Scotch Whisky

Scotch Whisky or simply Scotch is one of the most famous traditional whisky, the other being Irish Whiskey, Canadian Whisky, American Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey, Japanese Whisky and Australian Whisky.

Just like in Ireland ( Uisce Beatha ), the Scottish word for Whisky is a derivative of the Scottish Gaelic word Uisge Beatha, meaning the Water of Life.

Scotch Whiskey is a Geographically Identified Product and there are regulations that has to be met for a Whisky to be labeled a Scotch Whisky.

Traditionally Scotch Whisky is made from malted barley, but there had been deviation and variations too. A distinctive characteristic of a Scotch Whisky is drying of the malted barley over a peat fire, that attributes a smoky aroma to the Whisky. post distillation, maturation or aging is done in oak barrels previously used for bourbon whiskey, Sherry, Wine, Fortified Wine, Rum and other Spirits. This Aging process that spans years is the largest contributing factor that impact the flavour of the Whisky.

To be labeled a Scotch, a Whisky has to be pass several guidelines and production standards designed by the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009.

• 1. Comprises a minimum alcoholic strength by volume of 40% (80 US proof)
• 2. Contains no added substances, other than water and plain (E150A) caramel colouring
• 3. Is produced at a distillery in Scotland from water and malted barley (to which only whole grains of other cereals may be added) all of which have been:
  • 3.1 Converted at that distillery to a fermentable substrate only by endogenous enzyme systems
  • 3.2 Distilled at an alcoholic strength by volume of less than 94.8% (190 US proof)
  • 3.3 Fermented at that distillery only by adding yeast
  • 3.4 Processed at that distillery into a mash
• 4. Is wholly matured in an excise warehouse in Scotland in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 litres (185 US gal; 154 imp gal) for at least three years
• 5. Retains the colour, aroma, and taste of the raw materials used in, and the method of, its production and maturation

Galliano Herbal Liqueur

Galliano is a liqueur made from neutral alcohol steeped with a wide range of herbs and spices ranging from juniper, anise, vanilla, musk yarrow, lavender and many more herbs and has a distinctive vanilla sweetness. Caramel and tartrazine is used to create the bright yellow colour. It's distinctive vanilla top note and sweetness and flavour separates it from other anise flavoured herbal liqueurs like Anisette, Sambuca and Pernod, and you don't need any sweetner syrup while mixing Galliano. Galliano or Liquore Galliano L'Autentico, is the creation of Artur Vaccari of Livorno, Tuscany, who created this liqueur in 1896 and named it after Giuseppe Galliano, a Royal Italian Army Officer. Galliano is bottled at 30% and 42.3% ABV.

Sweet Sherry

Sherry is a fortified wine of Spanish origin. This is a fortified wine made from the white palomino grapes that grow near the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. The name Sherry is the anglicisation of Xérès (Jerez).

Sherry is produced in several styles including light sherries like Manzanilla and fino, similar to white table wines, and darker and heavier wines such as Amontillado and oloroso, that are allowed to oxidise as they age in barrels.

Sherry is fortified with grape spirit after the fermentation is complete, where as Port, a similar wine from Portugal is fortified half way through the fermentation which stops further fermentation of sugar into alcohol. Thus, Port is sweeter and Sherry is usually Dry and sweetness if any is added later.

So, Dry Sherry is essentially the wine which has completed fermentation and has little to no sugar from the grapes left in it.

There are naturally sweet Sherry too, Moscatel, made from the grapes by the same name and they are produced like Port, that is, fermentation is stopped mid way, and there is Pedro Ximénez too.

Egg White

Eggs are used to add viscosity and mouthfeel to cocktails, sour cocktails like Whisky Sour, tastes the best when made with added egg white. Egg whites create a creamy texture and a thick layer of foam on top of a cocktail. While unlike using just the white, adding the yolk adds a bit of a flavour to the drink, it helps emulsify the other ingredients and adds the eggnog flavour to your cocktail.
To get the silk smooth texture and mouthfeel and the foamy head without weakening the drink by melting the ice from too long shaking, which is needed to break the proteins of the egg white to froth up, dry shake the ingredients first, that is, pour all ingredients and the egg white in your shaker and shake hard without ice first, for about a minute and then add ice and shake again.

Lime Juice

Lime Juice being rich in Vitamin C is an excellent remedy for sore throat and aids in digestion and controls blood sugar, and also promoted weight loss. It is used for various culinary and non-culinary purposes all over the world. Lime juice is known to reduce or even reverse the effects of excessive alcohol consumption and intoxication.
The difference between Lime Juice and Lemon Juice is that although the sweet and sour Lemon and the bitter and sour Lime are two different fruits, they have similar properties and tastes similar too, the Lime, unlike the sweet and large Lemon, is used raw and is usually plucked green and has more bitterness and sourness in it's taste, and is grown better in tropical and sub-tropical climates.
In drink mixing, fresh lemon juice brings a tangy zing to so many classic drinks and in fact, it's the most used ingredient in drink mixing other than the liquors of course.

Lemonade

This sweetened lemon flavoured beverage is an eternal popular throughout the world and there are varieties of homemade lemonades found everywhere. In North Africa and South Asia, cloudy lemonade dominates, be sure if your cocktail requires a clear lemonade or a cloudy one, which is indication of fruit pulp presence in the mix.