A sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of northeast France, primarily from the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. After the frst fermentation the special character of the wine is created during a second fermentation in the bottle, with the addition of sugar and yeast to create the famous bubbles. This process is called the méthode champenoise, or Champagne method, and it is the benchmark of style for sparkling wines-though the word “Champagne” can only be on wine made there. The major styles of Champagne are determined by sugar content, from the driest style Brut or Natural to Extra Dry to Demi Sec, and then the sweetest, Doux. Champagne is bottled as a vintage and nonvintage wine, the former of which must be made from no less than 80% grapes from the vintage date, and aged a minimum of 3 years.
Archive for January, 2012
Champagne
By AcaZ | Filed in Cocktail ingredientsCelery Salt
By AcaZ | Filed in Cocktail ingredients
Celery salt is found in hangover helpers (“pick-me-ups”) and vegetable juice creations. It has quite a strong flavor, so use it sparingly!
Celery salt is a flavored salt used as a food seasoning, made from ground seeds, which may come from celery or its relative lovage. These ground seeds are mixed with salt, either table salt or sea salt.
Celery salt is an ingredient of the Bloody Mary cocktail and the Caesar cocktail. It is also commonly used to season the famous Chicago-style hot dog, the New York System wiener, salads, and stews. It can also be used to liven up a coleslaw. It is a primary ingredient in Old Bay brand seasoning.
Celery Juice
By AcaZ | Filed in Cocktail ingredients
You can buy celery juice in a health food store, or make it yourself from fresh celery. It’s not used very often by bartenders – at the most in rather strange vegetable juice mixes.
Celery juice is highly nutritious and one of the most hydrating foods we can put in our bodies. Because it is incredibly alkalizing, it equalizes the body’s PH, which is vital for peak health. In ancient times, it was considered a medicinal herb used to treat a variety of health complaints. The minerals and vitamins and nutrients are in perfect harmony with each other. Celery leaves are high in vitamin A, whilst the stems are an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C and dense in potassium, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium and essential amino acids.
Carrot Juice
By AcaZ | Filed in Cocktail ingredients
Carrot juice is not a traditional bar ingredient, though it is finding its place in mostly non-alchoholic mixtures of different vegetable juices.
Carrot juice is juice produced from carrots, often consumed as a health drink. Carrot juice has a particularly high content of β-carotene, a source of vitamin A, but it is also high in B complex vitamins like folate, and many minerals including calcium, copper, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and iron. A pound (454 g) of carrots will yield about a cup (236 ml, US, or 284 ml, Imperial) of juice, which is a low yield compared to fruits like apples and oranges. However, carrot pulp is very tough; the main difficulty in juicing carrots is in separating the pulp from the juice.
Carrot juice has a uniquely sweet flavour of concentrated carrots. Unlike many juices it is opaque.
Canadian Whisky
By AcaZ | Filed in Cocktail ingredients
Canadian whisky is a type of whisky produced in Canada. Of all the different types of whisky, the Canadian variety has the gentlest, mildest taste.
The main ingredients, as with the American bourbon, are mainly rye and corn. The double-distilled Canadian whisky is stored in casks of fresh oak, which gives it a very light color. This makes it ideal for mixed drinks.
Canada has been making distilled spirits for over two centuries according to Canadian Distillers Association. The first Canadian distillery was opened in Quebec City in 1769. By the 1840s, there were over 200 distilleries in Canada.
Campari
By AcaZ | Filed in Cocktail ingredients
In 1867, the Milan bar owner Caspar Davide Campari created a sour brandy which today is probably the most famous aperitif in the world.
According to his recipe, which is still kept a secret to this day, citrus fruit peels are mixed with different herbs to create the ruby-red, spicy, sweet Campari.
Campari is an alcoholic apéritif (20.5%, 21%, 25% or 28% ABV, depending on the country in which it is sold) obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruit (including chinotto) in alcohol and water. It is a bitters characterized by its dark red color.
Campari is often used in cocktails and is commonly served with soda water, wine, or citrus juice. It is produced by the Campari Group, a multi-national company based in Italy.
The history of Campari began in 1860 with its invention by Gaspare Campari in Novara, Italy. The original recipe still in use today is kept confidential. According to Gruppo Campari, only one person in the world knows the entire formula. It was originally colored with carmine dye, derived from crushed cochineal insects, which gave the drink its distinctive red color.
In 1904, Campari’s first production plant was opened in Sesto San Giovanni, near Milan, Italy. The company required bars that bought Campari to display the Campari Bitters sign. Under the direction of Davide Campari, Gaspare’s son, the company began to export the beverage, first to Nice in the heart of the French Riviera, then overseas. The Campari brand is now distributed in over 190 countries.
In the Italian market, Campari mixed with soda water is sold in individual bottles as Campari Soda (10% alcohol by volume). Campari Soda is packaged in a distinctive bottle that was designed by Fortunato Depero in 1932. Campari is said to have been the inspiration for other bitter sweet drinks such as Kinnie, produced in Malta since 1952.
Campari is an essential ingredient in the classic Negroni cocktail, the Garibaldi cocktail, and in the Americano, which was named at a time when few Americans were aware of Campari.
Calvados
By AcaZ | Filed in Cocktail ingredients
France’s best-known apple brandy comes from the Normandy region and is named after the Département Calvados, an area which produces a great deal of apple wine and apple brandy.
After it is distilled, Calvados is normally stored for two and sometimes five or more years in oak casks. This gives it its special character.
Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known Norman distillation was carried out by “Lord” de Gouberville in 1554, and the guild for cider distillation was created about 50 years later in 1606. In the 17th century the traditional ciderfarms expanded but taxation and prohibition of cider brandies were enforced elsewhere than Brittany, Maine and Normandy. The area called “Calvados” was created after the French Revolution, but “eau de vie de cidre” was already called “calvados” in common usage. In the 19th century
Cachaca
By AcaZ | Filed in Cocktail ingredients
Cachaca is a Brazilian brandy, made directly from the juice of the sugar cane. It typically has a soft taste and mild aroma.
The best-known of the Cachaca products is the light-yellow colored Pitu.
It is the most popular distilled alcoholic beverage in Brazil. It is also known as aguardente, pinga, caninha and many other names.
Cachaça is mostly produced in Brazil, where, according to 2007 figures, 1.5 billion litres (390 million gallons) are consumed annually, compared with 15 million litres (4.0 million gallons) outside the country. It is typically between 38% and 48% alcohol by volume. When it is homemade it can be as strong as the distiller wants. Up to six grams per litre of sugar may be added. The major difference between cachaça and rum is that rum is usually made from molasses, a by-product from refineries that boil the cane juice to extract as much sugar crystal as possible, while cachaça is made from fresh sugarcane juice that is fermented and distilled. However, many rums are also made from distilled sugar cane juice. That’s why cachaça is also known as Brazilian rum.
Broth
By AcaZ | Filed in Cocktail ingredients
Strongly seasoned broth is a fantastic basis for effective hangover helpers. The French (what else) term “Consommé” is often used to refer to broth.
Consomme is crystal clear while broth will almost always have some suspended materials in it.
Broth is made by simmering vegetables or meat and bones for some time, until the flavor of the simmered food has infused the water. The stock or broth is then usually poured through a strainer to remove most of the particles, bones, skin, and the meat. It’s used this way, with no further processing.
Consomme is cleared by adding a step: after sieving as above, egg whites are added to the hot broth or stock. As the egg whites cook, they precipitate into the stock, and begin to bind with some of the particles in the broth. They then rise to the top, appearing as scum or foam. Once the foam cap has formed, pouring off the broth from below, while leaving the cap undisturbed will produce consomme – a broth as clear of suspended particles as water.
Brandy
By AcaZ | Filed in Cocktail ingredients
“Brandy” is a global English term to represent distilled wine. English-speaking countries use the term to describe what in other countries is either brandy or cognac.
Since brandy is not limited to any certain area, you’ll find a much greater selection of products and price ranges under the category “brandy” than under the category “cognac”. Nowadays, the typical brandy comes from Spain and Portugal, where they use a special southern European variety of grape to give the spirit a softer, slightly sweet flavor.
When making mixed drinks you can always substitute brandy if you run out of cognac.
Some brandies are aged in wooden casks, while some are simply coloured with caramel colouring to imitate the effect of such aging (and some brandies are produced using a combination of both aging and colouring).


