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Vodka Infusion
__NOTOC__ Flavored liquors (also called infused liquors) are liquors that have added flavoring and, in some cases, a small amount of added sugar. They are distinct from liqueurs in that liqueurs have a high sugar content and may also contain glycerine. Flavored liquors may have a base of vodka or white rum, both of which have little taste of their own, or they may have a tequila or brandy base. Typically, a fruit extract is added to the base spirit. Flavored rice wine, rum, tequila, vodka and whiskey Flavored rums and vodkas frequently have an alcohol content that is 5–10% ABV less than the corresponding unflavored spirit. *Flavored rice wines—flavors include star anise-coffee, banana-cinnamon, coconut-pineapple, galangal-tamarind, ginger-red chili, green tea-orange, lemon-lemongrass and mango-green chili. *Flavored rums in the West Indies originally consisted only of spiced rums such as Captain Morgan whereas in the Indian Ocean (Madagascar, Reunion Island and Mauritius) o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Absolut Vodka Collection
Absolut Vodka is a brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, in southern Sweden. Absolut is a part of the French group Pernod Ricard. Pernod Ricard bought Absolut for €5.63 billion in 2008 from the Swedish state. Absolut is one of the largest brands of spirits in the world (after Smirnoff, Bacardi) and is sold in 126 countries. History Absolut was established in 1879 by Lars Olsson Smith. Smith challenged the city of Stockholm's liquor marketing monopoly with his vodka. It was sold outside the city border at a lower price than the monopoly's product. Smith offered free boat rides to the distillery and "Rent Brännvin" was highly successful. In 1917, the Swedish government monopolized the country's alcohol industry. Vodka was then sold nationwide under the name "Absolut Rent Brännvin". In 1979, the old name Absolut was picked up when the upper-price range Absolut Vodka was introduced. '' Renat'' is the name of another vodka product sold by Pernod Ricard Sweden AB. Absolut Vodka wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distinguishes herbs from spices. ''Herbs'' generally refers to the leafy green or flowering parts of a plant (either fresh or dried), while ''spices'' are usually dried and produced from other parts of the plant, including seeds, bark, roots and fruits. Herbs have a variety of uses including culinary, medicinal, aromatic and in some cases, spiritual. General usage of the term "herb" differs between culinary herbs and medicinal herbs; in medicinal or spiritual use, any parts of the plant might be considered as "herbs", including leaves, roots, flowers, seeds, root bark, inner bark (and cambium), resin and pericarp. The word "herb" is pronounced in Commonwealth English, but is common am ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sambuca
Sambuca () is an Italian anise-flavoured, usually colourless, liqueur. Its most common variety is often referred to as ''white sambuca'' to differentiate it from other varieties that are deep blue (''black sambuca'') or bright red (''red sambuca''). Like other anise-flavoured liqueurs, the ouzo effect is sometimes observed when combined with water. Ingredients Sambuca is flavoured with essential oils obtained from star anise, or less commonly, green anise. Other spices such as elderflower, liquorice and others may be included but are not required as per the legal definition. It is bottled at a minimum of 38% alcohol by volume. The oils are added to pure alcohol, a concentrated solution of sugar, and other flavourings. History The term comes from the Latin word ''sambucus'', meaning "elderberry". The word ''sambuca'' was first used as the name of another elderberry liquor that was created in Civitavecchia around 1850 by Luigi Manzi. Serving Sambuca may be served neat. It may a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tsipouro
Tsipouro ( el, τσίπουρο, tsípouro) is an un-aged brandy from Greece and in particular Thessaly, Epirus, Macedonia, and the island of Crete (where Cretans call it tsikoudia). Tsipouro is a strong distilled spirit containing 40–45% alcohol by volume and is produced from either the pomace (the residue of the wine press) or from the wine after the grapes and juice have been separated. It comes in two types, pure and anise-flavoured, and is usually not aged in barrels, although barrel aged versions do exist. History According to tradition, the first production of tsipouro was the work of Greek Orthodox monks in the 14th century on Mount Athos in Macedonia, Greece. Method of production Ripe dark grapes are passed through crusher/destemmers. The mass is left to settle for a few days, just enough to get fermentation started. Formerly, wine would be collected and only the solid residue would be used for ''tsipouro'' in an attempt to get the most out of the plant. Toda ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ouzo
Ouzo ( el, ούζο, ) is a dry anise-flavored aperitif that is widely consumed in Greece. It is made from rectified spirits that have undergone a process of distillation and flavoring. Its taste is similar to other anise liquors like pastis, sambuca, rakı and arak. History Ouzo has its roots in ''tsipouro'', which is said to have been the work of a group of 14th-century monks on Mount Athos. One version of it was flavored with anise. This version eventually came to be called ouzo. Modern ouzo distillation largely took off at the beginning of the 19th century following Greek independence. The first ouzo distillery was founded in Tyrnavos in 1856 by Nikolaos Katsaros, giving birth to the famous ouzo Tyrnavou. When absinthe fell into disfavor in the early 20th century, ouzo was one of the products whose popularity rose to fill the gap; it was once called "a substitute for absinthe without the wormwood". In 1932, ouzo producers developed a method of distillation using copper ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rakı
Rakı or raki (, Turkish pronunciation: ) is an alcoholic drink made of twice-distilled grapes. It is the national drink of Turkey. It is also popular in other Balkan countries as an Apéritif and digestif, apéritif as well as in Kazakhstan. It is often served with seafood or meze. It is comparable to several other alcoholic beverages available around the Mediterranean and the Middle East, e.g. pastis, ouzo, sambuca, Arak (distilled beverage), arak and aguardiente. In Crete, ''tsikoudia'' is a pomace brandy that is sometimes called ''rakı''. It is used to make ''rakomelo'', which is flavoured with honey and cinnamon. Rakomelo is served warm during winter months. Cretan Raki does not contain anise, so it is not to be confused with the Turkish version. Etymology The term ''raki'' entered English from Turkish language, Turkish ."raki." The American ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fertile Crescent
The Fertile Crescent ( ar, الهلال الخصيب) is a crescent-shaped region in the Middle East, spanning modern-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and Jordan, together with the northern region of Kuwait, southeastern region of Turkey and the western portion of Iran. Some authors also include Cyprus and Northern Egypt. The Fertile Crescent is believed to be the very first region where settled farming emerged as people started the process of clearance and modification of natural vegetation to grow newly domesticated plants as crops. Early human civilizations such as Sumer in Mesopotamia flourished as a result. Technological advances in the region include the development of agriculture and the use of irrigation, of writing, the wheel, and glass, most emerging first in Mesopotamia. Terminology The term "Fertile Crescent" was popularized by archaeologist James Henry Breasted in ''Outlines of European History'' (1914) and ''Ancient Times, A History of the Early W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arak (distilled Beverage)
Arak or araq ( ar, ﻋﺮﻕ) is a distilled Levantine spirit of the anise drinks family. It is translucent and unsweetened. History Arak evolved from the Arab invention of alembic distillation in the 12th century. As the vast majority of Arabs were Muslim at that time, the original usage of the distilled alcohol might have been for the production of perfumes and kohl, a cosmetic. However, the distribution of arak and its derivatives – ranging from rakija in the Balkans to arrack in Indonesia and Malaysia – closely follows the pattern of the Arab-Islamic conquests, and in each of these locales the distilled alcohol is used as a beverage. Traditional ingredients Arak is traditionally made of only two ingredients, grapes and aniseed. Aniseeds are the seeds of the anise plant, and when crushed, their oil provides arak with a slight licorice taste. Etymology The word ''arak'' comes from Arabic ' (, meaning 'perspiration'). Its pronunciation varies depending on loc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anise
Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and tarragon. It is widely cultivated and used to flavor food, candy, and alcoholic drinks, especially around the Mediterranean. Description Anise is an herbaceous annual plant growing to or more. The leaves at the base of the plant are simple, long and shallowly lobed, while leaves higher on the stems are feathery pinnate, divided into numerous small leaflets. The flowers are either white or yellow, approximately in diameter, produced in dense umbels. The fruit is an oblong dry schizocarp, long, usually called "aniseed".Anise (''Pimpinella anisum'' L.) from Gernot Katze ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mediterranean Region
In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and warm to hot, dry summers, which supports characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation. Geography The Mediterranean Basin covers portions of three continents: Europe, Africa, and Asia. It is distinct from the drainage basin, which extends much further south and north due to major rivers ending in the Mediterranean Sea, such as the Nile and Rhône. Conversely, the Mediterranean Basin includes regions not in the drainage basin. It has a varied and contrasting topography. The Mediterranean Region offers an ever-changing landscape of high mountains, rocky shores, impenetrable scrub, semi-arid steppes, coastal wetlands, sandy beaches and a myriad islands of various shapes and sizes dotted amidst the clear blue sea. Co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anisette
Anisette, or Anis, is an anise-flavored liqueur that is consumed in most Mediterranean countries. It is colorless, and because it contains sugar, is sweeter than dry anise flavoured spirits (e.g. absinthe). The most traditional style of anisette is that produced by means of distilling aniseed, and is differentiated from those produced by simple maceration by the inclusion of the word ''distilled'' on the label. And while Pastis is a similar-tasting liqueur that is prepared in similar fashion and sometimes confused with anisette, it employs a combination of both aniseed and licorice root extracts. Sambuca is essentially an anisette of Italian origin that requires a high minimum (350g/L) sugar content. The liqueur is often mixed with water or poured over ice cubes because of its strong flavour. Geographical spread Mediterranean In the Mediterranean Basin, anise-based or liquorice-based spirits include: * Spain: Anís del Mono ("the monkey's anisette") has been produced since ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akvavit
''Akvavit'' or ''aquavit'' (; also ''akevitt'' in Norwegian; ''aquavit'' in English) is a distilled spirit that is principally produced in Scandinavia, where it has been produced since the 15th century. ''Akvavit'' is distilled from grain or potatoes, and is flavoured with a variety of herbs. It is also popular in Northern Germany. ''Akvavit'' gets its distinctive flavour from spices and herbs, and the dominant flavour must (according to the European Union) come from a distillate of caraway and/or dill seed. It typically contains 40% alcohol by volume or 80 proof (U.S.) The EU has established a minimum of 37.5% ABV for ''akvavit'' to be named as such. Etymology The word ''aquavit'' derives from the Latin ''aqua vitae'', "water of life." Compare the words ''whisky'' or ''whiskey'', from Gaelic ''uisce beatha'', which has the same meaning. Likewise, clear fruit brandy is called ''eau de vie'' ( French for "water of life"). Drinking culture Akvavit is an important part of Nordic d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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