Alcoholic drinks, how to use

© Janneke's Recipe pages - tips and tricks

Armagnac:

Wine-distillation, alcohol percentage 40-43%, taste: plum and hazelnut, delicious at a cup coffee.

Asti Spumante:

Sweet sparkling wine from Italy, drink deliciously cold.

Benedictine:

French convent herbs liquor, alcohol percentage 43%, delicious as digestief (after diner).

Bordeaux wine:

Available in red and white. White serving at fish and red at red meat, mushrooms and cheeses (but according to me: drink the one YOU like best!).

Bourbon:

American whisky, made of corn, alcohol percentage 40%. Charcoal/caramel taste.

Bourgogne:

See Bordeaux

Champagne:

Sparkling wine from the wine area Champagne. Drinking temperature of ± 8°C.

Best served in champagne flutes: bubbles and tastes better that way.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape:

Wine with 1 of the highest alcohol percentages: 12%. Drinkable after 3-10 years therefore a real "keeper".

Chianti:

Ruby-red one wine from Toscane. The Classico is 3 years or older, the famous basket bottles contain young Chianti.

Dry wine which tastes great at noodles and pizza.

Cider:

French apple cider from Normandië or Bretagne. 1.1% alcohol.

Summerbowl: 6 apples in pieces, mix in a large bowl with 2 bottles cider and let rest for 2 hours. Dilute with a bottle Sekt.

Cognac:

Distillation from wines made around the French city Cognac. If not, the drink is called "Eau de vie". Never keep in the fridge, best served on body temperature (therefore the rolling round in the glass). Mature for at least 3 years.

Dessert wines:

Port, Marsala, Madeira, sherry, muscate wine.

Gin:

Most used for cocktails and mixing. 43% alcohol.

Grappa:

Italian distilled: 50% alcohol. Made from the remains of the wine. Red: powerful taste, white: enthusiastic. Grappa del Ruta contains rue (a plant).

Jenever:

The Dutch "Klare", similar to gin but with a additive of juniper berries and herbs. Available as young and old jenever. the last is extra distilled and sold in stones pitcher.

Herbs-bitters:

Appetizer and digestive drinks, like as beerenburg and Underberg.

Port:

A port of 10 years old is still considered "young". Tawny (=brown-red) is 15-20 years old and very old tawny can be up to 40 years old.

First published: April 12, 2003, Netherlands