Vodka

Vodka is an European clear distilled alcoholic drink that has been one of the most popular drinks across the world .

You'll find it to be the most popular spirit in drink making because of it's neutral taste and absence of flavour and colour.

Vodka often replaces Gin in many traditional cocktails

Vodka is known to be good for the heart, and if consumed in moderation, can prove to be good for cardiovascular health

Note that these days there are flavoured Vodka available in the market too, and some cocktails do make use of them.

Gold Tequila

Tequila is a distilled beverage, made only from a specific cultivar of Agave Tequilana called 'Weber Azul' or Blue Agave, native to the states of Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Aguascalientes in Mexico. The Blue Agave grows above an altitude of 1500 m and are juicy succulents with spiky fleshy leaves.

Tequila is made around the city of Tequila 40 miles northwest of Guadaljara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands of Central Western Mexico. Mexican laws state that Tequila can only be produces in the state of Jalisco and a few limited municipalities in the other Blue Agave growing regions.

Tequila is 35% to 55% Alcohol by Volume (70 and 110 U.S. proof), it must be at least 40% ABV to be sold as Tequila in the USA.

Tequila is a distilled derivative of the pre-Columbian fermented beverage called pulque, made from the Agave plant. When the Spanish conquistadors ran out of their brandy, they started distilling Agave to produce a distilled spirit. This by 1600s was what Don Pedro Sánchez de Tagle, the Marquis of Altamira, began mass-producing in his distillery near modern day Jalisco and came to be known as Tequila.

Raspberry Schnapps

Schnapps is an alcoholic beverage that has no single form, it is in general a grain spirit that has a fruity, spicy and herbal flavour in it. It can thus be created the way liqueurs are created by steeping botanicals in grain spirits and filtering, or like a brandy be distilled from a fruity wine, or even simple infusion of botanicals, syrups or even artificial flavouring agents in a neutral spirit.

Schnapps are typically raspberry, apple, pear, plum, peach, cherry or appricot flavoured.

In Europe Schnapps usually takes the form of an Obstler or Obstbrand, which are traditionally made by fermenting macerated fruit and then distilling the fermented liquor in a process akin to the process of making a brandy.

Obstler ( the German for Fruit, Obst ) has similarity with several verities of Rakija of the Balkans and Easter Europe.

The other form that a Schnapps can take in Europe is a Geist. Geist is created by steeping and infusing berries into neutral spirits for weeks and then distilling it. This too is pretty similar to a fruit brandy.

The third form a Schnapps takes is of a liqueur, these are created the same way all liqueurs are created by infusing fruits, berries and herbs in neutral spirits and filtering the product into a clear liquid.

In America, Schnapps take the form of an inexpensive, heavily sweetened liqueur. American Schnapps are typically between 15% and 20% ABV (30–40 proof), while European Schnapps are usually 30% to 40% ABV or 60-80 US proof.

Triple Sec

Triple-Sec is an Orange flavoured liqueur from France. It is made by macerating sun dried orange peel in alcohol for a day or more before a three step distillation. Triple Sec has a 15% to 40% ABV.

The Triple Sec name refers to the process of distillation. Sec in French means dry or distilled and triple refers to the triple distillation process.

It's been a popular liqueur for more than 150 years, the Dutch East India Company created orange liqueurs by steeping orange peels in alcohol from the island of Curaçao and called it Curaçao liquor, and unlike Triple Sec, the Dutch added spices and herbs to the orange and Curaçao comes in a variety of colours such as clear, orange or blue. Blue Curaçao being the most used of them, in cocktails. Triple Sec is made from neutral spirits and the Orange peel used is harvested from oranges that have the skin still green, so that the essential oils are still in the skin and has not been absorbed into the flesh. This gives Triple Sec the intense flavour.

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.

Sweet And 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.