FOOD AND BEVERAGES

" Tequila ": Tequila is an alcoholic spirit that is created from the sap of the  blue agave plant, through a process of distilling and fermenting. The drink  originated around the town of Tequila, in Mexico where the blue agave plant  grows plentiful due to the red volcanic soils found there. The blue agave plant is a relative of the lily, not a cactus as many people  believe and has been cultivated for at least 9,000 years. By law, tequila is  produced solely in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas and cannot be produced in any other country.

"Vodka": Vodka was produced in Poland and Russia in the twelfth century  and has been a favorite drink in these countries ever since. The traditional way  of drinking vodka is to gulp the chilled drink neat accompanied by nibbles of  food. Caviar and smoked salmon go very well with vodka. In Russia, Vodka   has different flavorings, from chocolate to cayenne pepper. This drink has now  gained global popularity as a good cocktail mixer. It is an alcoholic distillate from a fermented mash of grain. In the making  of genuine vodka, nothing is added to the neutral spirit .All its characters are  removed, leaving it odorless, tasteless, colorless and smooth. This gives you  the advantage of being able to add to it your favorite non-alcoholic beverage  while mixing drinks. It has an alcoholic content of 40%.

"Gin": Gin was first produced in Holland in the sixteenth century as a  medicinal spirit, flavored with the oil of juniper (“genievre” in French’; “jenever” or “genever” in Dutch—Anglicised to gin). The spirit was brought to England  and acquired sufficient popularity in places such as London, Portsmouth, Plymouth and Bristol. Distilled gin is obtained by original distillation of mash or by the re installation of distilled spirits, with juniper berries and other plants, The grain formula consists of 75% corn, 15% barley malt and 10% other grains and the  resulting spirit has to be mixed with distilled water as it is too strong to drink. Each distiller has his own secret formula, which, in some cases has not altered  since the first distiller made gin. There are several kinds of gin. Altogether “London dry” is the most commonly used. There are others not at all alike in flavor. Old Tom gin is slightly more perfumed and sweeter; Golden gin is a dry gi...

"Rum": Rum is spirit made from sugar cane products such as molasses,  sugarcane juice, or sugarcane syrup. The rums produced from molasses are  called industrial rums and those produced from pure can juice are called  agriculture rums (rums agricole). Rum is produced in all sugarcane producing countries of the world. The most important countries are West Indies (Jamaica, Trinidad, and Barbados), Puerto Rico,Guyana, Cuba, Haiti, South Africa, Venezuela, United States and Australia. The word ‘rum’ is probably derived from the latin term for sugarcane saccharum, which means ‘sweetness’. The rum was first produced in the  seventeenth century in Barbados.

Brandy : Brandi is obtained by the distillation of fermented grape juice  and is suitably matured in oakwood casks for a minimum of 3 years. Brandies  are never coloured because they obtain a beautiful amber colour from the black  oakwood casks. Brandies can be matured up to a period of 70 years (usually  used for blending purpose). • One star - Matured for two years • Two stars - Matured for two to four years • Three stars - Matured for five to eight years V.O — Very Old V.O.P. — Very Old Pale V.S.O. — Very Superior Old V.S.O.P. — Very Superior Old Pale (matured for 50 years) V.V.S.O.P. — Very Very Superior Old Pale

 " Production of spirits " Whisky : Whisky is obtained by the distillation of grains, particularly  barley malt, and is aged in oak wood casks for minimum of 3 years for scotch  whisky, a minimum of Irish whisky. Regular scotch whiskies are matured for 3- 12 years, premium scotch or Deluxe premium scotch are matured for 12 20  years and the finest old ‘Blue label’ for a minimum of 20 years. Whiskies are  coloured by the addition of desired colour caramel. It is distilled either, by the  pot still method (which gives body) or patent still method (which gives volume).

"Patent still method": Patent still is the fastest and quick method of making spirit. it is also known as Coffey still, factory still, column still. In this system the alcohol is separated from the liquid by hot steam and the end product is ‘congener-free’; it has high alcohol content. "Advantages" The advantages of this method are as follows • It does not required too much of labour, cleaning, and refilling, • More quantity is produced as compared to pat still method. • It is cost-effective. "Disadvantages" The limitations of this method are as follows • It is not suitable for distilling small quantity of spirits. • Aroma and other essential elements that are required in a drink may not be achieved. After manufacturing, most of the fermented and distilled drinks are aged before bottling to mellow them and to make them acquire unique characteristics.