Homemade Liqueurs and Infused Spirits: Innovative Flavor Combinations, Plus Homemade Versions of Kahlúa, Cointreau, and Other Popular Liqueurs (4 page)

Scotch is typically aged in barrels that were previously used for aging wine or other liquors, to ensure that the most volatile elements in the wood have dissipated. The most common casks are sherry or bourbon casks, most typically bourbon, since there is a nearly endless supply because of U.S. regulations that bourbon must always be aged in new barrels.

Sometimes a Scotch label will specify the type of cask used. It will also tell you if the Scotch is bottled undiluted, specified as “cask strength,” which is typically between 50 and 60 percent ABV. If the Scotch is single malt, the name of the distillery will be specified as well as the fact that it is single malt. If it has been cask aged for any amount of time past the minimum requirement, the number of years will be listed. The age on the label is the amount of time the Scotch spent in a barrel before bottling. If there is a date on the bottle, it is the date of the bottling.

Irish whiskey.
Like Scotch, Irish whiskey can be single malt, single grain, or blended. Irish whiskey has a unique classification, “pure pot still whiskey,” referring to a pot or batch method of distilling rather than the column, or continuous, method. Many whiskeys are batch distilled, but the “pure pot” designation for Irish whiskey means that the liquor is made with 100 percent barley, about half of which is malted. This is different from single malt, which is also 100 percent barley, but all of that is malted.

Irish whiskeys are typically triple distilled, which makes them lighter in color and less flavorful than Scotch, and they are never cooked over peat, so they do not have a smoky character.

There are far fewer distilleries in Ireland than in Scotland. Bushmills makes both blended and single-malt whiskeys. Jameson is the primary distiller of pure pot still Irish whiskey; they also make a blended whiskey.

Canadian whiskey.
Made mostly from a blend of grains, Canadian whiskey is known for its mild flavor and delicate aromas. Canadian whiskey often includes rye in its grain blend, and a few Canadian whiskeys are 100 percent rye. By law they are aged for at least three years in oak casks. The most popular brands are Canadian Club and Crown Royal. Glen Breton Rare, from Nova Scotia, is a boutique single-malt Canadian whiskey. Canadian whiskey can include small additions of other whiskeys, brandies, wine, and/or rum, up to 9 percent of the blend.

Bourbon whiskey.
Named for the county in Kentucky that was its birthplace, bourbon is made from corn. By law bourbon must be at least 51 percent corn, but in practice the percentage is closer to 70 percent, with the remainder a mixture of malted barley, wheat, and/or rye. Most bourbon is double distilled to an ABV of 60 to 80 percent and then aged for a minimum of two years in new charred American oak casks, which give bourbon a deep amber color and a pronounced vanilla flavor note.

Unlike French brandies and Canadian whiskeys, caramel color, sugar, and other flavorings are not permitted in bourbon production. Nothing other than grain, yeast, and water goes into a bottle of bourbon.

Although Kentucky continues to be the largest bourbon-producing state, Tennessee whiskey is similar, except that it is maple-charcoal filtered before aging, a step that gives it a distinctive flavor. The largest producer of Tennessee whiskey is Jack Daniel’s. Popular Kentucky bourbons include Jim Beam, Knob Creek, Maker’s Mark, Wild Turkey, and Woodford Reserve.

Rye whiskey.
In the United States, where most rye whiskey is distilled, the formula must contain at least 51 percent rye grain. Canadian whiskey, which usually contains some rye, is sometimes referred to as rye whiskey, although Canada does not stipulate the amount of rye in whiskeys.

Rye is harsher, less sweet, and not as syrupy as bourbon, giving it a complex, and some might say coarse, flavor profile. The major producers are Jim Beam, Heaven Hill, Buffalo Trace, and Old Overholt.

Vodka can be distilled from a fermentation of any substance high enough in carbohydrates to produce alcohol. In Russia, where it originated, vodka (which means “little water” in Russian) was made from the cheapest source available — commonly grain (sorghum, corn, rye, or wheat), potatoes, or sugar beets.

The specific base ingredient is unimportant because vodka is distilled to rid it of all aromatics and then filtered through charcoal to produce a smooth, neutral, pure spirit. Typically, vodka is continuously distilled to 95 percent ABV and bottled without further aging at around 40 percent ABV.

Because the goal of vodka is purity, filtered vodkas are the norm, although small distilleries are increasingly producing unfiltered vodkas, which have more flavor and character. Smirnoff and Stolichnaya are the most well-known Russian vodkas. Absolut and Finlandia are popular Scandinavian vodkas. Grey Goose is from France.

Gin, a neutral spirit flavored with juniper berries, comes in two styles. The most common, English-style or London dry gin, is made by diluting a double-distilled 95 percent grain spirit with water, adding juniper berries and other flavorings — most often coriander but occasionally other spices — and distilling it a third time to flavor it and return the distillation to 95 percent ABV. The distillate is diluted before bottling to between 37 and 47 percent ABV. Brands of English-style gin include Beefeater, Bombay, Boodles, Gordon’s, and Tanqueray.

The Dutch method of distilling gin is made by double- or triple-distilling a fermentation of malt, corn, and rye to a fairly low alcohol level, around 30 percent. At that ABV, many flavors from fermentation are still present in the spirit. Juniper and other spices are added, and the spirit is distilled one more time to an ABV of around 40 percent. It is then bottled without further dilution. Dutch-style gins include Bols and Hendrick’s. Plymouth is a Dutch style of gin that can only be made in Plymouth, England, and genever (called “Holland gin” in England) is the original Dutch gin, flavored assertively with juniper (
genièvre
is French for “juniper”).

The aromatics in gin, which come from terpenes in the spices, are typically piney, citrusy, or floral. They can be subtle or pronounced, with the Dutch method producing the most flavorful gins. Some distilleries flavor their gins with scores of ingredients. Hendrick’s gin, made in Scotland, is distilled with cucumber and roses; Beefeater gin contains nine herbs and spices, including juniper, angelica, and coriander, as well as licorice, almonds, and Seville oranges.

Rum contains neither fruit nor grain. It is distilled from fermented sugarcane juice or molasses, resulting in a rough alcohol that can be light or dark. Traditional dark or black rums, which come mostly from Jamaica and the French-speaking Caribbean islands, are fermented with a special yeast (
Schizosaccharomyces
) that produces a large amount of fruity-tasting esters. The fermentation is distilled in pot stills in small batches to a low alcohol concentration in order to preserve as much of the aromatic components as possible. The spirit is aged in charred American oak barrels, usually old bourbon casks, from which it gets most of its color.

Light rum
is fermented with conventional yeasts and distilled industrially to about 90 percent ABV. The rum is matured to mollify its rough edges and usually filtered to remove residual color from the molasses. It is diluted to between 40 and 43 percent ABV before bottling.
Golden rums
are aged in oak barrels to mellow them further and to develop a light honey color.
Overproof rums
are diluted less before bottling and can be as high as 75 percent ABV. Premium rums that are aged for years in oak resemble brandies in appearance and flavor. Cachaça is Brazilian rum made exclusively from sugarcane juice. Charanda is sweet vanilla-tasting Mexican rum.

The agave, a succulent plant similar to cactus that grows at high altitudes mostly in the Jalisco state of Mexico, is the base for the indigenous liquors tequila and mescal. Both are made mostly from the hearts (piñas) of blue agave (
Agave tequilana
), which are rich in fructose and inulin (a form of indigestible long-chain sugar). Agave for tequila is steamed to break down the sugars before fermentation. Agave for mescal is roasted over charcoal, infusing the piñas with smoke that carries into the aroma of the finished spirit. The cooked piñas are mashed with water and fermented with yeast. The resulting liquid is distilled. Tequila is distilled industrially. Mescal is double distilled in small batches in pot stills made out of clay or metal.

Tequila that is bottled without any aging is called
blanco
(white) or
plata
(silver).
Oro
(gold) tequila is blanco tequila with added caramel coloring and flavoring to make it resemble aged tequila.
Reposado
(rested) tequila is aged for between two months and one year in oak barrels.
Añejo
(aged) tequila is aged in oak for between one and three years, and
maduro
(extra-aged) is held for more than three years.

All mescal is aged.
Blanco
or
joven
(young) mescal is aged for less than two months and is colorless.
Reposado
and
añejo
mescals are aged similarly to tequilas but in smaller barrels.

Flavor is a mixture of taste and smell. Your mouth recognizes five tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (savory). You are probably familiar with the first four: sweet (the taste of sugar), salty (the taste of table salt), sour (the taste of white distilled vinegar), and bitter (the taste of quinine or tonic). Umami tastes like roasted meat, aged cheese, or sautéed mushrooms.

To isolate taste from flavor, hold your nostrils closed when you eat. By eliminating aroma, all you will perceive are the five mouth tastes. In reality, taste and aroma don’t live in isolation, but if you hold your nose when you take a bite of an apple, your mouth will taste sweet sugars, tart acids, and not much else. In fact, without smelling, it’s difficult to tell the difference between fruits with similar textures, like apple and pear, because almost everything that “tastes” distinctive about food isn’t taste at all — it’s aroma.

This is largely because our noses are more sensitive than our tongues. We have about 40 million olfactory neurons picking up odors from the air and from food vapors traveling up to the nose from the back of the mouth. In comparison to the five tastes perceived on the tongue, our perception of aromas is nearly infinite and accounts for the bulk of the sensations we call “flavor.”

Many ingredients, like fruits, herbs, and spices, are loaded with aromatic molecules and have strong aromas even when raw. When these flavorful ingredients are dehydrated, the aromatic molecules concentrate, making them much more powerful for tincturing alcohol.

Aroma chemicals are volatile, which means they are small enough and light enough to float through the air. Taste chemicals are larger and typically water soluble. Aroma chemicals are more similar to oils than to water, and are therefore usually fat soluble. Because of the chemical nature of alcohol, both aroma and taste molecules are partially soluble in alcohol. So when we take a sip of flavored liqueur, we are getting a concentration of flavor, with both taste and aroma molecules roiling across the palate and wafting up the back of the throat to the olfactory receptors in the nose.

Depending on the concentration of flavor molecules in an ingredient and the percentage of alcohol in the liquor being tinctured, developing a full-flavored liqueur can take anywhere from a few hours (using crushed peppercorns or grated horseradish) to several weeks (with chopped celery or pear).

Sugar, the currency of energy for all living things, is a highly processed commodity that can take myriad forms depending on how and how much it is processed. Most sugar is derived from sugarcane, although about 30 percent of the world sugar crop comes from processed sugar beets. When you purchase a bag of white granulated sugar, it could be cane or beet sugar. Pure cane sugar is processed totally from sugarcane.

Clockwise from top left: Brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, agave syrup, molasses, white sugar, raw sugar, and creamy simple syrup.

Sugarcane is very perishable and must be processed immediately after harvest, so it is produced in two stages: First it is crushed, boiled, and crystallized into unrefined raw sugar and molasses near the cane plantation, and then the raw sugar is shipped to factories for refinement. Refined sugar is sold in three forms — raw, white, and brown — and there are several products within each form.

Raw sugar undergoes the fewest steps in processing.

Demerara sugar.
These large, golden, and slightly sticky crystals are taken from the first crystallization of light cane juice.

Muscovado (Barbados) sugar.
Taken from the final crystallization of cane syrup into blackstrap molasses, the crystals are dark brown, small, strongly flavored, and sticky.

Sucanat.
A trademarked raw sugar product, it is made by evaporating cane juice to create a granular rather than a crystalline texture. (The name is a contraction of “sugarcane natural.”)