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.

Strawberry 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.

Cherry Mix

Cherry Mix is a mix of different dried cherries like Bing Cherries and Tart Cherries, sweetened and if store bought, will have preservatives added for shelf life. In Europe, specially in Italy, specific cocktail cherry cultivars are in use, cherries like Morello and Montmorency are the traditional choices, and Marasca, a Morello variety grown in Italy is popular world over as the Maraschino Cherry Mix.

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.