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.

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.

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.

Ice 4 chunks

Ice is so obvious in most drinks, be it a straight drink or a mixed drink, that we often forget it's importance or even reason behind using a crystal clear good quality ice in a glass of whisky, or crushed ice in a tall glass to enjoy a cocktail.

Ice tempers a hard liquor, and as is in the case of whisky for example, if you prefer the flavours of whisky reach your nose without the hard note of spirit lingering around, or want to avoid the mild sting of a neat whisky, a cube of ice mellows the strength down a little and as it melts slowly, the aroma and flavour is released from the whisky slowly and makes whisky progressively weak, lingering and palatable.

Ice in Vodka helps release the little flavour a Vodka has, slowly, instead of letting the Vodka hit your nose all at once,

In mixed drinks, ice plays an important role in creating the perfect temperature a certain drink requires and bartenders use ice in several different ways, crushed ice for long drinks that will allow the cocktail to slowly water down like a Mint Julep, Moscow Mule, Rum Swizzle, Sherry Cobbler and other Tiki drinks, a large block or cubes of ice for drinks that are spirit heavy, such as the Old Fashioned, Negroni, and Manhattan