Brandy

Brandy, simply put, is a distilled wine. It is categorised under Distilled Alcoholic Beverages along with Whiskey, Rum, Gin, Vodka and Tequila, but it's in a way a cross connection between Fermented liquor and distilled liquor. A Brandy typically containts 35% to 60% Alcohol by Volume ( 70-120 US proof ) and is usually consumed as an after dinner digestif.

Although Brandy is generally classified as a liquor produced by distilling wine, in a broader sense, this encompasses liquors obtained from the distillation of either pomace ( the soild remains of grapes after mashing and extraction of juice for wine making ) or fruit mash or wine.

It may be noted that Brandy like Gin is also one of the original Water of Life or eau de vie, carried over from the medieval tradition of an aquaous solution of ethanol used as a medicine.

The history of Brandy is closely tied to the development of commercial distillation in and around the 15th Century. In early 15th Century French Brandy made way for a new cross-Atlantic trade or Triangle Trade and replaced Portuguese Fortified Wine or Port from the central role it played in trade, mostly due to the higher alcohol content of the Brandy and ease of transport. However by the late 17th Century, Rum replaced Brandy as the exchange alcohol of choice in the Triangle Trade. More info on Wikipedia for the interested Brandy aficionados. Note that an Apricot Brandy can refer to the liquor (or Eau de Vie, Water of Life) distilled from fermented apricot juice or a liqueur made from apricot flesh and kernels.

Raspberry Liqueur

Raspberry Liqueur is what a liqueur is, a neutral liquor, wine or gin with added flavours and sweetness from fruits, herbs and other ingredients.

In Raspeberry Liqueur, raspberries are macerated with sugar in vodka, and vanilla pods are often added for a wider flavour profile, alcohol and sugar draw out the fruit's natural juices and essential oils into the spirit.

Few popular raspberry liqueur brands would be

• 1. Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur.
• 2. Bols Black Raspberry Liqueur.
• 3. Giffard Framboise Liqueur.
• 4. St George's Raspberry Liqueur.
• 5. Mathilde Framboise Liqueur.

Gin

Gin is a distilled alcoholic beverage that has it's origin in medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The historical Gin producing regions are Southern France, Flanders and Netherlands. Gin was originally created to provide aqua vitae from grape and grain distillates.

During the Middle ages, the newly found substance Ethanol was considered by Alchemists to be the water of life, and an aqueous solution of ethanol was in use all over Europe and had different names and is literally the origin of many spirits like Whisky ( from the Gaelic uisce beatha for water of life ). Today Gin is produces from a wide range of ingredients, which gave rise to numerous distinct styles and brands. The predominant flavour of Gin is from the Juniper berries and then each different distillery flavours it further with an assortment of botanicas or herbs, spices, floral and fruit flavours, in different combinations. Gin is commonly drank mixed with Tonic water but it is also often used as a base spirit for many gin based flavoured liqueurs like Sloe Gin.

Hpnotiq

Hpnotiq is a Newyork native alcoholic beverage created in 2001 by Raphael Yakoby and his brother Solomon Yakoby with help from Nick Storms, Raphael conceptualised this bright sky blue fruity alcoholic beverage after seeing a blue perfume at Bloomingdale's. Initially the liqueur failed to gain traction with manufacturers but later on the hip-hop music industry picked it up and many like Sean "Diddy" Combs, Kanye West, R. Kelly, Ludacris, Missy Elliot, Jay-Z, Lil' Kim and Fabulous featured this blue Hpnotiq in their videos.

Hpnotiq is bottled in France by Heaven Hill Distilleries and it is 17% ABV or 34 US proof.

Peach Schnapps

Peach Schnapps is a type of Schnapps with a peach flavour, made by adding flavour to clear grain spirit. It was introduced by DeKuyper in 1984, and quickly became the top selling Schnapps in America. The favour is intense and that makes it a favourite mixer in cocktails. These heavily sweetened alcoholic beverages are bottled with an alcohol content that varies between 15% and 40% ABV.

Although Peach Schnapps like other Schnapps are mostly used as flavorings and mixers in cocktails, they can definitely be enjoyed straight, and a Peach Schnapps is typically a summer or spring drink.

Peach Schnapps is usually mixed with orange juice or white lemonade, but are often used as mixers in cocktails with other primary base alcohol.

Peach Schnapps is the most favourite Schapps in the UK.

Grenadine Top with

Grenadine is a common non-alcoholic pomegranate syrup with a characteristic deep red colour. It is a very popular cocktail ingredient, used for its pomegranate flavour and more for its ability to add a reddish to pink tint to a cocktail.

The name Grenadine originates from the French for pomegranate, which is grenade.

Grenadine is not subjected to regulations like alcoholic beverages are, and there are no region specific formulae any more, and thus manufacturers often replace pomegranate with blackcurrant juice and other fruit juices while retaining the same flavour profile.

Many producers now use artificial ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, water, citric acid, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate and food grade red colour along with natural and artificial flavours.

Red Bull

Red Bull is an Austrian Energy Drink brand and has the highest market share among energy drinks, with a share of 36% of the global market. Since it’s launch in 1987, more than 82 billion cans have been sold. Red Bull is regularly mixed with Vodka but is best avoided in over indulgence, since Red Bull has a fair amount of caffeine and when alcohol is mixed with caffeine, the caffeine masks the depressant effect of alcohol and make drinkers stay alert through a much longer session of drinking and might increase the consumption of alcohol.

Sour Mix

Sweet and Sour Mix, also Whiskey Sour Mix or Margarita Mix or Daiquiri Mix is a versatile mix in many cocktails.
This is a yellowish-green coloured concoction, with equal portion of lemon or lime juice with a simple syrup. When this mix is shaken vigorously with ice it produces a pearly-white liquid mixture ready for your cocktail.

Sweet and Sour Mix, also Whiskey Sour Mix or Margarita Mix or Daiquiri Mix is a versatile mix in many cocktails.
This is a yellowish-green coloured concoction, with equal portion of lemon or lime juice with a simple syrup. When this mix is shaken vigorously with ice it produces a pearly-white liquid mixture ready for your cocktail.