Many chefs complain about our habit of drinking cocktails before sitting down to a meal. Most people find a few rounds of cocktails can get things off to a rolling start, but you can see their point: they want us paying attention to the tastes of their food, instead of just focussing on not sliding…
Bitters is a generic term for aromatic infusions made from herbs, seeds, fruit peel, roots, spices and bark. Their flavours are extracted by soaking them in alcohol which is then distilled to concentrate the flavours. The infusions have a very high alcohol content, and as their name would imply, a very bitter taste, which often…
Cocktails © Denzil Green A Cocktail is a mixed alcoholic beverage. Almost any mixed drink with alcohol in it is now classed as a Cocktail. It can be warm or cold, sweet or dry, and be served in the morning, afternoon or evening. Cocktails are made in portions measured as “shots.” A British shot is…
A Fruit Cup is a concentrated alcoholic drink mixer from which you make a “long drink”; that is, a tall drink, meant to be sipped slowly. You pour a small amount of it into a glass, over ice, and then top up with a soft drink such as fizzy lemonade, or, mix with up in…
A jigger is a small cup-like measuring tool used primarily in making mixed alcoholic drinks. They are generally made of metal or glass. It can be important to use a jigger when making a mixed drink, rather than just pouring. An average mixed drink has only about 3 to 5 ounces (90 to 150 ml)…
A Liqueur is a strong, concentrated alcohol — such as brandy, rum, whiskey or neutral grain spirits — infused with flavouring. There are three main types: fruit, herb and other. Almost always quite sweet, they are served in small quantities as after dinner “digestive” beverages to help meals settle. They are also used for flavouring…
Spirits are alcohol that is generally about 40% alcohol. They are produced by first fermenting something to produce the alcohol, then distilling the alcohol to concentrate the alcohol content. Spirits can’t be produced by fermentation alone, because fermentation can only get up to a maximum of 16 or 17 % alcohol. The word “spirits” is…
