BEVERAGE KNOWLEDGE (Basics - Part 1)

INTRODUCTION 

Ever since human beings settled down to cultivation of cereals and vines, alcohol has played a fundamental role in the society. It's has served as an object of religious and a lubricant of social intercourse.

It has been used in the treatment of wounds and diseases, as stimulant as well as being valued for it's taste. It has also been employed as an old to digestion of food, a means of quenching thirst and as well as a source of nutrition in it's own right.

There are many biblical references to social drinking as well as it being a fundamental element in many Christians(followers of Jesus Christ and the Holy Bible) sacraments. Example of a biblical reference is found in Genesis 9:20-21 and 1st Timothy 5:23 .

Opposite with the immediate paragraph above Muslims(followers of Prophet Mohammed and the Holy Quran) are forbidden to drink alcohol. According to legend, the prohibition was imposed following an incident that occurred while prophets and disciples were drinking together after a dinner in Medina. The incident caused Prophet Mohammed such a concern that he asked Allah how he could stop/prevent this from happening again and several years later, an alternative to alcohol(during social meetings) was found in the form of coffee and other non-alcoholic drinks, etc.

Beverage/Drinks can generally be divided into eight categories, namely;- (1) Aperitifs, (2) Spirits, (3) Liqueurs, (4) Beers, (5) Cocktails, (6) Non-Alcoholics, (7) Wines 

1) APERITIFS

These are drinks taken before or after meals, either as appetizers or digestives. They are divided into three groups, namely (a) Vermouths, (b) Bitters, (c) Anises

a) Vermouths

They are made on the basis of fortified and 'aromitized' sweat or dry white wine. Their alcohol content ranges between 16-18%. Examples are Cinzano, Martini, Carpano, Bellard, Noully, Prat, Richard, etc

b) Bitters

They are wine based drinks in which various plants and roots are steeped, such as Quinine, bitter oranges, lemon peels, etc. Their alcohol content ranges between 17-45%. Examples Dubonnet, Bhyrr, Suze, Appenzeller, Weisflog, Cynar, Campari, Rossi, Fernet Blanca, Underberg, Angostura, etc.

c) Anises

They are anis seeds based drinks, they are to be served always with very cold water and sugar cubes. Their alcohol content ranges between 40-45%. Examples are Pernod, Riccard, Berger, Pastis, etc.

2) SPIRITS

They are different categorized drinks obtained by distillation, after fermentation of either fruits, cereals, molasses, or vegetables sugar or starch bases. Spirits are divided into (a) Brandy, (b) Cognac, (c) Whisky, (d) Gin, (e) Vodka, (f) Rum. 

a) Brandy 

This is a product of distillation of fermented juice of fresh grapes without addition of any other spirit. Examples are Levoux, Beehive, Richot, Viceroy, etc. 

b) Cognac 

This is a brandy that is produced in the Cognac region of France only. Their bases(wine or grapes) should also be from the Cognac region only. Example are Martell, Courvoisier, Hine, Remy Martin, Bisquit, Otard, Delamain, Hennessey, etc. 

The taste and color of cognacs is a result of it's being kept for long periods inside oak barrels. Their quality is identified by stars and letters marked on the bottles, ie

* - 3yrs in cask, 

** - 4yrs in cask, 

*** - 5yrs in cask, 

VO - Very Old(10-12yrs),

VSO - Very Superior Old(12-17yrs),

VSOP - Very Superior Old Pale(20-25yrs),

VVSOP - Very Very Superior Old Pale(40yrs),

XO - Extra Old(40yrs),

Extra - 70yrs Old. 

(courtesy of Kenya Utalii College) 

Cognacs are served in Cognacs Snifter Glasses, while Brandies are served in Brandy Balloon Glasses, though both are almost similar in appearance. 

c) Whisky 

This is a product of distillation of cereals/grains, mainly malted barley, maize, rye, etc. There are different kinds, according to the on their country of origin: 

*Scotch Whisky 

They are made in Scotland and divided into two:

(i) Grain Whisky - made from barley and maize, usually unmalted and distilled in a continuous still. 

(ii) Malt Whisky - made from malted barley and are double distilled eg Caolila, Lagavulin, The Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie, Glen Kinchie, Talisker, etc.

Other examples are of ordinary scotch whiskies are: Teachers, Long John, Hunters, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, Johnie Walkers', VAT 69, J & B, etc.

*Irish Whiskey 

They are made in Ireland, tripple distilled of either malted or unmalted barley with some grains and their maturity period is about 7yrs. Examples are Old Bush, John Power, John Jameson, etc.

*Canadian Whiskey 

They are made in Canada and made of any cereal, but commonly rye and maize combined. It's distillation is patent still and matures in oak casks in a period 5yrs. Examples of Canadian Club, 66 Gilead Crimson, Pike Creek, Crown Royal, Forty Creek, etc.

*American Whiskey 

They are made in America. Their types are: 

(i) Bourbons - These are whiskies made in Bourbon Kentucky State and mature between 3-4yrs in new charred casks. They are 51% maize based, examples are Four Roses, Jack Daniels, Wild Turkey, Early Times, Old Crow, Old Foresters, etc. 

(ii) Rye - made of not less than 51% rye. 

(iii) Corn - made of at least 80% maize.

d) Gin

This is a spirit obtained from a wash made from fermented grains, malted barley, maize or rye and mainly flavored with juniper berries. Patent still is used to obtain it, but unlike whiskey or brandy it does not require a maturity period.

They are categorized in three: 

(i) London Dry Gin - Dry, colorless and slightly flavored with juniper berries, coriander, fennel and almond. 

(ii) Old Tom Gin - They are sweetened with sugar syrup. 

(iii) Plymouth Gin - They are wholly sweetened.

Examples are Gordons, Gilbeys, London Dry, Beefeaters, Sapphire, etc.

e) Vodka

This is a product of distillation of fermented mash of grain(wheat, rye, barley, maize). It's best if filtered through a charcoal filter to purify the flavor.

Examples are Smirrnoff, Pushkin, Skky, Ciroc, Grey Goose, etc. Main producing countries are Russia, Poland, USA, China.

f) Rum

This is a product of distillation of molasses or fermented sugar products. It's mostly carried out in large scale sugar producing countries like Jamaica, Cuba, Australia, Venezuela, Brazil, Trinidad, Kenya, etc.

It's initially colorless but it acquires it's golden brown color by being aged in oak barrels. There three types of rums, ie 

(i) White Rum - It is light in body flavor and smell. Matures in one year. 

(ii) Dark Rum - It's rich and full bodied. 

(iii) Light Rum - This refers to the more aromatic rum.

3) LIQUEURS

These are flavored and sweetened spirits. Every liqueur has a spirit base on it's own eg Whisky, Brandy, Vodka, etc. They fall under three categories, ie Herb, Fruit and Coffee Liqueurs.

Kindly note;-

*Brandy Liqueur - Is a liqueur whose base is brandy...

while

*Liqueur Brandy - Is a brandy of excellence and maturity

Examples are Kenya Gold, Amarula, Baileys, Benedictine, Cointreau, Creme De Menthe, Drambuie, Grand Marnier, Irish Mist, Advocant, Kirsch, Tia Maria, etc

4)BEERS

A beer is a hop flavored beverage obtained from fermentation of certain cereal. Barley, hops, yeast, sugar, stabilizers and water are the main ingredients.

Types of beers are

a) Ale Beer 

It's light beer of low alcoholic content.

b) Lager Beer 

It's a beer which has been aged for a longer time than an ale. Bottom yeast is used unlike other yeasts, because it stays at the bottom of the fermenting vessel instead of raising up. A second fermentation takes place at a very lower rate.

c) Stout Beer

This is a dark beer with high alcoholic content than a lager. It's highly flavored because of rich content of hops. 

d) Porter Beer 

This is a a weaken version of a stout beer. It's dark and brewed from charred and brown malts. 

e) Draft Beer 

This is beer served from Keg. It's never pasteurized, which gives it a distinct taste from bottled beer. It's shelf life is shorter, so it's supposed to be stored in a cool place. 

Beer can be taken straight from the bottle or served in either a beer mug, beer tulip, long tumbler or can also be served as a cocktail eg

*Black Velvet - Beer mixed with Champagne

*Boiler Maker - Beer mixed with Whiskey

*Dog Nose - Beer mixed with Gin

*Beer Buster - Beer mixed with Vodka

*Tom Boy - Beer mixed with Tomato Juice

*Shandy - Beer mixed with a Soft Drink

*Red Eye - Beer mixed with Tomato Juice and Eggs.

5) COCKTAILS

A cocktail is a beverage composed of two or more alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks, mixed together at a certain standard proportion.

Components of a cocktail are: 

(i) A Base - Usually a spirit, 

(ii) A Sweetener - may be a syrup, sugar or liqueurs, 

(iii) A Souring - Often a fresh fruit juice, bitters or other ingredients like limes, lemons, mint, etc.

There are different types of cocktails, namely: Flips, Fizzes, Cobblers, Egg-Nogs, Grogs, Sours, Coolers, Daisles, Collins, Punches, Cups, Slings, Toddies, Frappes, High Balls, Pick-Me-Ups, Juleps, Rickeys, Sangarees, Sangrias, Floaters, etc

There are hundreds of cocktail examples, but just to name a few, Crocodile In The Sky, Bloody Mary, White Mischief, Caprioska, White Lady, Dry Martini, Manhattan, Screwdriver, Cosmopolitan, Daiquiris', etc(the list is endless). 

6) NON ALCOHOLIC 

Strict religious laws, Sport Developments, Anti-Alcohol Campaigns, etc have minimized the consumption of alcoholic drinks.

Non alcoholic drinks are:

*Natural Mineral Water, 

*Artificial Mineral Water(Sparkling), 

*Syrups, 

*Juices,

*Sodas, 

*Tea(Jasmine, Herbal, Earl Grey, Orange Pekoe, Tisanes, Iced Tea, Fruit Tea, Assam, Ceylon), 

*Coffee(Arabica and Robusta) - Espresso, Cappuccino, Decaffeinated, Iced, Irish(whisky), Turkish/Egyptian, Russian(vodka), Monk, Jamaican(rum), Calypso(Tia Maria), Highland scotch whisky), Café Royale(Brandy), etc

7) WINES

Wine is an alcoholic beverage obtained from fermentation of juice obtained from freshly gathered grapes. 

There are several types of grapes:

a) Black/Red Grapes 

*Pinot Noir, 

*Garnay, 

*Merlot, 

*Malbec, 

*Shiraz, 

*Cabernet Sauvignon, etc. 

b) White Grapes 

*Chardonnay, 

*Aligote, 

*Sermillion, 

*Sauvignon Blanc, 

*Muscudele,

*Merlot Blanc, etc. 

There are several categories of wine, namely: Table, Fortified, Sparkling, Sparkling, Fruit and Tonic. 

(a) Table Wine

This is the result of natural natural fermentation of grape juice and divided into three:

(i) Red Wine - They are made from black/red grapes. The color pigment in the skin of black grapes is an indicator, which turns red in the presence of acids. The black skin is left in the fermentation tanks for 21 days. 

(ii) White Wine - They can be made from any colour grapes, the skin must be removed as soon as pressing is complete and the juice left to ferment alone. 

(iii) Rose Wine - The skin of the black grapes are left in the fermentation tank for only 24-36hrs, so that some of the red color is retained. 

(b) Fortified Wine 

They are table wines which have been added brandy grape spirit, to bring the alcoholic content to 20%.

(c) Sparkling Wine 

They are made when the carbon dioxide gas produced during fermentation is imprisoned in the wine and not allowed to escape. 

(d) Champagne Wine 

They are sparkling wines made in the region called Champagne in France(only). 

(e) Fruit Wine

They are wines obtained through the fermentation of freshly gathered fruits(not grapes). 

(f) Tonic Wine

They are table wines which have had vitamins/health improves added to them. 

Others beverages are;-

*Milk Shakes, 

*Smoothies, 

*Yoghurt, etc. 

CONCLUSION 

Beverage Knowledge is very vast and cannot be covered in one article, so kindly note that these are just basics. 

For example: 

1. In Wine

We have not covered into detail:

*The Vinification Process, 

*Wine Producing Countries, 

*Champagne and Sparkling Wines, 

*The Wine List, 

*Food and Wine Harmony, etc

2. In Non-Alcoholic

We have covered into detail:

* Coffee, 

*Tea, etc. 

3. Cocktails

We have just highlighted but not put into depth. 

But that is subject to another article. See you at the comments section. 

Regards...