Sambuca

Sambuca is an anise flavoured Italian liqueur, it is a colourless liqueur in pure form but there are Black Sambuca ( deep blue colour ) or Red Sambuca ( bright red in colour ), thus the colourless liqueur is distinguised as White Sambuca.

Sambuca is a minimum of 38% Alcohol by Volume, and is created by adding essential oils of star enise, or less commonly green anise, elderflower, liquorice and other herbs as per recipe of the producer, to pure alcohol and a concentrated solution of sugar.

Sambuca is served neat, on the rocks or with water. In Italian tradition, Sambuca may be consumed after coffee as an Ammazzacaffè, which is a small glass of liqueur usually consumed after coffee to dull its taste or the caffeine effect. It is a common Italian custom, especially after a generous festive meal.

Note: If a bottle of Sambuca is not what you are looking to buy, get some Anise Oil ( Green Anise ) and Anise Extract ( Star Anise ) and some Licorice Root Sticks and steep them in a Neutral Spirit like Vodka for a few days and follow available home made Sambuca recipes to create your own Sambuca for party days.

Dry Vermouth

Vermouth the French for German Wermut, Wormwood in English, is an aromatic fortified Wine, flavoured with various botanicals like roots, barks, flowers, herbs, seeds and spices.

Although traditionally Vermouth was used for medicinal purposes, it has been also served as an apéritif in its modern avatar. The modern Vermouth first appeared in and around the 18th Century in Turin. By the late 19th Century it became very popular with bartenders as a key ingredient in cocktail mixology.

Martini, Manhattan, Rob Roy and Negroni were a few cocktails that Vermouth grew in popularity with. But later during the 20th Century, Vermouth slowly lost its glory and Dry Martinis and extra Dry Martinis with little or no Vermouth gained over the original Martini. Modern Martinis usually have a splash of Vermouth to add that herbacious texture to it.

Historically, there have been two Vermouth types, Dry and Sweet, but with demand variations have come up now. that include extra-dry white, sweet white, red, amber and rose.

Vermouth is produced by adding proprietory mixture of aromatic botanicals to a base wine or a base wine plus spirit or spirit only, which is usually redistilled before adding it to a base of neutral grape wine or unfermented wine must ( freshly pressed grapes and the juice ). After the wine is aromatised and fortified. it is sweetened and the end product is a Vermouth.

Dry Vermouth is what makes the character of the original Martini, and a Dry Vermouth has less sugar and is more herbacious but less spicier than Sweet Vermouth.

Whiskey

Whisky or Whiskey is a distilled alcohol, characterised by the process of distillation of the fermented malted and un-malted grain mash.

Different grains that can be malted are used for different varieties, grains like barley, corn, rye and wheat are the most commonly used . The distilled liquor is aged in wooden casks, often in old aged sherry casks or casks made of charred white oak.

For several reasons, historical, trade and linguistic, Whisky is those that have been produced in Scotland, Canada, Australia or Japan, while Whiskey are those that have been produced in Ireland or America, it's Whiskey

Read more on Whisky or Whiskey in this article.

Club Soda

Soda refers to carbonated water, sweetened, flavoured or plain, but there is a difference between Soda and plain Carbonated Water or Sparkling Water, which is known as Seltzer Water, while Seltzer Water is plain water carbonated to add fizz, Soda water contains potassium bicarbonate and potassium sulphate in the water, and according to research Seltzer Water is safer for teeth health and sparkling water provides true hydration and is better at it than regular soda or diet soda.

Pineapple Juice

Rich in antioxidants, this juice pressed from the pulp of the Pineapple is a good protection against cell degeneration, It contains bromelain, a group of enzymes known to reduce inflammation, improve digestion and boost immunity. In drink mixing, there is nothing like the tropical flavour of pineapple juice to add that tropical freshness and nuance to a cocktail.

In drink mixing pineapple having a fruity tropical aroma pineapple juice is a good companion for tropical fruits such as mango, banana, passion fruit, and also pairs well with oranges and grapefruit juice.

Pineapple juice is the juice pressed out of the pulp of the pineapple fruit, several varieties of pineapple are used to manufacture commercial pineapple juice. High on Vitamin C and enzymes that have been shown to activate healthy immune response, it’s a good juice to start a day. The enzyme bromelain in pineapple juice, triggers analgesic response in the body to fight pain and reduce swelling. In cocktails, Pineapple juice goes best with Vodka and is often a regular juice in many Vodka cocktails.