Brandy

Brandy is distilled from wine, and its alcohol content is generally around 40%-45%. The word Brandy is derived from the Dutch word Brandewijn, which means "burnt (distilled) wine". In the past, only spirits distilled from wine were called brandy, but many spirits brewed and distilled from other fruits are now also called brandy. There are many kinds of brandies. Here we can only introduce the most influential ones, especially those produced in France. This is because France is a big country that produces high-quality brandy, and many of its products are world famous brands.

Cognac: It is produced in Cognac, western France, and is recognized as the best brandy. The first-class products of cognac include Martell, Hennessy, Courvoisier or Napoleon, Hine, Otard and Remy Martin, among which cognac brewed by Courvoisier Winery was a world famous brand 200 years ago. It is said that Emperor Napoleon liked this kind of wine very much, and personally visited Courvoisier Winery. He always takes this wine with him when he leads the army to fight in European countries. Because of this special relationship with Napoleon, the cognac bottles brewed by Dazhong Courvoisier Winery have Napoleon's head on them.

Armagnac: It is produced in Armagnac, southwest France, and is the oldest brandy. Although it is not as famous as cognac, the fragrance of Amayi is actually stronger. Many people prefer Amayi as a better and more helpful after-dinner drink for food digestion and absorption.

Calvados: It's a brandy made of apples, which is produced in France. This wine brewed in America is called Applejack, or Jack for short. This kind brewed in England is called Apple Brandy or Cider Brandy.

Eau de Vie: In France, this name originally refers to the general name of brandy brewed with various fruits, including grapes and apples. Now it generally refers to brandy brewed with fruits other than grapes and apples. Eau de Vie is French, which literally means water of life.

Different from other brandies, fruit brandies generally do not age in wooden barrels. This is because these wines age better in glass containers, so fruit brandy is colorless. Fruit brandy made from strawberries, cherries, peaches and apricots is the most common. Because no ingredients seep into the wine from the container during the aging process, you can generally taste the faint taste of the fruit used in brewing from the fruit brandy.

Brandy produced in France usually uses the following terms to indicate the grade (this is the manufacturer's term, and there is no strict legal regulation): Samsung (V.S. or V.S.P. or Three-Star), which has been aged for at least two years (usually four to five years), V.S. stands for Very Superior, and V.S.P. stands for Very Superior Pale. The word V.S.P. G came into being more than 100 years ago during the transformation period of brandy style, when brandy with lighter color was becoming more and more popular (Pale: lighter color); Five-Star (V.S.O.P. or Five-star) These wines have been aged for at least four years (usually ten to fifteen years), and V.S.O.P. stands for Very Superior Old Pale；; X.O.ak Luxu-ry, X.O. means Extra Old. These wines have been aged for at least six years (usually more than twenty years). For example, Courvoisier Winery has a brandy grade called Napoleon, and Martell Winery has a brandy grade called Golden King.

Good brandy with a long aging time is the best to drink directly, while brandy with a short aging time is suitable to drink with soda water. It is also popular to mix brandy with tonic water.

Whisky (whisky)

Whiskey is distilled from barley or corn, and its alcohol content is generally between 40% and 62.5%. Whisky usually needs to be aged in wooden barrels for many years before it can be bottled and marketed. This aging process can increase the fragrance of whisky, make its taste more gentle and soft, and at the same time make whisky have a deeper color. It is generally believed that the aging barrel itself and its aging process largely determine the quality and taste of whisky.

Scotland is the home of whisky. Whiskey literally means "water of life" in Scottish. As far as the worldwide influence is concerned, it can be said that Scotch whisky is on a par with French cognac. Whisky is currently produced all over the world. Unlike Shiyi brandy, whiskey produced anywhere can be called whiskey.

Whiskey made in Scotland is called Scotch. There are three main types of scotch whisky: Single Malt Scotch, vat malt scotch and Blended Scotch. There are hundreds of factories in Scotland that can brew whisky. Pure malt scotch whisky means that this kind of wine is made by mixing the wines produced by several wineries in a certain proportion, and the raw materials for brewing are barley malt, so as to produce a large number of wines with stable quality for a long time; Single malt scotch whisky refers to the whisky made of barley malt only in one winery, and the most expensive scotch whisky is basically single malt scotch whisky; Blended scotch whisky refers to a mixture of wine brewed from grains such as barley and corn.

The most influential whisky brewed in the United States is Bourbon, Kentucky. This wine was first made in Bourbon County, Kentucky, so it was named Bourbon. According to American regulations, only whiskey produced in Kentucky can label itself as Kentucky bourbon, and the grain used to brew bourbon should contain at least 5 1% corn.

Other major countries producing whisky are Ireland, Canada and Japan. It is generally believed that Irish whiskey tastes softer than Scottish whiskey. Some Canadian whiskies are mainly made of rye or rye, so this Canadian whisky is also called rye whisky. Most whiskies brewed in Japan belong to single malt whisky.

Whisky is rarely drunk directly, because its wine taste is too strong. It is usually drunk with mineral water1:1,and you can add a little less water when you like whiskey.

Rum (rum)

Rum or rum is distilled from sugar cane syrup, and its alcohol content is generally between 25% and 50%. Most rum is produced in Caribbean countries such as Cuba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica. Its types are: White Rum, which is light in color, light in taste and not long in aging time; Dark Rum, which has been aged for many years, is rich in flavor and dark in color. The high-quality rum is basically black rum; Golden Rum (or Amber Rum), which is between the above two, is gradually becoming more and more popular; Spiced Rum, which is rum with other condiments.

Blanc and cola taste very good when mixed together. Besides cola, rum is also suitable for drinking with orange juice, mango juice, pineapple juice or other fruit juices. Black rum, especially high-quality black rum that has been aged for many years, is a good after-dinner wine. It is usually drunk directly at room temperature, but it can also be mixed with cola or other drinks.

Jinjiu (Gin)

Gin, or gin, Gin, and felt wine, is a highly alcoholic liquor distilled from grains such as barley, corn and rye. There are many herbal ingredients such as pine nuts, angelica sinensis, licorice, calamus roots and orange peel, so gin has a tangy herbal flavor, and its alcohol content is generally between 35% and 50%. Gin was first made in the Netherlands in the16th century. It was originally used as medicine and became popular as a drink in Britain. Britain is still a big country producing gin until today, and another major country producing gin is the United States.

The types of gin are: London dry gin, which is a dominant gin in Britain and the United States. It is very suitable for drinking with other drinks, which means that the sugar content in this wine is extremely low; Plymouth gin, which is characterized by adding more vanilla ingredients, has a much stronger aromatic taste than the former; Dutch gin, with a slightly lower alcohol content, is very popular in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

Tonic water is the most common drink mixed with gin, usually with ice. Fruit drinks such as orange juice and lemon juice also taste good when mixed with gin. However, Dutch gin is suitable for drinking directly without anything, and it is generally cold enough to drink below room temperature.

Vodka (vodka)

Vodka is brewed and distilled from potatoes or rye, which is basically colorless and tasteless, so it looks and tastes a bit like Chinese liquor. Its alcohol degree is generally around 40%, but some can be as high as 70%. Some vodka is added with other condiments, such as lemon, cherry, orange peel, blackberry, ginger and pepper.

Vodka is mainly produced in Russia and eastern European countries (vodka means "almost no water" in Russian). There, people usually drink vodka without adding anything. Vodka is suitable for drinking when it is cold to near zero. Sometimes people freeze the glass first, and generally speaking, they should taste it slowly in a small mouth. Vodka is also very suitable to be mixed with other things. Because Vodka is colorless and tasteless, almost all drinks can be mixed with it.

#279 1. Tequila and Mescall

Tequila, or tequila, is a spirit brewed and steamed from tequila juice. It is only produced in Tequila area in central Mexico, and it can be said to be one of Mexico's national treasures, with an alcohol content of about 40%.

Mescal is a distilled spirit made from a different agave juice, which is also produced in Mexico and is produced all over Mexico. Many mescal wine bottles in the market are soaked with a meaty bug that feeds on the plant agave. This was originally to prove that this wine is really high, and Mexicans will rush to eat this bug after drinking.

Tequila is suitable for cold drinking, and a little salt and lemon in your mouth can especially improve its taste. In Mexico, the traditional drinking method of Tesla wine is to sprinkle a little salt and squeeze a little lemon juice on the back of the hand, lick it with your tongue and drink it immediately. The modern practice is to wipe the mouth of the wine glass with the cut lemon block, and then dip the mouth of the wine glass in the fine salt powder, so that the mouth of the wine glass will be covered with a layer of fine salt powder. Meskar can be drunk directly, or mixed with some soda water, tonic water or lemon juice.