January 2024 145
Understanding Spirits: A Detailed Explanation of 9 Unique Types of Vodka
Pouring vodka shots
Without vodka, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the Dirty Shirley, the stylish espresso Martini or the iconic massive cosmopolitan cocktail that Ina Garten shared on her Instagram in April 2020. The clear spirit with the neutral taste is a well-liked beverage for cocktails because it pairs well with a wide range of mixers. Nevertheless, not all vodkas are created equal, and so you will find a multitude of vodka brands at your local pub. There isn’t a singular type of vodka; they vary based on geographical location and ingredients. Your preferred type will depend on your personal taste and how you plan to use the spirit.
“It’s all about creating a match made in *your* cocktail heaven,” says Ashley Eldefri, a brand ambassador for The Community Spirit Vodka. “Price is only sometimes indicative of quality: pricier doesn’t always equate to better when it comes to vodka. It’s certainly worth experimenting with different brands and price ranges to find one that suits your palate.”
To assist you in refining your choices and simplifying your next visit to the liquor shop, we have spoken with drink experts to detail the 9 of the most popular types of vodka based on their ingredients, country of origin, flavor notes, among other factors.
Related: 5 Different Types of Tequila, Explained
Making vodka has plenty of nuance, but for the purposes of this discussion, we’ll try to distill (pun intended) it down for you. Vodka starts with your base ingredient (often a grain, though it could be potatoes or molasses), water and yeast. That mixture is fermented for a couple of weeks, then strained. The liquid from the fermentation process is distilled, filtered, diluted with water and bottled.
Related: 9 Popular Costco Liquors, Ranked From the Bottom(s) Up
Eldefri states that vodkas made from grains like rye have a spicier character with strong, earthy undertones. This type of vodka is typically leaner and drier compared with other vodka types.
Rye vodka goes exceptionally well in certain cocktails. For instance, a dirty vodka martini will highlight the spirit itself, with a rye vodka’s subtlety and dryness nicely balancing the tangy hint of olive juice, as suggested by Alissa Marinello, a bartender at Vivamee Hospitality properties, Renault Winery & Resort and LBI National in New Jersey.
Contrarily, fruit-focused vodkas obtain their flavor not from the source but through infusion after distillation. Eldefri mentions that many modern brands provide flavored options by infusing fruits or herbs post distillation. Some favored fruit vodka flavors include melon, strawberry, blueberry, lemon, raspberry, lime, and orange.
Marinello advises against using synthetic substances and colorings in favor of creating your own flavored vodka. She advises doing this by adding the unflavored vodka of your choice to a container with your chosen fruit. Marinello suggests allowing the vodka to infuse for a minimum of three days and up to a week. When the infusion period is finished, you can decant it into a bottle for cocktail mixing.
Many people enjoy corn as part of their nightly meal, but it’s also a popular ingredient in vodka. According to Eldefri, “Vodka made from corn is well-known for its gentle and slightly sweet flavor, which is accompanied by a smooth mouthfeel and hints of vanilla or butteriness.”
Eldefri recommends using a vodka made from corn to make a classic cocktail such as a martini, as this allows the essence of the vodka to shine through.
And in case you were wondering, vodka made from potatoes does not taste like french fries or mashed potato. As Eldefri clarifies, “The value of vodka produced from potatoes lies in its rich, creamy texture and its subtly earthy and nutty flavor.”
Potato vodka pairs exceptionally well with savory foods, including certain cheeses and meats, so you might want to keep that in mind the next time you’re eating out or hosting a dinner party.
For a smooth vodka experience, try a spirit made from molasses. “Molasses-based vodkas, often linked to rum production, offer a slightly sweeter and more intricate taste, featuring hints of molasses and caramel,” says Eldefri. The caramely notes in molasses vodka make it nice in a creamy cocktail, like a white Russian.
According to Marinello, flavored vodka is fun to work with because you can create more complex cocktails with minimal ingredients. That said, she says to steer clear of this type of vodka if you have a gluten allergy because sometimes artificial flavorings are added in post-distillation that can contain this common allergen.
In terms of the types of flavors, there is a wide variety, but many fall into the citrusy (lemonade, grapefruit) or fruity (strawberry, blueberry) categories.
Vodkas can exhibit varying characteristics depending on their original location due to local styles and preferences. For instance, Russian vodkas, which normally utilize wheat or rye and are distilled multiple times, are appreciated for their clean and smooth profile, shares Eldefri. Famous Russian vodka brands such as Beluga Noble, Husky, Marmot Siberian, and Smirnoff exemplify this.
In contrast, American vodkas range from smooth neutrality to peculiar flavors resulting from the use of various base components. Typical American vodka is crafted with rye, wheat, potato or corn, which result in a unique taste, a soft consistency, and an earthy, warm zing. Although the impression may change depending on the specific brand, one can generally consider it as the optimal mix derived from an assortment of ingredients.
As per Marinello, both Poland and Russia claim to be the pioneers of this spirit. However, Polish vodkas, ordinarily made using potatoes or grains, exhibit a marginally stronger taste with subtle notes of earthiness and sweetness.
Next in line: Celebrity Chef Pati Jinich’s Simple Formula for Making the Perfect Cocktail
Unique Moments Captured: Rum-Soaked Saint & Flour Fight – Thursday’s Photos of the Day
The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world
Thu 28 Dec 2023 08.23 EST
Last modified on Fri 29 Dec 2023 04.11 EST
Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters
Photograph: Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters
Photograph: snapshot/Future Image/U Stamm/Rex/Shutterstock
Photograph: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
Photograph: Adrian Kraus/AP
Photograph: Jeffrey Arguedas/EPA
Photograph: Jade Gao/AFP/Getty Images
Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Photograph: Davide Bonaldo/Rex/Shutterstock
Photograph: Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images
Photograph: Marco Trovati/AP
Photograph: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images
Photograph: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images
Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Photograph: Nhac Nguyen/AFP/Getty Images
Photograph: Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images
Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock
The Underrated ESBs: The Hidden Gems in the Craft Beer World
Craft beer enthusiasts often have comprehensive knowledge about IPAs, yet ESBs remain somewhat enigmatic. ESBs, an acronym for extra special bitter, are a variation of pale ales that originated from England. These beers present a pleasant variation to IPAs in terms of both alcoholic potency and taste profile. Where IPAs typically have an alcohol by volume concentration between 5% to 7%, ESBs usually are in the range of 4.5% to 5.5% ABV. This lower ABV makes ESBs more suitable for session drinking, that is, they can be enjoyed in multiple servings in one occasion without causing severe inebriation.
In terms of taste, ESBs do not hold up to their name’s implication of significant bitterness. These brews are generally less bitter than the majority of IPAs in the market, yet they still offer a robust, malt-forward flavor that leaves a strong impression on the taste buds. Although ESBs have not yet reached the popularity level of other craft beers in the United States, they have been gradually acquiring a dedicated fan base among discerning beer drinkers since their inception many decades ago.
More information: 10 Of The Healthiest Beers You Can Drink
ESBs trace back to traditional English bitters, a beer style that has been enthralling beer aficionados in England since the 17th century. Besides the English malts used in brewing the beer, the distinctive taste of the original bitters resulted from the mineral-rich water used during the brewing process during those times. Their popularity saw a surge over the years as beer enthusiasts started favoring less darker-style ales. As time progressed, traditional bitters split into three separate types: Ordinary, best, and extra special.
Most beer connoisseurs credit Fuller’s brewery with creating the ESB that’s known and loved today. The London-based brewery already offered versions of ordinary and special bitters when they added the extra special type in 1971. Fuller’s ESB recipe proved to be quite popular and eventually influenced other breweries to create their versions of the beer. These days, ESBs reside within the wide selection of flavorful craft brews, which includes many iterations of IPAs, sours, lagers, and much more.
India pale ale, more commonly referred to as IPA, is a wildly popular style of beer known for its intensely hoppy flavor. These hops are what give IPAs their characteristic bitterness, which is accompanied by a substantial ABV. When compared to ESBs, IPAs turn up the bitterness. And while lots of beer drinkers enjoy those qualities in their brews, ESBs are generally considered cleaner and more easy-drinking.
As mentioned, ESB is a style of pale ale and is known for being pleasantly hoppy but also malty and sweet. Compared to blond ale, which also falls under the pale ale category, they are more flavorful. Blond ales are so mild that they don’t have any discernable malt or hop flavor, are lighter in color, and typically come in between 4.1% and 5.1% ABV. ESB is a wonderfully session-able style of beer for those who enjoy a moderate amount of body and flavor and want to be able to drink a few in one sitting. If you’re wondering where to get one locally, there are plenty of stellar craft breweries throughout the U.S.
Read the original article on Daily Meal.
Martha Stewart’s Approval of Putting Ice in Your Wine
There are few things as polarizing as putting ice in your wine glass. But Martha Stewart has given a big win to the pro-ice side by revealing on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” via YouTube, that she puts ice in her white wine. Although she used to think it was wrong, she met vintners while traveling through France and Italy who assured her that it was perfectly fine.
Ultimately, how you like drinking your wine is something only you can decide. If you like ice in your glass of sauvignon blanc, who are we to tell you no? But like everything else in life, there are upsides and downsides to choosing ice. For one, just because Stewart and some European vintners say that it’s okay doesn’t mean that everyone is going to be on the same page. The stigma around ice cubes in wine isn’t as strong as it used to be but not everyone is ready to embrace the trend just yet. Be prepared for a raised eyebrow or two if you make a habit of it.
Iced wine is great for when you forget to chill your wine or just bought the bottle and want to serve it right away. Ice will get you a colder glass of rose, perfect for a hot summer day. The downside is that the ice will melt, eventually watering the wine down, which will negatively affect the flavor. If it happens in cocktails; it happens with wine.
Read more: The 40 Absolute Best Cocktails That Feature Only 2 Ingredients
At times, diluting your wine may indeed be a good idea. If you find yourself at an event where the available wines are too sugary for you, the addition of some ice might reduce the sweetness to a level that is more to your liking. The same strategy can be applied to wine that has been open for several days. Although stale wine won’t cause health issues, the taste won’t be optimal. A bit of ice in your glass could potentially extend the life of the bottle before it needs to be discarded.
The majority of individuals would rather chill their wine using a different method to avoid watering it down. Getting your wine to the correct temperature is a breeze if you plan in advance. If you’re aiming to chill your wine without using ice, there are other wine tricks you could experiment with. However, adding ice to your wine is no longer the major no-no it once was, and Martha Stewart is leading the way in encouraging her followers to step away from the conventional approach.
See the original article on Tasting Table.
Understanding the Quantity of Whiskey Bottles Produced from a Single Barrel
Some of the most memorable sights you’ll see on a distillery tour are the rickhouses stacked from floor to ceiling with huge oak barrels. Within each cask is whiskey in the making, slowly taking up the essences of the wood and the charcoal within to eventually emerge as the intricate, amber-hued liquor that it’s famously known as. Surely, though, as you look at those barrels, a question must’ve crossed your mind: “Just how many bottles can you make from just one of these gigantic barrels?”
You’ll be happy to know you’re not alone in wondering about this! Interestingly, while there are no regulations in the U.S. specifying the size of oak barrels distilleries must use, most distillers choose to use just a standardized barrel form factor called the American Standard Barrel (ASB.) ASB barrels can typically hold around 53 gallons of freshly-distilled whiskey.
If you were to bottle the contents of one of these barrels immediately, you’d end up with approximately 267 bottles of unaged whiskey, often referred to as “white dog,” “moonshine,” or “white whiskey.” When it comes to properly aged whiskey, however, the answer’s a bit more complicated.
Read more: The 25 Best Bourbon Brands, Ranked
As whiskey ages in an oak barrel, several things happen — some of which will ultimately impact the barrel’s yield once it’s fully matured. One important element is the “angels’ share,” a charming term for the whiskey that evaporates during aging. The longer whiskey ages, the more it loses to the angels (aka evaporation.) The extent of this loss depends on factors such as geographical location, climate, and conditions like temperature and humidity within the warehouses where the barrels are stored.
Another thing to consider is how whiskey is prepared for bottling. Unless it’s labeled as “cask strength” (meaning it’s not diluted), some bottles have whiskey mixed with water to lower the alcohol content (from 52-66% ABV in cask strength down to 40-46% ABV.) In such bottles, even if the label says it holds the standard 750 milliliters (about 25.3 fluid ounces), not all of it comes directly from the barrel. Barrels used for making cask-strength will yield fewer bottles than those that go toward making diluted whiskeys.
Because of these factors, it’s tough to predict the exact number of bottles a barrel will produce. Estimates vary, with some distillers suggesting an average of 200 to 300 standard 750-milliliter bottles per barrel. Depending on the actual yield, distillers will adjust their pricing accordingly. Older barrels that lose more liquid to evaporation are usually more expensive to recoup the loss.
Read the original article on Tasting Table.