Τα Best-Selling Classic Cocktails του κόσμου το 2020

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Six new ways to become a wine, beer or spirits expert in 2020

We’ve rounded up some of the latest courses to launch in the wine, beer and spirits worlds you might want to consider if you’re looking to broaden your horizons in 2020.

 

Πηγή: Six new ways to become a wine, beer or spirits expert in 2020

Landmark agreement will protect 100 European Geographical Indications in China

 

Today, the EU and China concluded the negotiations on a bilateral agreement to protect 100 European Geographical Indications (GI) in China and 100 Chinese GI in the EU against imitations and usurpation. This landmark agreement is expected to result in reciprocal trade benefits and demand for high-quality products on both sides. Delivering on the commitment made at the last EU-China Summit in April 2019, this agreement is a concrete example of cooperation between the European Union and the People’s Republic of China, reflecting the openness and adherence of both sides to international rules as a basis for trade relations.

Agriculture and rural development Commissioner Phil Hogan said: “European Geographical Indication products are renowned across the world for their quality. Consumers are willing to pay a higher price, trusting the origin and authenticity of these products, while further rewarding farmers. This agreement shows our commitment to working closely with our global trading partners such as China. It is a win for both parties, strengthening our trading relationship, benefitting our agricultural and food sectors, and consumers on both sides.”

China is the second destination for EU agri-food exports, reaching €12.8 billion (in the 12-month period between September 2018 and August 2019). It is also the second destination of EU exports of products protected as Geographical Indications, accounting for 9% of its value, including wines, agri-food products and spirit drinks.

The Chinese market is a high-growth potential market for European food and drinks, with a growing middle class with a taste for iconic, high-quality and genuine European products. It also has a well-established geographical indication system of its own, with specialties that European consumers could now further discover thanks to this agreement.

The EU list of GI to be protected in China includes products such as Cava, Champagne, Feta, Irish whiskey, Münchener Bier, Ouzo, Polska Wódka, Porto, Prosciutto di Parma and Queso Manchego. Among the Chinese products, the list includes for example Pixian Dou Ban (Pixian Bean Paste), Anji Bai Cha (Anji White Tea), Panjin Da Mi (Panjin rice) and Anqiu Da Jiang (Anqiu Ginger).

Following the conclusion of the negotiations, the agreement will now go through legal scrutiny. On the EU side, the European Parliament and the Council will then be asked to give their approval. The agreement is expected to enter into force before the end of 2020.

Four years after its entry into force, the scope of the agreement will expand to cover an additional 175 GI names from both sides. These names will have to follow the same registration procedure than the 100 names already covered by the agreement (i.e assessment and publication for comments).

EU-China cooperation on Geographical Indications began over 10 years ago (2006) resulting in the registration and protection of 10 Geographical Indication names on both sides in 2012, the starting block for today’s cooperation.

Background

EU quality schemes aim at protecting the names of specific products to promote their unique characteristics, linked to their geographical origin as well as traditional know-how. This is one of the great successes of European agriculture, with more than 3,300 EU names registered as either Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) or Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). A further 1,250 or so non-EU names are also protected within the EU, mostly thanks to bilateral agreements such as this one with China. In value terms, the market for EU geographical indications is around €74.8 billion, and together they account for 15.4% of total EU food and drinks exports.

For More Information

Joint Press Statement by Commissioner Phil Hogan and Minister Zhong Shan on the End of the Negotiations of an Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on Cooperation on, and Protection of, Geographical Indications

List of European geographical indications protected

List of Chinese geographical indications protected

Factsheet on the agreement

100 European geographical indications set to be protected in China

EU-China agri-food trade

This hotel in Hong Kong has opened a women-only speakeasy bar

Luxury Hong Kong hotel Rosewood has opened a ladies-only speakeasy bar, with views of the harbour and a bespoke cocktail menu.

Πηγή: This hotel in Hong Kong has opened a women-only speakeasy bar

Seven Questions You’re Too Embarrassed to Ask About Absinthe

words: Tim McKirdy

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Among the world’s many spirits, absinthe stakes a claim to being one of the most misunderstood.

It peaked in popularity (and infamy) during France’s Belle Époque era, followed by a rapid demise with reports of hallucinatory properties, harmful side effects, and decades-long bans in major worldwide markets. Now, however, all the claims that contributed to absinthe’s downfall have since been proven false.

Ready to dispel those myths for yourself? Here are seven questions you’re too afraid to ask about absinthe, answered.

What is absinthe?

Absinthe is an anise-flavored spirit infused with botanicals, most notably Artemisia absinthium (a type of wormwood), anise, and fennel — known jointly as the “holy trinity.” Quality versions are produced via multiple distillations of grape spirit, and are flavored using only fresh ingredients. It is highly alcoholic and usually bottled between 45 and 74 percent ABV.

Where is absinthe made?

Unlike Scotch or Champagne, absinthe is not a regionally protected product, so distillers around the world are free to make their own versions. The spirit’s history is closely tied to Switzerland and France, but production is now also common in the Czech Republic. In the U.S., a handful of craft producers currently offer domestic absinthes.

Why is absinthe green?

Absinthe gets its signature green hue from the chlorophyll from plants during the maceration of fresh ingredients. Nowadays, some distillers choose to add artificial colorings as well.

It’s worth noting, too, that not all absinthes are green. Absinthe blanche or La Bleue is a clear version of the liquor, most common in France and Switzerland.

Is absinthe illegal?

Absinthe is legal. Production ceased in France for most of the 20th century after scientists mistakenly linked thujone, a molecule present in wormwood, to hallucinations and brain damage. In the late 1980s, this was proven false and absinthe production was legalized once again.

Absinthe was banned in many countries around the world in 1912, including the U.S. The TTB legalized the spirit again in October 2007 after issuing new guidelines regarding thujone. All absinthe contains traces of thujone, but, to be legal in the United States, absinthe must contain less than 10 parts per million of thujone.

Does absinthe make you hallucinate?

No, it does not make you hallucinate. This common misconception is linked to inaccurate scientific experiments and poor-quality home distillates that flooded the market during the Belle Époque. These illicit absinthes may have contained poisonous ingredients and were often consumed in lead cups. As it happens, the only dangerous drug in modern-day absinthe is (strong) alcohol.

How should I drink it?

Due to its high alcohol content and potent flavor, absinthe should not be consumed as a shot. Rituals involving flaming sugar cubes are also not traditional and can be especially dangerous because of the spirit’s flammability.

Instead, like many other anise-flavored beverages (pastis, arak, ouzo, and raki), absinthe can be sipped, mixed into cocktails, or diluted with cold water and served over ice. In the latter preparation, the water is traditionally added drop by drop using an absinthe fountain until the spirit becomes cloudy. This phenomenon is known as the “louche” effect. Some drinkers may choose to first pass the water over a sugar cube, making the strong-tasting beverage more palatable.

Can I use absinthe in cocktails?

Absinthe is a mainstay in a number of classic cocktails, including the Sazerac, Corpse Reviver No. 2, and Tuxedo No. 2. Because of its potency, the ingredient is mainly used to rinse glassware, then dumped before the mixed cocktail is added. Despite this, its character is easily detectable and, just like dressing a salad with truffle oil, its beauty comes from controlled inclusion.

Published: October 9, 2019

Why alcohol consumption in Russia has fallen 40%

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2nd October, 2019 by Edith Hancock

Alcohol consumption in Russia has fallen by 43% since 2003, and its citizens are better for it, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Russians consume an average of just under 12 litres of pure alcohol each year, WHO said. While this is still a higher figure than the global average, a substantial decrease in consumption has meant that the country’s residents are living longer.

Male life expectancy hit a low of 56 in the 1990s, according to WHO, but has recovered significantly since people started drinking less. Life expectancy increased in 2018 to 68 years for men and 78 years for women.

The total rate of consumption per person fell by 43% between 2003 and 2016, with a 40% decline in recorded consumption and a 48% decline in unrecorded consumption.

Between 2003 and 2018, all-cause mortality dropped by 39% in men and by 36% in women, according to the report. The most substantial drops were observed in alcohol poisoning mortality, with a 73% decline in men and a 78% decline in women. Deaths from alcohol-related liver disease fell by 22% in men and by 24% in women. It also added that mortality from suicides dropped by 62% in men and by 61% in women.

The WHO credits Russian president Vladimir Putin for initiatives such as “restrictions on alcohol sales & promotion of healthy lifestyles, as well as excises on wine, beer and spirits.

Men in Russia drink almost three times as much as women, according to the organisation’s report, with men consuming just over 30 litres of alcohol annually. When it comes to types of alcohol, spirits and beer are the most popular, each making up 39% of total consumption.

The report, which was published on Tuesday, said that Russia “has long been considered one of the heaviest-drinking countries in the world,” adding that in the 1990s and early 2000s, research suggested that one in every two men of working age would die prematurely because of alcohol.

It said the decline in drinking over the course of the 21st Century could be attributed to “staggered implementation of alcohol policies”.

Under Vladimir Putin, the government has implemented a number of anti-alcohol policies, including a ban on shops selling any alcohol after 11pm, increases in the minimum retail price of spirits and an advertising blackout.

However,Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, is also one of the most influential anti-alcohol policymakers in the country’s recent history. In 2011, Medvenev signed a bill that meant that beer would be officially recognised as an alcoholic beverage in Russia. Until then, anything with an ABV below 10% was considered a foodstuff.

He also oversaw the implementation of a 200% tax hike on beer which came to effect in 2013.

IYPT 2019 Elements 029: Copper: The Statue of Liberty and blue blood | Compound Interest

Element 29 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is copper. Though it might not have copper’s characteristic orange-red colour, the Statue of Liberty is made of this metal, and it’s also found in our everyday lives in the wiring and electronic devices in our homes. The Statue of Liberty is coated in 80 tonnes of copper. Though it doesn’t have copper’s characteristic colour today, when it was first erected it did. Over time oxidation caused the formation of verdigris, which is mainly copper(II) carbonate hydroxide, giving it its green colour. Copper’s more everyday presence is in conduction of electricity. It finds use in wiring, electronics, and lightning conductors. The electric wiring in your house and some of the components in your electronic devices likely contain copper. While humans use an iron-containing protein, haemoglobin, to ferry oxygen to their bodies’ cells, this isn’t the case for all animals. Crustaceans use a copper-containing complex to

Πηγή: IYPT 2019 Elements 029: Copper: The Statue of Liberty and blue blood | Compound Interest

Is Athens, Greece the Best Cocktail City in Europe?

words: VinePair Staff

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For years, the main reasons to visit Athens were: to see the historical sites, to enjoy some tasty Greek food, or to kill time before heading to one of the innumerable Greek islands for sunshine and relaxation. Yet, while most of the rest of the world was dealing with the Great Recession by staying at home and abstaining from alcohol, Athenians went out and turned their city into perhaps Europe’s greatest cocktail destination.

On this week’s episode of the VinePair podcast, Adam and Zach are joined by Nikolas Smyrlakis, co-founder of the Finest Roots line of spirits, to discuss the explosion of craft cocktail bars in Athens, his focus on indigenous Greek ingredients, and why the Athens Bar Show has become the most anticipated event on the European cocktail calendar.

Mother’s Day Cocktails | Bevvy

Mother’s Day Cocktails (Raise a glass to mom with these delicious drinks.): How do you show your love and admiration for your mom on Mother’s Day? With a cocktail, of course. Whether it’s a light and bubbly brunch cocktail with breakfast in bed, something fruity to sip outside while you enjoy the spring weather, or a simple, elegant classic, there’s no better day to share a drink with mom. This collection features classics and modern favorites alike, with something for every palate. So whether you’re grabbing breakfast, dinner, or hitting the town for happy hour, we’ve got your Mother’s Day covered.

Πηγή: Mother’s Day Cocktails | Bevvy

Aging Homemade Whiskey – A Complete Guide To Making Your Own

Learn to Moonshine

 

Almost 80% of the flavor contained within whiskey or bourbon comes from the barrels they’re aged in. This is why oaking your homemade moonshine is such an important step that shouldn’t be skipped. Don’t think because you don’t have an oak barrel means you can’t age your moonshine, there are simple and cheap alternatives that will give you amazing results. In this article we’ll discuss the four variables that affect the end flavor of your spirit and how to age your moonshine with either oak cubes, chips or oak barrels.

Four Variables Affecting Flavor

1. Species of oak wood chips or barrel used
2. Amount of wood toasting and charring used
3. Amount of time wood is left to soak in the spirit
4. Proof or % abv you are aging your whiskey at

1. What Species of Oak Wood Chips or Barrel Should I Use?

Oak commonly infuses hints of caramel, toasty, nutty or vanilla notes into the alcohol it comes in contact with. Different species of Oak will give different flavor profiles. So some experimenting is necessary to achieve the desired flavor. Below is a list of the most common oak species used in flavoring bourbon and whisky and an explanation of what flavor you can expect from each.

• American White Oak – By far the most commonly used often described as having an intense oak flavor with high vanilla and aromatic compounds. These compounds include aldehydes and acids such as vanillin, vanillic acid and syringaldehyde. American white oak chips release these aromatics faster then other species so the wood needs less contact time with the alcohol.
• French Oak – Imparts a much softer oak flavor then the American White Oak. You’ll notice a sweet spice flavor with hints of allspice and cinnamon. French Oak chips have more flavor compounds and tannin’s then American white oak.
• Hungarian Oak Chips – Imparts a more pronounced oak flavor then American White Oak. You’ll notice hints of black pepper, roasted coffee, bittersweet chocolate and vanillin

For more on these flavor profiles here’s a good article that I came across online: An in depth look at aging and oaking alcohol. It goes in depth into the types of Oak, talks about chips vs cubes vs staves and get’s into the science a little more.

Where to Buy Oak chips and Cubes?

I’d recommend purchasing several different bags of oak chips or cubes from your local brew shop stick to the “medium toast” to get started. If you don’t have a brew shop near you. Purchasing online might be your best bet, here’s a few that I’d recommend:

• Hungarian Oak Cubes Medium Toast
• American Oak Cubes, Medium Toast
• American and French Oak Chips Medium Toast

One last thing to mention about the species of wood, you don’t have to use oak! There are a number of other species that will give your moonshine a wide array of interesting flavors including: Cherry, Hickory, Hard Maple, Soft Maple, Read Oak, White Ash and Yellow Birch. These woods can be hard to find in your local home brew shop. You may purchase them online or try making them at home. To help you in the process of toasting your own wood chips I’ve writing this article:”Toasting and Charring Wood Chips At Home – Get Unique flavors not available in stores”(just writing this article be up soon)

2. How Toasting and Charring Wood Impacts Flavor of Moonshine?

Show’s five oak barrels being
charred by fire. These will now be used to make whiskey

Toasting wood chips is the process of heating wood to produce flavor compounds not present in raw wood. Heating wood breaks down the molecular structure of hemicellulose, lingnin and cellulose that’s present. Heat converts hemicellulose into sugars and degrading lignin, releasing flavor compounds like vanillin, guaiacol, eugenol and phenols. By toasting at different temperatures and different amounts of time you can create different flavor profiles. Below is a chart that demonstrates the different flavors that can be achieved by toasting at specific temperatures for a 3 hour time period. Time will vary depending on if your toasting oak cubes, chips or staves. Obviously oak chips will toast much faster then a stave. It is best to toast for 1 hour then check your wood .

Show’s toasting temperature vs aroma intensity when toasting American White Oak

The diagram above illustrates how heat affects flavor characteristics that develop at various temperatures in American Oak wood chips. This chart is not entirely accurate as the exact levels of hemicellulose, lignin, cellulose and tannins present in the wood can vary the flavor profile shown above but it does give you a good idea of what to expect. If your interested in toasting your own wood chips, cubes or staves check out “How to Toast and Char Wood Chips At Home“

Charring Oak Wood Chips or Cubes for Aging Moonshine

Charring differs from toasting in that we physically burn the wood with an open flame until the wood becomes black. Charring forms new chemicals in the wood while destroying others, it opens pores into the wood increasing surface area in contact with the alcohol. This speeds up the maturation process of the final product and can contribute color, honey, vanillin, spice, and a wide range of other flavors to the final spirit. The charring created during this process acts like an activate carbon filter, eliminating sulfur compounds and various unwanted congeners in the distillate. But not all congerners are bad, in fact we want to maintain many of these flavors in the final spirit. Which is why we need to be careful of over charring, generally we want a low to medium Char.

How to Char your own oak chips, cubes or staves?

Using a propane touch lightly burn your wood cubes, chips or staves. Keep in mind the average oak barrel only burns for between 5 – 25 seconds. So be careful not to over char it.

3. Amount of time wood is left to soak in the moonshine ?

When moonshine is aged on oak that has been charred and toasted it is transformed from a harsh, burning distillate into a smooth often sweet whiskey. The amount of time required will depend on if your using chips, cubes or staves. But generally speaking the longer it ages on wood, the smoother and more flavorful it will become. Below you’ll find a rough guide to how long each should be left in your distillate as a minimum.

• Oak Chips – 20-30 grams per quart 2- 4 months
• Cubes – 1/2″ cubes 8 cubes per quart 3-6 months
• Staves – 6″ long by 1″ thick 3-12 months

You may find the oak chips will quickly add color and flavor but this does not mean your whiskey is ready to drink. It takes time for the harsh, burning flavor of the alcohol to be absorbed by the wood. Over oaking is possible with wood chips so it’s best to take a small sample every week or so to test the flavor. You may also want to split your moonshine up into several jars and vary the amount of oak cubes or chips you put in each one, this will allow you to experiment and see what you prefer. If you just can’t wait 3-12 months you can use a smoothing agent like glycerin to mellow the harshness of your moonshine. It’s cheating but I’ve had some good results with it.

Moonshine aging on medium toasted oak

Where should I store Aging Moonshine on Oak?

If your aging your moonshine on oak it’s best to keep it in a hot place that experience large temperature swings with periodically agitation. When the temperature rises whiskey is absorbed into the wood where it dissolves tannins, sugars and other flavor compounds. When the temperature falls the wood expels the whiskey as it contracts. This will speed up the aging process. Once you bottle your whiskey and remove the wood you should store in a dark, cool, dry place.

4. What proof to age and oak moonshine at ?

To age and oak whiskey or bourbon it’s best to dilute it to 100 – 130 proof (50 – 65 % ABV). There are two commonly used standards, I’d suggest you try both concentrations and compare the results to see which you prefer. Distillate should be diluted as follows:

• Dilute to 110 proof (55 % abv) the traditional American standard
• Dilute to 125 proof ( 62.5% abv) the traditional Scotch standard

Be mindful the more water you add, the more water soluble components can be extracted from the wood, if you drop below 100 proof the esterfication process is inhibited. The more alcohol added, the more oil soluble components can be extracted from the wood. A higher proof often tends to extract more tanins giving the spirit a sharpness. A lower proof tends to be softer and able to extract more vanillis. This is why the 110 -125 proof range has proven ideal for oaking whiskey.

Can I Age Whiskey In Glass?

All major distilleries age their whiskey in oak barrel but this doesn’t mean you can’t age your whiskey in glass. If you’re aging whiskey in glass it’s important to leave it open to the atmosphere, this will allow oxidation and off gassing of higher volatiles. There are three methods to aging whiskey in glass mason jars:

• Coffee Filter Method – Place a coffee filter over the top of the jar and screw on the mason jar ring over it.
• Cork Method – Purchase a few wide mouth cork stoppers for your mason jars or if your aging in a carboy loosely place cork stopper in top.
• Oak mason jar lids – You can make or buy a few oak mason jar lids and replace the standard steel lids.

Don’t forget to add some toasted wood cubes or chips to your jars.

How To Make Homemade Whiskey – Follow these 5 steps:

1. Add 20 -30 grams of oak chips or 8 oak cubes per quart of whiskey diluted to 55% abv in glass jar.
2. Place coffee filter over top of jar using an elastic band to keep in place, allow 1 -2 weeks for oxidation of volatile compounds to occur.
3. Sample whiskey every 2 weeks by watering down to 40 % abv using a hydrometer. If desired flavor is achieved proceed to step 4, otherwise let stand for an additional 2 weeks. Sample again until required flavor is obtained. Oaking can take up to 3 months depending on the amount of flavor and color want.
4. Place two coffee filters inside a funnel and poor the spirit into your aging container through the funnel and filter. This will remove wood chips and sediment from your whiskey. I use a 23 L glass carboy but you can also use an oak barrel but these are expensive.
5. Place a cork lightly in the top of the carboy and put your final product in a dark cool room.

Here’s a video that show’s the process of adding Oak chips to a batch of homemade whiskey.

Aging Spirits With Glycerine

Proper aging of a whiskey or bourbon can take years, the quality whiskeys you buy in stores are aged for 10 + years before being consumed. It’s possible to get a similar taste and quality of sprite by artificially aging your spirit to smooth it out. Glycerine is used to accomplish this and can be purchased at your local Home brew store. Try adding a 1/2 oz to 40 oz of homemade whiskey before drinking. I won’t go into detail on how this all works as I’ve already done this in this article : How Glycerine Is Used To Age Homemade Moonshine

Flavouring and Infusions

I’ve also had fantastic results with flavouring spirits including vodka and whiskey with herbs, spices and fruits. If your feeling adventurous try adding cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla or maple syrup to a jar of whiskey. Just be careful how much you add because some can be overpowering.  Also try adding strawberries, kiwi or mango’s to a jar of Vodka and leave it for 2 months to absorb the flavours .

I’d love to hear your method of aging your homemade moonshine just leave me a comment below. Also if you have any question on aging spirits feel free to ask I’ll do my best to help! Feel free to join our Facebook group too it’s a great place to network with like minded people.