How were whisky,beer,vodka, made from.?!
How were whisky,beer,vodka, made from.?
Answers: vodka and whiskey are are a alcoholic distillate from a fermented mash of grain. whiskey however, is distilled at a low proof to retain flavor congeners. Vodka then processed still further to extract all congeners.
Beer however is fermented and brewed form barley, corn, hops, water and yeast. in theory you can make vodka and whiskey out of anything with sugar in it. Beer is more grains like oats wheat corn etc...
Most of the vodka today however is made from grains i know at least stoli and smirnoff are. as for JD idk. beer is made from water, malt, hops, and yeast. scotch is made from malted barley, whiskey is made from grain (corn, rye, malt, malted rye, wheat), and vodka is made from potatoes, corn, wheat, and even tundra grass. Vodka is grain alcohol (usually wheat, sometimes potatoes), filtered to remove most of the flavor. The better the vodka, the more times it is filtered, therefore the less flavor it has. Aging is not required. Whiskey is grain (corn or rye) alcohol which is aged in wooden barrels to add flavor. Whiskey and vodka, as well as all other liquors, are distilled (boiled) to turn sugar to alcohol. Beer, made from water, barley, hops and sometimes other grains, is not distilled, but, like wine, gets it's alcohol from fermentation (the addition of yeast, which turns sugar to alcohol). See link to the site below. It tells you the history of spirits,etc and includes a video from a Scottish whisky distillery. Beer is made from grain...the starches are converted to sugars (called "mashing) and then yeast is added which then eats the sugars and produces alcohol and CO2 (called "fermentation"). Usually malted barley is the grain of choice for beer, but any grains can be used (rye, oats, corn, rice, wheat, etc.) Hops is added for flavor, aroma, bitterness, and it's preservative qualities.
Wine is any fruit (most often grapes) that is crushed/juiced and has yeast added, again for the fermentation process. Any fruit can be used, though. Most fruit wines have added sugar because unlike grapes, the fruit doesn't have the same amount of natural sugars.
Whiskey is essentially beer without hops that's been distilled. The ingredients can range from barley, wheat, rye, corn, millet, oats...virtually any starchy cereal grain you can think of can be made into beer and thus whiskey.
Single malt whiskey (whisky for the Scots) is purely barley and distilled at a single distillery.
Bourbon is an American whiskey that has by law >51% corn in its list of ingredients...many will tell you it must be made in Kentucky, but this isn't true, though the vast majority of Bourbon distilleries *are* in Kentucky, there a few exceptions. Time in the barrels also is a factor.
Scotch is simply short for "Scotch Whisky" (with no 'e' in the spelling...they like it this way) and simply refers to whisky made exclusively in Scotland and by law has to be aged 3 or more years in wood casks to be called "Scotch."
Brandy is merely distilled wine. Specialty brandies such as Cognac and Armagnac are made in specific geographic regions and of certain wines to be called such by French Law. This is the same with "Champagne" being exclusively from the Champagne region and all others are "sparkling wine."
Rum is made from sugar cane and it's byproducts (molasses) and is pretty simple. Fermented cane juice or molasses or combinations of each are then distilled...sometimes multiple times. Light rum is not aged, or aged very shortly. It has the least flavor and is good for mixed drinks. Darker rum has been aged, sometimes with flavors or spices and is suited for some mixed drinks, but the older it is, the more suited for sipping it becomes...similar to fine brandies or whiskies.
Vodka isn't exclusively from potatoes. In fact, it's increasingly rare that it is made from potatoes in that they are more expensive as an ingredient for the whole distilling cycle. You'll find that most vodkas are distilled from grain...the same as whiskey, but more and more thoroughly so that there is minimal/no flavor left in the distillate. It's also not aged or barreled and therefore remains crystal clear and colorless.
Actually all brown spirits (whiskey, brandy, rum) derive the majority of their color and flavor from the wooden casks that they are aged in. When distilled, they all...yes, *ALL* come out crystal clear and colorless. Caramel color may be added in the cheaper varieties, and dark rums will frequently have molasses added back for a richer flavor (which is not necessarily characteristic of the cheaper varieties).
Tequila is fermented agave juice which is then distilled. The different colors/grades relate to the amount of aging. Like Cognac etc. "Tequila" only comes from a certain region of Mexico, and is exclusively Blue Agave...all others are "Mezcal"
Gin is neutral spirits (like vodka) which are flavored via various methods with primarly juniper berries and also other botanicals.
Ouzo, Pernod, and Absinthe belong to a group of spirits called "Pastis" (I forget the meaning exactly). These are all primarily flavored with anise and liquorice and when water is added, the oils from the infused botanicals un-dissolve and turn the drink milky. Absinthe is unique in that it contanise wormwood as one of its botanicals. Wormwood contains thujone which is a controversial substance which renders it illegal in a majority of countries. It is said to make the drinker hallucinate...often called "seeing the green fairie" as Absinthe is colored green. The truth is that Absinthe is *extremely* alcoholic relative to other spirits (65% alcohol and up) and is traditionally drunk with water poured through a sugar cube (lighting the sugar cube on fire is optional) which reduces the strength for drinking.