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.

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.

Port

Vinho de Porto as it is called in Portuguese, or simply Port is a Portuguese fortified wine produced in Douro Valley of Northern Portugal. It is sweet, thick red wine, headier than heavier than regular wine, and is usually higher in alcohol content than unfortified wines.

The production process of a Port is responsible for this higher alcohol content and sweeter and thicker texture. In the production of a Port, fermentation is halted before all the sugar is converted to alcohol and then distilled grape spirits are added to it to fortify it.

Port wine is now produced in many different regions and countries including Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, India, South Africa, Spain, and the United States, but under the European Union Protected Designation of Origin guidelines, only wines from Portugal are allowed to be labelled a PORT.

Port comes in several styles, which can be divided in two broad categories, wines matured in glass bottles and wines matured in wooden barrels.
Port matured in sealed glass bottles, due to lack of exposure to air, goes through reductive ageing, the wine loses colour very slowly and the resulting wine is smooth and bright red, while wood barrel matured port, has some exposure to oxygen due to the permeability of wood and goes through oxidative ageing, and they lose colour faster and lose some volume through evaporation too, resulting in a slightly viscous wine.

Ruby port is the product of a reductive ageing, and the process retains its bright red colour and full bodied taste, while Tawny Ports are ports made from red grapes that are aged in wooden barrels which end up giving then a tawny-brown or golden-brown colour. The flavour too is nutty instead of the fruity flavour of a Ruby.

Grenadine

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.

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.