabolizes, the mash is pressed and the
liquid is then distilled. Some fruit brandies are aged in oak barrels. When
45 | H M P E 2 0 1
shopping for fruit brandies, you may see the term eau-de-vie, which refers to
any fruit brandy or any brandy not qualified as armagnac or cognac. Brandy
snobs often throw around this term. Some of the major fruit brandy types are
✓ Applejack: An apple brandy produced in the United States.
✓ Calvados: An apple brandy made from a variety of apples from
northwestern France.
✓ Framboise: Made from raspberries.
✓ Kirsch and Kirschwasser: Made from cherries.
✓ Poire: Made from pears, usually from Switzerland and France. (Poire
William is a pear brandy that contains a fully mature pear. While each pear is
still on the branch, it’s placed in the bottle. When the pear is mature, it’s
washed in the bottle, and the bottle is then filled with pear brandy.)
✓ Slivovitz: Made from plums, usually from Germany or Hungary.
Fruit-Flavored Brandies and Pomace Brandy. In the United States,
fruit-flavored brandies are classified as cordials and are usually bottled at more
than 70 proof. Sugar, natural coloring, fruit, and other flavorings are added.
You can find brandies flavored with such diverse ingredients as apricots,
bananas, coffee, blackberries, and peaches. Check out Chapter 6 for a more-
complete discussion of cordials.
Pomace brandies are produced by the fermentation and distillation of
grape seeds, stems, and anything that remains after grapes have been
pressed and their juices extracted. Pomace brandies are neither aged nor
colored. The most popular are grappa (Italian), marc (French), and orujo
(Spanish).
Storing and Serving Suggestions. Brandy is traditionally served
straight up in a snifter after dinner, but it’s also mixed with water or soda and
can be found in some famous cocktails, including the delicious Brandy
Alexander. Store an unopened bottle out of sunlight. After opening, a bottle of
brandy can last up to three years. Brandy doesn’t improve with age in the
bottle, so it will taste no better if you let it sit in the bottle in your basement
for ten years
The following are the famous Brandy cocktails.
Brandy Crusta. Created by Joseph Santini in the 1840s or 50s at the
City Exchange in New Orleans, it is thought that the first Crusta used brandy,
and this is certainly how it appeared in Jerry Thomas’ 1862 Bartenders Guide.
Glass: Champagne Flute
Ingredients: superfine sugar to rim zest

1/2 lemon thinly pared
2fl oz/60ml cognac
2 dashes Angostura bitters
3 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp sugar syrup
ice cubes
Garnish: Large Lemon Zest spiral

46 | H M P E 2 0 1
Procedure: Rim a glass with sugar and wrap the thinly pared peel of half a
lemon around the inside of it. Stir all the ingredients with ice and strain into
the glass. Garnish with a lemon zest spiral.
Brandy Punch. Selected as the first recipe in the celebrated Jerry

Thomas’Bartenders Guide (1862), this is an iconic drink. The book is revered
by bartenders around the world.
Glass: High Ball
Ingredients: 3fl oz/90ml brandy

2fl oz/60ml water
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp raspberry syrup
3 tsp lemon
shaved ice
Garnish: Seasonal Berries, Orange Slices and Chunks of Pineapple
Procedure: Shake all the ingredients with ice, strain into a glass, and garnish
with seasonal berries, orange slices, and pineapple chunks.
Merlet Sangria. Something simple and familiar with a touch of cognac,

created by Tony Conigliaro who runs 69 Colebrooke Row in London and has
been named the best international bartender at the Tales of the Cocktail event
in New Orleans.
Glass: Wine Goblet
Ingredients: 1 3/4fl oz/50ml Merlet Brothers

Blend Cognac (VSOP)
1 3/4fl oz/50ml Merlet triple sec
1 bottle red wine soda water
1 orange cut into wedges
1 lemon cut into wedges
3 tsp superfine sugar
ice cubes
Garnish: Slice of Lemon
Procedure: Stir all the ingredients with ice in a large pitcher. Serve in a wine
goblet over fresh ice.
Rum
Rum is a result a distillation process of sugar cane, sugar cane syrup,
molasses, sugar beets, maple sap or other sugar cane by products. White
rums must be aged a minimum of one year. Gold rums are aged in wooden
barrels for a minimum of three years. This is a spirit made from the fermented
47 | H M P E 2 0 1
by-products of sugar cane. It is available in dark and light varieties and is

produced in countries where sugar cane grows naturally, for example, Jamaica,
Cuba, Trinidad, Barbados, Guyana and the Bahamas.
History of Rum. If ever a spirit conjures
up a scene it is rum, a drink that evokes visions
of lying on a sun-soaked beach lapped by a pure
and crystal-clear ocean. This drink justly deserves
such romantic rhetoric thanks to its associations
with global domination, cultural kudos, and high
seas skullduggery. Rum started to make its mark
in the 17th century when European nations were
sailing through the Caribbean establishing trade
routes. With spices already on the shopping list
and the horrific trade in slaves an established
practice, merchants were quick to recognize the financial value of sugarcane.
The Brazilians had already established a stranglehold over sugar, with
cachaça being the cane spirit of choice, but when the Europeans found a
cooperative climate for growing cane in the Caribbean, they established their
own playing field. The Europeans had a sweet tooth and the sugar rush that
ensued was not the side effect of overdosing on M&Ms, but rather a trade
boom with rum as the liquid legacy.
Barbados possibly takes credit for making the most of the early
transition from sugarcane to rum. The use of the word “rum” was first
recorded on the island in the 1650s, in conjunction with its other common
moniker of “KillDivil,” and Barbados certainly dominated the early days of
production. Jamaica also played a role, as did Haiti, and as the spirit started
making its way into American and European society it was mixed increasingly
in drinks.
The early 1600s were rinsed in punch as sailors returned to British
shores with sugarcane spirits such as arrack and then rum. They conducted
their own experiments on board, adding lime to the spirit to combat scurvy
and then sugar to temper the sour taste. Rum even became part of a sailor’s
salary in the British Navy in the form of the “rum ration,” a mind-bending 1/2
quart of rum a day, but in 1740 Vice Admiral Edward Vernon noticed how his
half-cut crew was less inclined to commit to hard slog and invented grog—rum,
water, and lime and rum featured on the naval payslip right up to 1970.
Along with legitimate seafaring types, pirates also barged their way into
rum’s history and their wickedness is usually blamed on the spirit’s prevalence.
The hard nut Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard, binged on rum before his
battles, and such was his affection for the spirit that when he died his skull
was converted into a sinister mug for the stuff. Pirates apparently preferred a
drink called Bumbo to the navy’s grog, possibly because this concoction of rum,
water, sugar, and nutmeg left out the sour lime.
By the early 19th century the landlubbers of Europe and the East Coast
of America had latched onto the spirit and were enjoying Flips with egg and
“Doctors,” which mixed rum with milk. Jerry Thomas includes rum in the Tom
48 | H M P E 2 0 1
and Jerry cocktail in his Bartenders Guide or How to Mix Drinks (1862). He also
uses Santa Cruz rum in his Knickerbocker, and says of his Rum Flip: “Which
Dibdin has immortalized as the favorite beverage of sailors although we
believe they seldom indulge in it.” As the century came to a close disputes
over taxation and the restriction of trade routes distracted drinkers from rum
and made whiskey America’s domestic drink of choice, with gin also proving
popular at the start of the 20th century.
Cuba would eventually offer the spirit a degree of refinement and when
Don Facundo Bacardi started producing his light, crisp rum in 1862, it was
perfectly positioned for mixing. As the 20th century progressed, rum started to
make an impact on cocktails again. As a popular hangout for Americans during
Prohibition in particular, Cuba introduced us to the Mojito and the Daiquiri, the
latter being a regularly requested thirst-quencher from one-time resident
Ernest Hemingway. And while the 1959 Revolution stopped the comings and
goings to Havana, by this point rum’s status in the mixed drink was secure.
The 1930s saw the spirit move in a new kitsch direction when Victor
“Trader Vic” Bergeron and Ernest “Don the Beachcomber” Gantt tweaked its
identity toward a tiki sensibility. This embracing of Polynesian culture heralded
a swathe of exotically styled drinks and started a formidable trend still loved
by bartenders today. Tiki has had a major impact on rum cocktails and books
are filled with alluring tropical fruit tipples to add to the drier classics, inspiring
a boom in new rum knowledge and brands. The Daiquiri has become a revered
drink among bartenders while new tiki bars bloom like the garish floral shirts
of their owners.
The rum repertoire is even expanding beyond the Caribbean, and Latin
American countries with their own rum heritage are slowly gaining greater
recognition. So this is a rare old time for the spirit and one that should be
celebrated with a decent rum cocktail.
Grades of Rum.
The grades and
variations used to describe
rum depend on the
location where a rum was
produced. Despite these
variations, the following
terms are frequently used
to describe various types
of rum:
Light rums, also
referred to as silver or white rums, in general, have very little flavour aside
from a general sweetness. Consequently, they often serve as bases for
cocktails. Light rums are sometimes filtered after aging to remove any colour.
The Brazilian cachaça is generally this type, but some varieties are more akin
to “gold rums”. The majority of light rums come from Puerto Rico. Their milder
flavours make them popular for use in mixed drinks, as opposed to drinking
them straight.
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Gold rums, also called amber rums, are medium-bodied rums that are
generally aged. These gain their dark colour from aging in wooden barrels
(usually the charred, white oak barrels that are the byproduct of Bourbon
whiskey). They have more flavour and are stronger-tasting than light rum, and
can be considered midway between light rum and the darker varieties.
Dark rums, also known by their particular colour, such as brown, black,
or red rums, are classes a grade darker than gold rums. They are generally
aged longer, in heavily charred barrels, giving them much stronger flavours
than either light or gold rums, and hints of spices can be detected, along with
a strong molasses or caramel overtone. They commonly provide substance in
rum drinks, as well as colour. In addition, dark rum is the type most commonly
used in cooking. Most dark rums come from areas such as Jamaica, Haiti, and
Martinique.
Spiced rums obtain their flavours through the addition of spices and,
sometimes, caramel. Most are darker in colour, and based on gold rums. Some
are significantly darker, while many cheaper brands are made from
inexpensive white rums and darkened with caramel colour. Among the spices
added are cinnamon, rosemary, absinthe/aniseed, or pepper.
Flavoured rums are infused with flavours of fruits, such as banana,
mango, orange, citrus, coconut, starfruit or lime. These are generally less than
40% ABV. They mostly serve to flavour similarly themed tropical drinks but are
also often drunk neat or with ice.
Overproof rums are much higher than the standard 40% ABV, with
many as high as 75% to 80% available. An example is Bacardi 151.
Premium rums, as with other sipping spirits, such as Cognac and
Scotch, are in a special market category. These are generally from boutique
brands that sell carefully produced and aged rums. They have more character
and flavour than their “mixing” counterparts and are generally consumed
straight.
Cachaça the Brazilian rum known as cachaça differs from others
because it skips the molasses and instead uses pure sugar cane juice in the
distillation process.
Rhum Agricole similar to cachaça, rhum agricole is also distilled from
pure sugar cane juice. While rum generally does not have tight regulations on
its production, rhum agricole is an exception. Rhum agricole must be produced
in the French territories, most commonly the island of Martinique, and it is
governed by an AOC (appellation d’origine controlle), similar to Cognac. It is
distilled from fresh-pressed sugar cane juice using a Creole continuous column
still. The cane can only be harvested in the dry season and the juice must be
extracted within three days. Rhum agricole is noted for its grassy, sweet taste
because sugar cane is a grass. The purity of the juice imparts a special flavor to
this style of rum. Like most rums, it can be mixed into almost any cocktail you
can think of.
Rum Styles. While rum induces images of tropical palm trees and
pretty people on white beaches, there’s much more to the spirit than relaxing
in the Caribbean. In fact the attraction for the connoisseur is in the spirit’s
50 | H M P E 2 0 1
complexity and range. If you tried to pigeonhole the category you’d have a
schizophrenic on your hands languorous as it is adventurous, rum is as erratic
(and erotic for that matter) as Sharon Stone’s character in Basic Instinct. So
once you’ve got some communication going it can be tough to identify how
things may develop from there.
Rum is produced from the juices extracted from sugarcane or from the
molasses produced when the juice is boiled and the sugar crystallizes. This is
then fermented and distilled, with a variety of stills used to change the profile,
from pot stills for rich and heavy rums, to column stills for lighter rums. Darker
rums have usually been matured in charred American white oak ex-bourbon
barrels and a tropical climate ensures the spirit rapidly takes on the tones,
aromas, and flavors of the wood. This also removes the harsh edge of the
spirit and adds fruity and buttery qualities, but the impact of the barrel is swift
and aging much longer than eight years can impose harsh tannins. Meanwhile,
the heat also sees plenty of the rum evaporate through the barrel during aging,
this being known as the angel’s share. So the trick is to monitor it closely
during the aging process, after which a skillful master blender fashions a
balance between the rums from different barrels.
White rum either forgoes this process or can be aged and then put
through charcoal filtration, as is the case with Bacardi. The brand’s ubiquitous
Superior white rum is the world’s biggest seller and probably already in your
cupboard, so makes for a solid starting point for cocktails. Light and delicate,
with floral notes and tropical fruit flavors, it mixes well in the Bacardi Cocktail
(obviously) and the Daiquiri.
Bacardi’s roots are in Cuba,
but the family was forced out of
the country during the 1950s
Cuban Revolution and the national
rum of choice these days is
Havana Club. This is a favorite in
Cuban-made Mojitos and the
three-year-old is crisp, light, and
fruity.
Barbados has heaps of heritage and produces fruity, sweet, and slightly
light but balanced rums. Mount Gay and Cockspur are familiar brands but
check out R.L. Seale’s modern Foursquare Distillery. Sip the R.L. Seale’s 10
Year Old for subtle cinnamon and rich caramel and citrus flavors, and the
Doorly’s XO is rich in sweet nuts and banana.
Jamaica is famous for its range, which results from complex methods of
fermentation, distillation, and blending, but traditionally Jamaican rums are
sweet and rich, with full flavors. Wray & Nephew is the most famous with the
Appleton Estate range a firm favorite with bartenders, while Wray & Nephew
overproof (63% ABV) is a cult classic, a uniquely punchy proposition with a
blend of sweet grass and banana.
In Trinidad and Tobago you’ll find Angostura and the 1919 is
full of tropical sweet guava and vanilla, rum to win over any skeptics. In
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St. Lucia the innovative St. Lucia

Distillers company produces hairman’s
Reserve, honey rich with fruits as dry
as they are juicy. Elements 8 is a
modern brand that has done a lot of
work with bartenders to develop rums
that work well in mixed drinks—the
Platinum is sweet but clean and is a
useful white rum to add a bit of
weight to Daiquiris.
In Bermuda you’ll find the
Gosling’s rums, including Gosling’s Black Seal, the trademarked rum in an
authentic Dark n’ Stormy. Brugal and Barceló are becoming more readily
available from the Dominican Republic, and Cruzan comes in from the United
States Virgin Islands.
From Haiti there’s Rhum Barbancourt made in the French agricole
tradition with fresh pressed sugarcane and aged in Limousin oak. The Special
Reserve (Réserve Spéciale) 8 Year Old is slightly spicy and woody with lots of
fruit. These methods are used in Martinique and Guadeloupe where you’ll also
discover rhum vieux, an aged rum of distinction. Clément Rhum Vieux Agricole
VSOP is being discovered by a new generation of connoisseurs.
A sample all these flavors in one go try Banks 5 Island Rum, which
blends Trinidadian rum with Jamaican, Guyanese, and Bajan and an
Indonesian Batavia arrack.
The Latin American rums of note include Flor de Caña from Nicaragua
and Zacapa from Guatemala. The Zacapa Centenario deserves special mention,
with rums aged from seven to twenty-three years using the solera method
(also used for sherry), where the rum passes through a vertical row of casks.
It’s rich in cherry and smoky chocolate flavors and aged at over 8,000 feet
(2,400 metres) above sea level, which limits the loss of rum that would
otherwise evaporate during the aging process.
Guyana is independent
nd has a Caribbean
sensibility but sits on the
east coast of South
America. Demerara is the
Traditional base for the
industry here, and the
Banks XM 10 Year Old and
VXO are clean and
competent while El Dorado
has a stunning range the
3 Year Old is a fantastic,
light rum and the outstanding 12 Year Old is extraordinary value for money.
Venezuela gives us Santa Teresa and its Santa Teresa 1796 is also aged
using the solera method. The oldest rum in the 1796 blend can be up to
52 | H M P E 2 0 1
thirtyfive years old and the tobacco and coffee notes ensure sipping is a
unique experience. You’ll also find the splendid Diplomatico in Venezuela.
Navy rum has large doses of caramel added and brands of note include
Wood’s 100, Pusser’s from British Virgin Island Tortola and Lamb’s. And spiced
rum adds ingredients such as nutmeg, vanilla, fruits, and bark to a mixed rum
drink. Their number is increasing greatly, with Chairman’s Reserve and
Elements 8 among the brands launching spiced options. Kraken is the first
black spiced rum, Pink Pigeon is pimping expensive vanilla spice and Sailor
Jerry is one most will be familiar with. If you’re expanding horizons try
Foursquare Spiced—the Bajan spirit has some wonderfully natural cinnamon
and ginger flavors.
The following are the famous Rum cocktails.
Mojito. In Cuba they’ll serve the drink over cubed ice and the process is
properly rapid, although not always balanced. Aesthetically it’s not as
pleasing—but then you’re in Cuba and, frankly, who cares, right?
Glass: Highball
Ingredients: large lime wedge

2fl oz/60ml white rum
6 fresh mint leaves
1 tsp sugar syrup
ice cubes
soda water
sprig of mint
Garnish: Sprig of Mint
Procedure: Muddle the mint leaves and sugar syrup in a glass, add the rum
and lime juice, and fill with crushed ice. Stir and top with soda water. Top with
more ice if necessary and garnish with a sprig of mint.
Daiquiri. This frozen, blended Daiquiri is also taken from Bar Florida
Cocktails and is referred to as “Florida Style.”
Glass: Martini or coupe
Ingredients: 2fl oz/60ml white rum

1 tsp maraschino liqueur juice
1/2 lime
1 tsp superfine sugar
10fl oz/300ml crushed ice
Garnish: Cherry
Procedure: Add all the ingredients to a blender with the crushed ice and blend
for a few seconds. Pour into a glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.
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Piña Colada. The Piña Colada is a slightly camp and creamy show-off, but
this oft derided yet delicious cocktail is a true classic. Balancing its creamy
constitution with the punch of the pineapple, it is a drink that refreshes the
palate and simultaneously satisfies the sweeter tooth.
Glass: Hurricane or coupe
Ingredients: 1 3/4fl oz/50mlwhite rum

2 1/2fl oz/75ml pineapple juice
1fl oz/25ml Coco López cream of coconut
1fl oz/25ml light cream
10fl oz/300ml cracked ice
Garnish: Pineapple Chunk and Cherry
Procedure: Blend all the ingredients with the cracked ice for several seconds
and pour into a glass. Garnish with a pineapple chunk and a cherry and serve.
Tequila
Tequila is a unique Mexican spirit distilled from the Blue Weber Agave
plant. This plant can be found in and around the city of Tequila, northwest of
Guadalajara and in the highlands of the North Western State of Jalisco. Similar
to the Champagne region of France, only spirits distilled from the Blue Weber
Agave in these regions can rightly bear the name Tequila.It is traditionally
drunk after a lick of salt and a squeeze of lime or lemon.
History of Tequila. Some readers may
approach this chapter with the sense of foreboding
normally reserved for a police line-up. After all,
tequila tends to trigger memories of lurid nights
slamming shots before bouts of violent sickness.
But try and rein in the prejudices, because tequila’s
infamous reputation is immensely unfair and by
ignoring this drink you’re missing out on one of
hippest spirits for the hip flask and one of the most
interesting in cocktails. In fact this emphatically
misunderstood Mexican tipple has become
something of a bartender favorite.
The mythology that shrouds tequila has
inspired drinksmiths to dig deeper into the essence
of the spirit and they’ve discovered much to celebrate, not least its vivid
history, which dates back to the Aztecs in 14th-century Mesoamerica.
The Aztecs revered the agave, the plant at the heart of tequila, and
used it in everything from soap and rope to sneakers and stationery. They also
fermented its juice and served up a beverage known as pulque, usually
imbibed when they wanted to chat with their gods—the addition of some
booze no doubt facilitating the imagination and conversation. Among the
dearest of deities was Mayahuel, the goddess of fertility, who had once turned
54 | H M P E 2 0 1
herself into an agave. Here was a woman worthy of worship, particularly as

she had 400 breasts from which the pulque flowed.
When the Spanish landed in the Aztecs’ world they had brandy with
them, but this soon ran dry and they subsequently used their knowledge of
distillation to convert the pulque into a spirit. In the up-and-down years that
followed, the spirit evolved and pulque, or mezcal wine, became mezcal
(distilled from agave variants including agave espadin), sotol (from the
sereque or sotol plant), and tequila (exclusively from blue agave).
The spirit proved popular but lack of legislation led to widespread abuse
so the government stepped in. After a brief ban in the 1780s, one José María
Guadeloupe Cuervo obtained a license to distil in 1795, and production began
in earnest, with tequila eventually becoming a protected Mexican spirit in the
1970s, recognized as a distinctive product of
Mexico.
It took time for tequila to sail from the
shores of Mexico, and while the Americans and
Europeans were playing with gin and whisky in
the mid-19th century, it was not until 1870 that
Don Cenobio Sauza first exported his own
Sauza tequila brand. So, much like vodka,
tequila turned up as a relative latecomer to the
cocktail party, and it rarely featured in the
golden years of cocktail invention from the
1860s to Prohibition in America, and beyond in
Europe.
By 1937 it was making more of a mark and the publication of William J
Tarling’s Café Royal Cocktail Book listed a host of recipes including the Picador,
a forerunner of the Margarita. But it was the Margarita itself that changed the
fortunes of the spirit. Indeed it had a firm hold over exponents of American
counterculture in the 1960s, with those crazy political kids keen to find a
dissenting voice in their drinks cabinet.
Even so, it is the more recent cocktail revolution that has catapulted the
spirit onto cocktail menus, and since the 1990s bartenders have been inspired
to play with tequila. The complexity of the spirit, an earthy vegetal quality
mixed with sweetness and spice, helps it fuse with all manner of ingredients,
making it one of the outstanding modern mixing marvels in this book.
Types of Tequila. Tequila is distilled
in either pot or column stills until it reaches
around 110 proof. Before bottling, the
distillate is cut with water to obtain the
bottling strength. Tequilas are usually 38 to
40 percent alcohol by volume (ABV, 76 to 80
proof) but may not be stronger than 50
percent ABV (100 proof).
There are five typos (types) of tequila,
based on standards set by the CRT
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according to how they're finished. Some tequilas are unaged and clear
(blanco tequila). Others take on a brown color from one of two possible
sources: caramel or other additives (gold tequila) or barrel aging (reposado
and añejo tequilas).
Blanco Tequila: Blanco (or silver, white) tequila is a clear spirit. These
tequilas are rested no more than 60 days in stainless steel tanks if they are
aged at all. In general, it's a quality, affordable, all-purpose tequila to keep in
stock.
Joven Tequila: Joven (young) or oro (gold) tequilas are often unaged
tequilas. Unlike the other styles, they are typically not 100 percent agave, but
instead a mixto. These tequilas may be colored and flavored with caramel, oak
extract, glycerin, syrup, and other additives. It was the most widely distributed
type in the U.S. during the late 1900s and has been almost entirely replaced by
the other types today because of the difference in quality.
Reposado Tequila: Reposado (rested) tequilas are aged in wood casks
for a minimum of two months; many from three to nine months. The barrels
mellow the flavors of a blanco and impart a soft oak flavor while giving the
tequila a light straw color. Many distilleries age their tequilas in used bourbon
barrels, which adds another dimension to the finished taste. Reposado tequilas
are the middle ground of the three main types of tequila today.
Añejo Tequila: Añejo (old) tequila is aged, often in white French oak or
used bourbon barrels, for a minimum of one year to produce a dark, very robust
spirit. Most añejos are aged between 18 months and three years. These tend to
be very smooth with a nice balance of agave and oak flavors accented by
butterscotch and caramel undertones.
Extra-Añejo Tequila: The change in the tequila market of recent
decades led to the creation of the fifth type of tequila in 2006, which is
labeled extra-añejo or muy añejo (extra-old). These tequilas spend over three
years in barrels and have a profile that rivals some of the oldest whiskeys you
can find.
Tequila is very versatile and you can drink it in many ways. It's
commonly enjoyed as a shot, either straight, with a lemon and salt or with
mixers. Tequila cocktails are diverse, ranging from shaken martini-like drinks to
refreshing soda or juice highballs. Fruity margaritas (blended or shaken) are
very popular and tequila's the perfect match for spicy cocktails. You can even
find sweet or creamy tequila recipes. Aged tequilas are often sipped straight,
whether that's chilled or on the rocks. Tequila is a great pairing for Mexican and
Tex-Mex food and tequila cocktails make a nice addition to barbecues and
summer parties.
Tequila styles. Tequila is the name of the spirit made from the agave,
but there are around 150 different species of agave plant, so when I refer to
“tequila” it is to a very specific spirit within the mezcal family, in much the
same way that cognac belongs to the brandy family. Tequila is produced in a
delimited region largely based in the Mexican state of Jalisco. It can be made
in other parts of the country, including the bordering states of Guanajuato and
Michoacán, but production of the spirit is fiercely protected so, mercifully, you
56 | H M P E 2 0 1
won’t find an “authentic Siberian tequila” on the shelves.

The spirit is made from the fermented juice of the agave, a plant that
comes from the lily family (so it’s not a cactus a common misconception), and
to produce tequila the distiller needs to use the blue agave variant. The juice is
taken from the huge bulb, or piña, at the base of the plant. The tequila can be
“100 percent agave,” produced using juice only from the plant, or “mixto,”
which includes up to 49 percent of other fermentable sugars. For the purposes
of this chapter, I’m going to suggest you try to source 100 percent agave
tequila. That’s not to say that the variations are unworthy, it’s just this is what
most bartenders use in their recipes.
Terroir, a location’s unique combination of climate and geology, also
plays its part and agave plants growing in different parts of Jalisco impart
different flavors. Those in the highlands are typically lighter, sweeter, and
fruitier, while the lowlands produce a more earthy, spicy, and vegetal flavor,
although this is a generalization since time in barrels and expressions of age
are also crucial to the taste profile. Tequilas break down into blanco, which is
typically unaged; gold, which has caramel added; reposado, which is rested for
two to twelve months in oak; añejo, aged for a minimum of one year; and
extra añejo, aged in oak for more than three years.
And, boom, that’s everything there is to know about tequila .Of course
it’s not; there are entire books devoted to the delicious liquid, but this whistle-
stop tour gives you something to discuss while you’re making your Margarita
and mentally transporting yourself to Mexico.
So which one to buy? familiar mainstream brands, Jose Cuervo and
Sauza among them, with Patron being another that has crept into the
consciousness through shows like the popular comedy-drama Entourage. They
might be in your cupboard but if you’re replenishing stocks, take the
opportunity to experiment with less familiar brands, and if you’re mixing then
start with blancos or reposados. The añejos and extra añejos are a little more
pricey and best for sipping, or for use in spirituous, stirred concoctions.
Arette is a fine starting
point, and the blanco is a
perfect buddy for the home bar.
Light, slightly floral on the nose,
and smooth but with hints of
earth and spice. Master distiller
Solomon Rosas puts a lot of
stock in water quality and the
L’eau d’Arette is, in my opinion,
très belle, contributing to a fine
freshness in this tequila.
Don Julio is as rich in history as it is in taste and legend has it that Julio
Gonzàlez, the man who gives his name to the spirit, was active in a distillery
from the tender age of seven. The reposado works well in mixed drinks and
has a sweet vanilla profile, warm winter fruits, oaky elements, and a little bit
of spice as well.
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El Tesoro, a highland tequila, comes from the Camarena family who use
traditional and artisan production methods. Push the boat out here and try the
añejo. Aged for two to three years it has a touch of dried fruit but also a hint
of mint that invites experiments with mixing. And try the El Tesoro Paradiso if
you’re feeling flush; aged in cognac barrels, it’s one for sipping.
Herradura is a lowland tequila and the añejo is award-winning, giving a
woody cinnamon flavor, with some spice. But the blanco is great for mixing,
with plenty of agave and hints of pear and honeyed fruit.
Ocho is a collaboration
between Tomas Estes and the
Camarena family of distillers, who
take a single-estate approach to
agave, much like winemakers.
Tomas knows his Margaritas inside
out and the blanco is a special
tequila to use in this drink.
Siete Leguas takes its name from Mexican Revolutionary general
Pancho Villa’s favorite horse, and anything named after a horse is good, right?
Right. The older distillery still uses mule-powered tahona wheels and produces
a luxury, artisan version, but the blanco is as smooth as it is spicy, with a
touch of grapefruit.
Tapatio is a fine example of a traditional highland tequila, which comes
from the La Alteña distillery. A tapatio is also a colloquial term for a man from
Guadalajara, Jalisco’s capital, or for anything associated with the city. The
blanco is spicy and punchy, and mixes well with mint and ginger. Tezón
embraces tequila history through its production method, also using the tahona
wheel to crush the agave piña.
Tezón derives from the word tezontle, the stone used for the crushing
wheel. The añejo is beautiful neat, but try the blanco for mixing. It has a
savory pepper profile with a little citrus in there as well. The same distillery
produces Olmeca Altos, designed by master distiller Jesús Hernàndez and
bartending legends Henry Besant and Dre Masso, which works excellently in
cocktails.
The Kah, inspired by the traditional
calaveras (skulls made of sugar) used
in Día de los Muertos (Day of the
Dead) rituals to symbolize death and
rebirth. One to have on the home bar
since it comes in a painted skull.
Honey or agave syrups are worth experimenting with in any tequila
cocktail. Agave syrup is normally the
slightly sweeter of the two. Historically the approach has been to look to citrus
flavors, but when you consider all the spice and agave richness on offer there’s
a host of other flavors to play with, including vegetal and smoky ingredients.
The following are the famous tequila cocktails.
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Tequila Sunrise. A very familiar one, Tarling made a drink called the
Jalisco, which is clearly a precursor of the cocktail. La grenade is French for
pomegranate, but when Tarling was mixing drinks, the grenadine that he used
would have differed from the grenadine that made Jalisco popular.
Glass: Highball
Ingredients: 1 1/2fl oz/45ml tequila
3fl oz/90ml orange juice
ice cubes
3 tsp grenadine
Garnish: Cherry (optional)

Procedure: Pour the tequila and orange juice over ice in a glass
and stir. Slowly pour the grenadine over the top.
Frozen Margarita. A drink so popular in the 60s that in 1971 Dallas

restaurateur Mariano Martinez invented a machine devoted to making it.

Ingredients: salt to rim glass
2fl oz/60ml tequila
1fl oz/25ml Cointreau
1fl oz/25ml lime juice
ice cubes
Garnish: Lime Wheel

Procedure: Rim a glass with salt, and add the remaining ingredients to a
blender with a cup of ice. Blend until slushy, pour into the glass, and garnish
with a lime wheel.
Hey Nineteen. James Hill is a pioneering bartender and owner from the
north of England. He created this cocktail at his bar The Great Gatsby in
Sheffield.
Glass: Rocks
Ingredients: 1 3/4fl oz/50ml Jose Cuervo Tradicional tequila
2 tsp Heering cherry brandy
1 tsp Punt e Mes dash Peychaud’s bitters
1 tsp agave syrup
ice cubes
Garnish: 2 Cherries
Procedure: Stir all the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, and strain into a
rocks glass over one large piece of ice. Garnish with the two cherries, picked
on a stick.
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Vodka
A highly rectified as very pure patent still spirit. It is
purified by being passed through activated charcoal,
which removes virtually all aroma and flavour. It is
described as a colourless and flavourless spirit.
Vodka is an alcoholic beverage distilled at a high
proof from a fermented vegetable or grain mash. Proof is
a measurement of the alcohol content. Each degree of
proof equals a half percent of alcohol. Thus, 100 proof is
that which contains 50% alcohol, 90 proof contains 45%,
and so on. Because distilled vodka can have a proof as
high as 145, all taste and odor has been eliminated,
making vodka a neutral spirit. Water is added to bring the
proof down to a range between 80 and 100.
History of Vodka. Although vodka only earned its
cocktail stripes midway through the 20th century, it was
produced in Eastern Europe centuries before this. Quite
who deserves credit for its creation is a long, drawn-out
debate dating back to the 1400s, but the Russians and the Poles barge their
way to the front of the provenance queue. The Poles sneak ownership with the
earliest written evidence in 1405, but the Russians will bear hug anyone
caught saying so.
The Russians and Poles originally flavored these early tonics with
berries, herbs, spices, and even grass, and, as with most of the spirits in this
book, vodka started life masquerading as a medicinal beverage. However, as
people wised up to the recreational benefits of the spirit, the flavors were
dropped and distillers began a quest to create a pure, neutral liquid. This trend
quickly spread to other parts of Europe, and by the time the Scandinavians
had mastered techniques in the mid-1700s they had nearly 200,000 stills
producing vodka.
Despite this European success, it took time for the spirit to get noticed
in mixed drinks hubs, and as a result vodka was a minor contributor to the
concoctions of the golden age of cocktails. Shortly before the Second World
War it had earned recognition as an ingredient that could mellow out the likes
of gin or scotch, and by the end of the war it was becoming more of a
mainstay, with vodka-based cocktails finally finding space on menus. But like a
tortoise with badly fitting running shoes it still struggled to keep pace, and the
only drinks really fighting vodka’s corner in the early 20th century were the
Bloody Mary and the Moscow Mule.
The Bloody Mary first revealed its rouged up cheeks in the 1920s, and
was made famous in the United States after its creator moved to the St. Regis
Hotel in New York after Prohibition. The Mule meanwhile evolved by accident
after Russian-born Vladimir Smirnoff sold his vodka rights to an American.
After a rocky start, the brand ended up in the hands of Jack Morgan who,
while sitting in the Cock ’n’ Bull bar in Los Angeles some time in 1941, ordered
his vodka, ginger beer, and lime mixed in a copper mug. This fad swept the
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country and, with aged spirits at a premium after the war, a vodka craze took
hold.
Taste buds quickly adapted to the spirit’s lighter profile and so satisfied
with these flavors were the new crop of consumers that they began to settle
for spirit and mixers and leave behind the rich mixing heritage of the early part
of the 20th century. So vodka could be held responsible for a relatively barren
period in cocktail history during the 1970s and for this reason, and because of
the relative neutrality of many modern vodkas, the spirit is much maligned by
modern bartenders.
By the 1980s, beer and wine had become the tipples of choice for the
masses, and few were ordering cocktails. Tempted by the neutrality of vodka it
was clear virgin cocktail drinkers would never be seduced by a meaty mix like
an Old Fashioned, but bartenders bent to this whim and started creating fun
and fruity cocktails to draw the crowds back to mixed drinks.
Drinks like the Woo Woo and Sex on the Beach suddenly took pride of
place on menus and revived an interest, and then the Cosmopolitan carried all
before it in the 1990s to remind everyone the cocktail was a great choice at
the bar. This new interest set up spirits such as gin, scotch, and rum for the
next century and while some of the drinks are derided, without them we might
never have got back to the cocktail. True, the classic vodka cocktails are less
numerous, but you’ll still find plenty to do with the spirit on the following
pages.
Vodka Raw Materials. Because it is a
neutral spirit, devoid of color and odor, vodka can
be distilled from virtually any fermentable
ingredients.
Vegetables or grains. Originally, it was made
from potatoes. Although some eastern European
vodkas are still made from potatoes and corn, most
of the high quality imports and all vodka made in
the United States are distilled from cereal grains,
such as wheat. Distillers either purchase the grain
from suppliers, or grow it in company-owned fields.
Water. Water is added at the end of the distillation process to decrease
the alcohol content. This is either purchased from outside suppliers or brought
in from company-owned wells.
Malt meal. Because vegetables and grains contain starches rather than
sugars, an active ingredient must be added to the mash to facilitate the
conversion of starch to sugar. These particular converted sugars, maltose, and
dextrin respond most effectively to the enzyme diastase that is found in malt.
Therefore, malt grains are soaked in water and allowed to germinate. Then,
they are coarsely ground into a meal and added during the mash process.
Yeast.A microscopic single-celled fungus, yeast contains enzymes that
allow food cells to extract oxygen from starches or sugars, producing alcohol.
In the manufacturing of alcoholic beverages, the yeast species Sacchasomyces
cereviseal is used. It is purchased from outside suppliers.
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Flavorings.In the latter part of the twentieth century, flavored vodkas

became popular. Thus, herbs, grasses, spices, and fruit essences may be
added to the vodka after distillation
Types of Vodka.
There are only three
types of vodka. Unlike
whiskeys or gins, the
types of vodka are
much more limited and
aren’t distinguished by
how long it’s aged in a
barrel or the region it’s
produced in. As a result, these vodkas can be separated by plain, flavored, and
fruit & herbal vodkas (infused). The simplicity of the vodka is what makes it
popular. The following are the types of vodka;
Plain Vodka. The traditional vodka consists of about 95 percent
alcohol and high-quality vodkas are 96.5 percent alcohol. There is a lot of
sophistication that goes into making other spirits, but vodka is the simplest
spirit to make in the industry. It consists of only two parts: water and ethanol,
40 percent and 60 percent, respectively. That’s it. It technically has no taste so
enjoying the taste is basically saying you enjoy the taste of ethanol. Plain
vodka is known for its immediate kick, and because it has no taste, it’s likely
the most popular spirit on the planet for cocktails.
Fruit and Herbal Vodka (Infusions). This type of vodka relies
heavily on the infusion process, which requires a longer production window.
But the results present a much more flavorful spirit filled with colors and
aromas. The infusion takes about three solid weeks, it’s then filtered, and
finalized through the aging process. The infusion process is actually
manageable at home and we have a how-to guide ready for you here. Infused
fruits and herbs transform vodka in the same fashion fruits and herbs
transform gin. Although the results are very different from each other, both
end products result in unique and creative spirits that are sure to tantalize
taste buds.
Flavored Vodkas. This type of vodka is not new and there has been
rising popularity in flavored vodkas for years now. Flavored vodkas have
become in-demand because in part because of its versatility in unique flavors.
This is why vodka has dominated the flavored spirits market. Classic flavor;
strawberry, black currant, apple, lemon, banana, mandarin, vanilla, citron and
orange. Other creative and unique flavors include salted caramel, peanut
butter and jelly, bacon, glazed donut, rainbow sherbert, and marshmallows.
Manufacturing Process. Mash preparation, the grain or vegetables
are loaded into an automatic mash tub. Much like a washing machine, the tub
is fitted with agitators that break down the grain as the tub rotates. A ground
malt meal is added to promote the conversion of starches to sugar.
Sterilization and inoculation, preventing the growth of bacteria is very
important in the manufacture of distilled spirits. First, the mash is sterilized by
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heating it to the boiling point. Then, it is injected with lactic-acid bacteria to

raise the acidity level needed for fermentation. When the desired acidity level
is reached, the mash is inoculated once again. Fermentation, the mash is
poured into large stainless-steel vats. Yeast is added and the vats are closed.
Over the next two to four days, enzymes in the yeast convert the sugars in the
mash to ethyl alcohol.
Distillation and rectification. the liquid ethyl alcohol is pumped to stills,
stainless steel columns made up of vaporization chambers stacked on top of
each other. The alcohol is continuously cycled up and down, and heated with
steam, until the vapors are released and condensed. This process also
removes impurities. The vapors rise into the upper chambers (still heads)
where they are concentrated. The extracted materials flow into the lower
chambers and are discarded. Some of the grain residue may be sold as
livestock feed.
Water added, the concentrated vapors, or fine spirits, contain 95-100%
alcohol. This translates to 190 proof. In order to make it drinkable, water is
added to the spirits to decrease the alcohol percentage to 40, and the proof to
80.
Bottling, alcoholic beverages are stored in glass bottles because glass is
non-reactive. Other receptacles, such as plastic, would cause a chemical
change in the beverage. The bottling procedure is highly mechanized as the
bottles are cleaned, filled, capped, sealed, labeled, and loaded into cartons.
This can be done at rates as high as 400 bottles per minute.
Quality Control. Although tasters draw off quantities of vodka for
sampling throughout the distilling process, most of the controls on vodka
quality come from local, state, and federal governments. At the federal level,
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms issues strict guidelines for
production, labeling, importation, advertising, and even plant security. For
example, charcoal-filtered vodka imports are not permitted. Flavored vodkas
must list the predominant flavor (pepper, lemon, peach, etc.) on the label. The
relationships between suppliers and producers are strictly regulated as well.
Vodka styles. While it was late out of the traps, vodka has raced to
become the world’s number one selling spirit. So successful is it that there are
now more than 1,000 brands clogging up spirit shop shelf space in bars and
stores and, when it comes to selecting a style, the truth is the choice is
baffling beyond belief. Contributing to the category’s confusion is the fact that
there are very few distilling restrictions. Vodka can be made anywhere in the
world and its base can be agriculturally sourced ingredients ranging from
traditional potatoes and grain to grapes and even beets.
Stolichnaya a Russian vodka with winter
wheat at its base so there’s a light element of grain
with an oily mouth feel. A traditional Polish brand
meanwhile is Luksusowa. The Poles prefer not to
add anything to sweeten their spirit and as a result
you get lots of complexity in this style. The potato
base is sweet naturally and it’s also important to
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the mouth feel of this vodka, which is creamier

than other types.
Wyborowa is a fine Polish vodka that is
rye-based, and hence crisp and clean with a hint
of citrus. It has plenty of length so it can still
stand out in the likes of a Bloody Mary.
Belvedere is also Polish and uses rye as its grain
base. This brand is a luxury choice and offers
some excellent flavors, including a pink
grapefruit variant that is great in dry cocktails.
Grey Goose is a friend of fashionistas and
comes from France. The French use a mix of
grains and this vodka is a bit softer than some,
plus the brand has a pear flavor in the portfolio,
which is fun to play with. Ketel One is a very balanced Dutch vodka, crisp and
citrusy but offset with a slight nuttiness. It was designed to make the perfect
Vodka Martini and its citron flavor is fantastic in a Cosmopolitan.
Chase vodka is made in the county of Herefordshire, UK, from potatoes
grown on the farm next to the distillery and is an excellent example of
boutique and artisan craftsmanship. Meanwhile, Adnams brewery has recently
turned its hand to distilling and its fantastic oak aged North Cove vodka comes
in at 50% ABV. The same goes for Hangar One from the US, whose flavored
varieties are particularly fine.
42 Below from New Zealand, a green choice made from GM-free wheat
in pure air conditions at 42 degrees latitude below the equator. Or head to
Scandinavia where you’ll find the ubiquitous Absolut in Sweden. Vodka was
originally flavored and the trend has been revived. If you are looking for
unique essences you’ll find wormwood at the base of the Czech Babička
(pronounced Ba-bitch-ka, which makes naming your cocktails interesting), a
profile that makes it a herbal proposition. Żubrówka uses bison grass from the
Polish Białowieża Forest, making it slightly sweet against its peppery rye grain
perfect with apple juice.
Crystal Head flavored but worth having on a drinks trolley because it
comes in a crystal, skull-shaped bottle and was created by legendary
Ghostbuster Dan Aykroyd. I ain’t afraid of no ghosts.
The following are the famous Vodka cocktails.
Cosmopolitan. Taken from Dale DeGroff’s The Craft of the Cocktail.
Glass: Martini
Ingredients: 1 1/2fl oz/40ml citrus vodka

3 tsp Cointreau
2 tsp lime juice
4 tsp cranberry juice
ice cubes
Garnish: Flamed Orange Peel

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Procedure: Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a glass. Garnish
with flamed orange peel.
Bloody Mary. The drink’s creation is the stuff of myth and legend, but
many argue that Fernand Petiot invented it at Harry’s New York Bar, Paris, in
1920. It is thought he was experimenting with tomato juice and vodka in the
bar and possibly named it after the older daughter of Henry VIII, Protestant-
executor Mary Tudor, or a customer of his named Mary.
Glass: High ball
Ingredients: salt and pepper to rim

1 3/4fl oz/50ml vodka
2 1/2 tsp lemon juice
7fl oz/200ml tomato juice
4 dashes Tabasco
8 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp horseradish
pinch celery
salt
ice cubes
Garnish: Celery Stalks and slice of Lemon
Procedure: Rim the edge of a glass with salt and pepper. Place the remaining
ingredients in a shaker, tumble gently, and pour into a glass over ice. Garnish
with a stalk of celery and slice of lemon.
Eighteen Seventy Nine Light. A fruity, and from the mixing mind of Bex
Almqvist of Sweden for Absolut.
Glass: Coupe
Ingredients: 1 3/4fl oz/50ml Absolut vodka

3 tsp Lillet Blanc
1fl oz/25ml cloudy apple juice
1fl oz/25ml lime juice
3 tsp elderflower cordial
1 tsp sugar syrup
2 dashes orange bitters
6 mint leaves
Garnish: Mint Leaves
Procedure: Shake all the ingredients, double strain into a glass, and garnish
with a mint leaves.
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Whisk(e)y
Whisky (no E) refers to a product from Scotland or the U.S. Whiskey
(with E) refers to a product from Ireland or Canada. Whiskey is a spirit that is
distilled from a fermented grain mash. Fermentation is when sugars are
converted to alcohol via chemical breakdown. Grain is a cereal crop such as
barley or corn. Mash is a combination of grains and water. So whiskey is
created from a complex process where the sugars in certain grains are broken
down and turned in to alcohol.
Whisky or whiskey is a spirit made from cereals:
Scotch whisky from malted barley; Irish whiskey usually
from barley; North American whiskey and Bourbon from
maize and rye. The spelling whisky usually refers to the
Scotch or Canadian drink and whiskey to the Irish or
American.
Whiskey only ages in the barrel. If you buy a
bottle of 12 year old whisky, 6 years later it is still a 12
year old whisky as it does not age in the bottle. An age
statement on the bottle refers to the youngest whiskey
in the bottle. A 12 year old labelled bottle may contain
whiskey that is older than 12 years, but may not contain
anything younger. Age can be a good guide on the
quality of a whiskey but it is not the be all and end all. Many distilleries are
creating excellent whiskies without age statements.
The words that we use to describe whiskey are the flavours that we can
detect in them. What flavours you experience will depend on lots of factors,
including your experiences with the flavours and how many whiskies you have
tasted. It can be useful to read some reviews of a whiskey before tasting it
and see if you can experience the flavours that the reviewers are describing.
Here are some examples of common flavours: oak, chocolate, citrus, sherry,
floral, vanilla, cereal, malt, earth, dried fruit, cooked fruit, ripe fruit, nut,
leather, smoke, salt, brine, medicine, fish.
History of Whiskey. The influence of alcohol had a great effect on the
development of the human civilization. As the wine, crated over 8 thousand
years ago managed to infuse itself into many religions and customs over the
world, whisky managed to became synonym of a Scottish history and one of
the most popular modern alcoholic beverages. Although the national drink of
the Scots gained worldwide popularity after 15th century, the origin of whisky
can be traced to much older periods of our history.
Whisky is made via distillation of fermented grain and first records of
that process was found in the archeological digs of millennia BC Babylon and
Mesopotamia. Initially used for creation of perfumes and aromas, distillation
2nd slowly spread across the ancient civilizations where it received numerous
adaptations and improvements, finally finding its home behind the walls of the
European Christian monasteries. Stability of their order and the need to
produce several types of alcoholic beverages that were used is several of their
religious ceremonies preserved the process of fermentation and distillation
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during the harsh times of dark and

middle ages. It is believed that
distillation came to the areas of Ireland
and Scotland between 11th and 13th
century with Christian monks, but some
records show that Ancient Celts practiced
distillation during the production of their
"uisgebeatha" (water of life). Low access
to grapes was one of the deciding
factors in the popularization of beer and
whisky in northern Europe. Through the
decades of perfecting the process of
distillation, Scotts soon become the
world leaders in production of quality
whisky. By the time the first written
record of whisky appeared in 1494,
production and consumption of whisky in Scotland have already reached mass
appeal. In that historic record, Friar John Cor received "eight bolls of malt to
make aqua vitae", which was enough for the production of around 1500
bottles of whisky.
Popularity of whisky continued to grew during the early years of 16th
century, until 1541 when English King Henry VIII dissolved monasteries in
Scotland. This event forced newly unemployed monks to start private
production of whisky, and they soon spread their knowledge across entire
Scotland. In the beginning of the 18th century, Scott's love toward the whisky
would be put to test again when English crown merged with the Scotland and
imposed new harsh taxes on any unlicensed alcohol brewery. To combat this
taxes which greatly reduced production of whisky in entire Northern Europe,
Scottish brewers started producing their beverage illegally. Thousands secret
distilleries started making whisky all across the northern England, often
working only during night when low visibility hid the smokes from their fires
(during this period whisky received his famous nickname "moonshine").
Smuggling of whisky soon became an art form, and numerous fights between
smugglers and Scottish and English government officials fought daily for over
150 years. During the years of Scott's taxation, shortages of whisky around
the world had great impact on several countries. Most notably,
during American Revolution whisky became very scarce and was often used as
a currency. Few years after end of the war, US Government repeated the
same mistake as in Scotland and introduced heavy taxes on the ingredients,
production and sales of whisky. This brought great dissatisfaction among US
farm workers, who promptly started famous "Whisky Rebellion".
End of the struggles for whisky makers in Scotland finally came in 1823,
when English government introduced a law that enabled legalization of whisky
production. This event rejuvenated whisky manufacturing across entire
Scotland and Ireland, and drove new wave of technical innovation. One of the
greatest inventions of that time was "continuous still" that was brought
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by Robert Stein (and later patented by Aeneas Coffey). It enabled brewers to

produce whisky much faster, and to make drink of higher quality. Second half
of 19th century was marked by two important events. Scott Andrew
Usher successfully perfected blended whisky, and managed to market it to the
rest of the world making it one of the most successful alcoholic beverages.
Another factor was the sudden spreading of the pest Phylloxera which
managed to decimate worldwide production of wine. Faced with greatly
reduced output of new wines, worldwide drinking population turned their
attention to the whisky.
The last big hit on the worldwide production of whisky happened during
first half of 20th century. After few centuries of making whisky in North
America (from 1823 they called it Bourbon), distilleries overnight become
illegal when public pressure forced US government to ban sale, manufacturing,
and transportation of alcohol between 1920 to 1933. During the period
of Prohibition distilleries all around the US received crippling blow, and only
very limited production of religious wines and medicinal whisky was allowed to
remain. As with the 150 yearlong alcohol ban in Scotland, United States public
soon began its own underground movement for production and transportation
of alcohol. Rise of small crimes, formation of very organized criminal
organization and public pressure brought the end of Prohibition in 1933, but
the consumption of alcohol remained in pre-prohibition levels for the next
three decades. Advancements within the alcohol industry were also severely
crippled, and vast majority of pre-prohibition breweries were forced to shut
down their businesses, which led to the closure of many taverns, mass loss of
jobs and overall economic reversal. The effects of Prohibition had great impact
on the culture of the US heavy drinks rose in popularity (of the expense on
previously popular beer and wine), and appearance of women drinkers in
saloons and bars became socially acceptable.
Popularity of whisky continues to grow with each passing year, and in
2009 Scottish brewers managed to export record breaking 1.1 billion bottles of
whisky to the customers around the world.
Spirits and their origins. There are literally 100’s of different types
and styles of spirits from each and every country. For the purpose of keeping
this course to readable and enjoyable level we have chosen the most common
in Australia. Whilst the distilling process for each of these spirits is not
dissected, information is provided on the origin of the spirit its underlying base
product.
Bourbon Whiskey. Known as the American Whiskey, this whiskey is
made from a combination of spring water, corn, rye and barley malt. Bourbon
must be made from a minimum of 51% corn but no more than 80%. Bourbon
derives its name from Bourbon County, Kentucky where this particular type of
whiskey was developed. Tennessee Whiskey technically similar to Bourbon;
Tennessee whiskey. is charcoal filtered prior to aging. This eliminates
impurities and adds flavour to aging in charred oak barrels. The most famous
whiskey in this category is Gentleman Jack. Another distinctive whiskey in this
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category is Gentleman Jack, which is charcoal filtered again and again to give
it a smoother finish.
Canadian Whiskey. This is a distinct product of Canada and is made
only from grains e.g. corn, rye and barley malt. It may be bottled after three
years of age. In the United States, it is usually 4 to 6 years. Brands of
Canadian Whiskey include Canadian Mist, Canadian Club, Black Velvet,
Seagram’s VO and Crown Royal.
Irish Whiskey. This is a distinct product of Ireland. Irish whiskey is a
blended whisky made from a mash of cereal grains, mostly barley both malted
and unmalted, wheat, oats, corn and rye. Most Irish whiskeys are made in pot
stills, imparting a unique taste, and triple distilled to produce a lighter,
smoother spirit.
Rye Whiskey. Rye Whiskey is made from a mixture of grains with at
least 51% being rye. It has a strong and distinctive flavour of caraway seeds.
Blended Scotch. Whiskey Scotch is made from as many as fifty different
malt and grain whiskeys. When an age of the scotch is stated on the bottle, it
identifies the youngest whiskey in the blend. The distinctive flavour of scotch
comes from malted barley that is dried over peat-fueled fires and later distilled
into a liquid.
Single Malt Scotch Whiskey. This whisky is produced by the pot still
method of distillation from a mash consisting of only malted barley. Single malt
scotches are usually darker in colour than blended scotch as they spend extra
time spent aging in casks. Popular brand names include Glenmorangie,
Glenfiddich, Glenlivet and Laphroaig
Types of whiskey. As whiskey making has developed over time and in
different parts of the
world, so distinct
styles have emerged.
These regional
varieties are often
dictated by the most
readily available
grains, but they are
also based on
climatic conditions
and traditions too.
Scotch Whisky. To be called Scotch whisky, a spirit must conform to
the standards of the Scotch Whisky Order of 1990 (UK), which states that it
must be distilled at a Scottish distillery from water and malted barley, to which
only other whole grains may be added. It has to be processed at that distillery
into a mash, fermented only by the addition of yeast, and distilled to an
alcoholic strength of less than 94.8 percent ABV to retain the flavor of the raw
ingredients used. It also has to be matured in Scotland in oak casks for no less
than three years. It should not contain any added substance other than water
and caramel coloring, and may not be bottled at less than 40 percent ABV.
Scotch Malt Whisky Malt whisky is distilled from 100 percent malted barley and
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is usually distilled in a pot still. Single malt Scotch whisky is the product of just
one distillery.
Blended Scotch. Whisky Blended Scotch whisky is a mixture of single
malt whisky and grain whisky. The constituent whiskies are from a number of
different distilleries, and any age statement given on the bottle must refer to
the youngest whisky in the blend.
Blended Malt Whiskey. Previously known as “vatted malts,” blended
malts consist of two or more single malt whiskies mixed together. As with
blended whiskies, any age statement given has to refer to the youngest whisky
in the blend.
Grain Whiskey. Grain whiskey may contain unmalted barley or other
malted or unmalted grains, such as wheat and corn, and is generally distilled
in a continuous still. Most grain whiskey is used for blending. However, single
grain Scotch whisky is sometimes bottled, and is the product of just one
distillery.
Irish Whiskey. Irish distillers use both pot and column stills, producing
grain spirit, usually from corn, in the column stills, while what is termed Irish
“pure pot still whiskey” is traditionally made in pot stills from a mixture of both
malted and raw barley. Typically 40–50 percent of the mash bill is malted
barley, though this isn’t a legal requirement. Traditionally, Irish whiskey is
tripledistilled. Blended Irish whiskies are made from a mixture of pot and
column still spirits. Like Scotch, Irish whiskey must be distilled and matured in
the country of origin for at least three years.
Bourbon Whiskey. By law, bourbon must be produced from a mash

of not less than 51 percent corn grain, and is usually made from between 70
and 90 percent corn, with some barley malt plus rye and/or wheat in the mash
bill. Legally, bourbon has to be matured in new, charred, white oak barrels for
at least two years.
Tennessee Whiskey. Essentially bourbon-style spirits, Tennessee
whiskies do, however, undergo a distinctive filtration through sugar maple
charcoal. This is known as the Lincoln County Process.
Rye Whiskey. Legally, rye whiskey has to be made from a mash of not
less than 51 percent rye and, as with bourbon, virgin charred oak barrels are
required for maturation. To be called “straight rye” it must be matured for at
least two years.
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Corn Whiskey. Corn whiskey is distilled from a fermented mash of not

less than 80 percent corn at less than 80 percent ABV. It is the one American
whiskey that does not have to be aged in new charred oak barrels, and no
minimum maturation period is specified.
Canadian Whiskey. Virtually all Canadian whiskey is distilled in
column stills, and in most cases, rye is blended with a comparatively neutral
base spirit sometimes with the addition of bourbon-type whiskey and corn
whiskey. Unlike US bourbon and rye, pre-used casks may be employed for
maturation. As with Scotch and Irish, Canadian whiskey must be matured for a
minimum of three years. It is permissible to add small amounts of fruit or
alcohols such as sherry to the whiskey.
Japanese Whiskey. Japanese distillers take Scotland as their model,
distilling malt whiskey in pot stills and grain whiskey in column stills. As with
Scotch, blended Japanese whiskey is a mixture of both malt and grain spirit,
often containing a percentage of imported Scotch malt whisky.
Indian Whiskey. Much of the “whiskey” produced in India would not
qualify as whiskey elsewhere. Most Indian whiskey is ENA (extra neutral
alcohol) whiskey, produced in continuous stills using buckwheat, rice, millet, or
molasses, and generally sold unaged. A number of Indian single malts and
blended malts are also produced, and these tend to conform to classifications
widely used in the European Union.
Appreciating Whiskey. Whisky can be appreciated by anyone,
anywhere using any method of consumption. The colour; The nose aka the
smell of the whiskey; The taste; and The finish.
Colour. Colour matters least of all. It matters because what we see
affects our perception of taste, so if we see something we like the look of we
unconsciously will like the taste better. The problem with colour is that in
many parts of the world it is perfectly legal to add caramel colouring to whisky,
which affects the colour quite a lot. As a result, some reviewers don't bother
talking about colour.
Nose. The nose of the whiskey refers to the aromas that spring forth
from it. Smelling a whiskey is referred to as 'nosing' it. It is best done in a
nosing glass that tapers towards the top so
that all the flavors are captured by your nose.
The best glass to use is the Glencairn glass.
To nose the whiskey, simply bring the top of
the glass right up to your nose and take a
nice big breath in.
Taste. What flavors are present in the
whiskey. People also talk about the “body” or
“mouth feel” of the whiskey, which is
essentially what it feels like in the mouth. To
taste a whisky, have a sip and move it all around your mouth. The best way to
do this is to literally try and chew the whiskey as you would a big mouthful of
food. Each area of your mouth might experience a different flavour so it's
important to spend a bit of time on it. Note: it's considered to be okay to add a
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few small drops of water when tasting whiskey, but not ice. Ice cools the
whisky which prevents appreciation of some flavors and also excessively
dilutes it. If you're just starting out you might want to add ice anyway to
'soften the blow' a bit. Adding coke to whiskey is not a crime, but it better be
Johnny Walker Red Label and not a beautiful single malt.
Finish. The finish is what happens after you swallow the whiskey. This
can be both in taste, freshness and length. Read the section below for more
details on how to describe the finish.
The following are the common Whiskey Cocktails:
Rob Roy. The invention of this classic is attributed to the Waldorf Astoria
Hotel in New York—it’s commonly dated to 1894, the year that the operetta of
the same name opened in New York. Much like a Manhattan, the profile is
determined by the choice of whiskey.
Ingredients: 1 1/2fl oz/45ml Scotch whiskey

3 tsp sweet vermouth
dash Angostura bitters
ice cubes
Garnish: Fresh cherry
Procedure: Stir all the ingredients with ice in a mixing glass and strain into a
martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cherry
Morning Glory Fizz. A genuine medicinal offering, just ask your doctor—
assuming you have traveled back to the 1890s, that is, when this fizz-style
drink was prescribed as a tonic. It appears in George J Kappeler’s 1895 book
Modern American Drinks but has been shaped and shifted over the last 100
years.
Glass: Highball
Ingredients: 1 1/2fl oz/45ml whisky

5 dashes absinthe
1fl oz/30ml lemon juice
2 tsp sugar syrup
3 tsp egg white
ice cubes
Garnish: soda water to top
Procedure: Shake all the ingredients, except the soda water, hard with ice,
strain into a glass, and top with soda water.
72 | H M P E 2 0 1
Irish Coffee. You may have noted the absence of an Irish whiskey in my
recommendations. Feel free to slap my wrist, but the truth is the Irish have
struggled in the face of Scottish whisky dominance. This is unfortunate, since
the Irish are widely regarded as the inventors of the stuff. They had a
booming industry in the 18th century and while, like the Scots, they suffered
with the imposition of new laws and taxes in the early 19th century, they
surfed that particular wave and by the 20th century brands such as Jameson
were the most popular in Europe and Britain. What really did for the Irish was
the dispute with the British. When the Irish achieved independence the
markets of the British Empire were closed to them, killing the industry so that
by the 1960s only four distilleries remained. A recent renaissance has sparked
interest—the buyout last year of Cooley Distillery at Kilbeggan, in operation
since 1757, by spirit bigwigs Beam, is evidence of renewed affection for the
Irish version of the spirit. This classic cocktail embraces the Irish whiskey
world and has had many claims on its origins. Most credit Joseph Sheridan,
chef at the restaurant run by Brendan O’Regan in the Foynes flying boat
terminal building at Shannon airport. The story goes that a transatlantic flight
departing one night in 1943 was forced to turn back in bad weather. To
console the passengers on their return, Joe prepared a coffee with a little
extra something, a shot of warming Irish whiskey.
Glass: Toddy
Ingredients: 1fl oz/25ml Irish whiskey

1 tsp brown sugar
5fl oz/150ml hot filter coffee
1 3/4fl oz/50ml whipped cream
Garnish: Coffee beans
Procedure: Pour the whiskey, sugar and coffee in order into the glass. Stir, top
with the whipped cream and garnish with the coffee beans.
73 | H M P E 2 0 1
Application
Instruction: Given the following Ingredients create your concoction.
Follow the format below
Base for Concoction: Rum, Vodka, Tequila, Brandy, or Whiskey
Orange Juice Apple Juice Cranberry Juice

Pineapple Juice Lemon Calamansi
Spearmint leaves Salt Sugar
Cube Ice Crush Ice Soda Water
Cherry Pine apple Apple
Orange Manggo Ginger
Name: Brandy Crusta

Concept: Created by Joseph Santini in the 1840s or 50s at the City Exchange in
New Orleans, it is thought that the first Crusta used brandy, and this is certainly how
it appeared in Jerry Thomas’ 1862 Bartenders Guide.
Glass: Champagne Flute
Ingredients: superfine sugar to rim zest

1/2 lemon thinly pared
2fl oz/60ml cognac
2 dashes Angostura bitters
3 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp sugar syrup
ice cubes
Garnish: Large Lemon Zest spiral ( Picture Here )
Procedure: Rim a glass with sugar and wrap the thinly pared peel of half a lemon
around the inside of it. Stir all the ingredients with ice and strain into the glass.
Garnish with a lemon zest spiral.

74 | H M P E 2 0 1
Assessment

Instruction: Read each statement carefully and follow what is being ask.
Multiple Choice: Choose and circle the LETTER of the correct answer.
1. Defined as a spirit distilled from wine. Usually linked with the names Cognac and
Armagnac. Made by distilling wine or fruit and then aging it in oak barrels.
A. Whiskey C. Brandy
B. Tequila D. Rum
2. A result a distillation process of sugar cane, sugar cane syrup, molasses, sugar beets,
maple sap or other sugar cane by products.
A. Vodka C. Brandy
B. Tequila D. Rum
3. A unique Mexican spirit distilled from the blue weber agave plant.It is traditionally
drunk after a lick of salt and a squeeze of lime or lemon.
A. Vodka C. Whiskey
B. Tequila D. Rum
4. A highly rectified as very pure patent still spirit. It is purified by being passed through
activated charcoal, which removes virtually all aroma and flavour. It is described as a
colourless and flavourless spirit.
A. Vodka C. Brandy
B. Tequila D. Rum
5. A spirit that is distilled from a fermented grain mash. Fermentation is when sugars
are converted to alcohol via chemical breakdown. A complex process where the
sugars in certain grains are broken down and turned in to alcohol.
A. Whiskey C. Brandy
B. Tequila D. Rum
6. A cognac with a minimum age is eight years in wood for the youngest in the blend.
Industry average is between 10 and 15 years old, sometimes known as Five Star.
A. Very Old C. Very Special Old Pale
B. Very Special D. Extra Old
7. Called amber rums, are medium-bodied rums that are generally aged. These gain
their dark colour from aging in wooden barrels and considred as flavorful and are
stronger-tasting rum.
A. Light Rum C. Dark Rum
B. Gold Rum D. Overproof Rum
8. A Latin American rums from Nicaragua and Guatemala with rums aged from seven to
twenty-three years using the solera method, where the rum passes through a vertical
row of casks. It’s rich in cherry and smoky chocolate flavors and aged at over 8,000
feet above sea level, which limits the loss of rum that would otherwise evaporate
during the aging process.
A. Gosling’s C. Bacardi
B. Mount Gay D. Zacapa Centenario
9. A highland tequila, comes from the Camarena family who use traditional and artisan
production methods. Aged for two to three years it has a touch of dried fruit but also
a hint of mint that invites experiments with mixing.
A. El Tesoro C. Don Julio
B. Jose Cuervo D. Herradura
75 | H M P E 2 0 1
10. Piña Colada is a slightly camp and creamy cocktail. Balance with cream and with the
punch of the pineapple, it is a drink that refreshes the palate and simultaneously
satisfies the sweeter tooth. The base of this cocktail is_______?
A. Vodka C. Brandy
B. Tequila D. Rum
11. Vodka is flavored with berries, herbs, spices, and even grass. The ownership of vodka
was with this country with the earliest written evidence in 1405.
A. Poland C. Belgium
B. Moscow D. France
12. Which of the following is a Russian vodka with winter wheat at its base so there’s a
light element of grain with an oily mouth feel.
A. Stolichnaya C. Luksusowa
B. Wyborowa D. Grey Goose
13. This whiskey is made from a combination of spring water, corn, rye and barley malt.
Made from a minimum of 51% corn but no more than 80%.
A. Canadian Whiskey C. Irish Whiskey
B. American Whiskey D. Tennessee whiskey
14. A type of whisky with a mixture of single malt whisky and grain whisky. The
constituent whiskies are from a number of different distilleries, and any age
statement given on the bottle must refer to the youngest whisky in the blend.
A. Scotch Whisky C. Blended Malt Whiskey
B. Blended Scotch D. Grain Whiskey
15. A distinctive kind of brandy produced in the region in Gascony, Southwest France. It
is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes, traditionally using column
stills rather than the pot stills.
A. Cognac C. Armagnac
B. Caldavos D. Pomace
16. In Cuba they serve a drink made from muddled the mint leaves and sugar syrup in a
glass, added with the rum, lime juice, filled with crushed ice and top with soda water
and a sprig of mint commonly called?
A. Mojito C. Margarita
B. Daiquiri D. Cosmopolitan
17. A type tequila that are often unaged, unlike the other styles, they are typically not 100
percent agave, but instead a mix. These tequila may be colored and flavored with
caramel, oak extract, glycerin, syrup, and other additives.
A. Blanco Tequila C. Reposado Tequila
B. JovenTequila D. Añejo Tequila
18. Tequila inspired by the traditional calaveras comes with a skull painted bottle that is
made from honey or agave syrups and normally slightly sweet taste.
A. Ocho C. Kah
B. Olmeca Altos D. Tezón
19. Vodka is a neutral spirit, devoid of color and odor, vodka can be distilled from any
fermentable ingredients. The following are ingredients of Vodka except ONE.
A. Water C. Yeast
B. Vegetables D. Barley
20. Whisky can be appreciated by anyone, anywhere using any method of consumption.
The following are the common method except ONE.
A. Colour, what we see affects our perception of taste.
B. Smelling a whiskey is referred to as 'nosing' it.
C. Flavors, talk about the “body” or “mouth feel” of the whiskey.
D. Texture, this can be both in taste, freshness and length
76 | H M P E 2 0 1
References
Unit 1
Bill, O., Allan, D., & Andrew, F., (2012) The Art of Distilling: American Institute
Katsigris, C., & Thomas, C., (2012), The Bar and Beverage Book Fifth Edition,
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.,,ISBN 978-0-
470-24845-4
Lillicrap, D., & Cousins, J., (2010), Food and Beverage Service, 8th Edition, Copyright
2014 John Cousins, Dennis Lillicrap, ISBN: 9781444-11254-4
Lillicrap, D., Cousins, J., & Weekes, S., (2014), Food and Beverage Service, 9th
Edition, Printed and bound at Italy fro Hodder Education, Hachette
Company 338 Houston Road, London, NW13BH,sISBN: 978 1 471 80795 4
Perry, L.,(2008), Whiskeys & Spirits for Dummies: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Unit 2
Katsigris, C., & Thomas, C., (2012), The Bar and Beverage Book Fifth Edition,
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.,,ISBN 978-0-
470-24845-4
Miron, A., & Brown, D. R., (2006), The Professional Bar & Beverage Manager’s
Handbook: How to Open and Operate a Financially Successful Bar, Tavern,
and Nightclub, Published, Florida 34474, ISBN-13: 978-0-91062759-7
Lillicrap, D., & Cousins, J., (2010), Food and Beverage Service, 8th Edition, Copyright
2014 John Cousins, Dennis Lillicrap, ISBN: 9781444-11254-4
Lillicrap, D., Cousins, J., & Weekes, S., (2014), Food and Beverage Service, 9th
Edition, Printed and bound at Italy fro Hodder Education, Hachette
Company 338 Houston Road, London, NW13BH,sISBN: 978 1 471 80795 4
Sandham, T., (2012), Worlds Best Cocktails, 500 Signature Drinks from the World’s
Best Bars and Bartenders, Publishing Group, Digital Edition: 978-1-
61058648-1 Hardcover Edition: 978-1-59233-527-5 Digital edition published
in 2013 eISBN: 978-1-61058648-1
77 | H M P E 2 0 1

HMPE 204 Unit 3

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HMPE 204 Unit 3

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West Visayas State University 2020

Unit 3: Distilled Beverages

Topic 1: Distillation Process

The following are the five (6)

Fermentation of the wash

Collection of “low wine” spirits

Mash Tun: Used to convert barley grain

Stripping of the wash to remove water

Barreling of aging spirits

Redistilling the low wine to produce final

Note to Students: Detached this page and submit to your

Note to Students: Detached this page and submit to your

A Brief History of Distilling. Since the

Distilling Technology Evolves.

The Whiskey Rebellion in

“There is more refreshment and stimulation

The first modern craft distilleries, such as St.

developed his driving skills running moonshine as a young man. He consistently

Step 1: Choosing the food from which to distill the alcohol

with a dephlegmator or what Scottish distillers call a purifier. The dephlegmator is

suspended solids if they were in the wash. However,

stills. Because of this quality, spirits are usually

amount of cooling water used. The

The helmet component (optional) is

1. Mash Tun: Used to convert barley

2. Fermentation of the wash.

3. Stripping of the wash to

4. Collection of “low wine” spirits.

5. Redistilling the low wine to

6. Barreling or aging of spirits.

The heads contain the

The following table lists some of the basic vocabulary.

Is getting older always better? To a point. A touch of aging benefits most

When everything is systematically in place, anything amiss is soon noticed.

Note to Students: Detached this page and submit to your

9. What is the best color of an oak in storing spirits?

Note to Students: Detached this page and submit to your

Topic 2: Distilled Beverages

BRANDY TEQUILA RUM

Note to Students: Detached this page and submit to your

Note to Students: Detached this page and submit to your

The Types of Spirits

In the 1840s the English author Charles Dickens became an advocate of

Cognac. Cognac is a brandy made

A. C. - Two years old. Aged in wood V.O. - Very OLD: Aged a

Armagnac. While the rest of the world drinks

The 1840 is also worth a sniff,

Glass: Champagne Flute

Ingredients: superfine sugar to rim zest

Garnish: Large Lemon Zest spiral

Brandy Punch. Selected as the first recipe in the celebrated Jerry

Glass: High Ball

Ingredients: 3fl oz/90ml brandy

Garnish: Seasonal Berries, Orange Slices and Chunks of Pineapple

Merlet Sangria. Something simple and familiar with a touch of cognac,

Glass: Wine Goblet

Ingredients: 1 3/4fl oz/50ml Merlet Brothers

Garnish: Slice of Lemon

by-products of sugar cane. It is available in dark and light varieties and is

St. Lucia the innovative St. Lucia

Ingredients: large lime wedge

Garnish: Sprig of Mint

Glass: Martini or coupe

Name:______________________ Course, Yr & Sec: