"employed to make medicinal tinctures. The maceration creates a natural golden-amber color, although many other producers, such as Campari and Cynar that use Turin-style recipes dye their product carmine red. The final liquid is then filtered, reduced in alcoholic strength and sweetened with sugar before bottling. Gran Classico Bitter is consumed straight or with ice, mixed with seltzer water or beer, and as an ingredient in cocktails, in the same fashion as other bitters or amaros. It is most frequently chosen as an alternative to Campari in the Negroni cocktail and its variations. Gran Classico Bitter is imported into the"
"Bitters A bitters is traditionally an alcoholic preparation flavored with botanical matter so that the end result is characterized by a bitter, sour, or bittersweet flavor. Numerous longstanding brands of bitters were originally developed as patent medicines, but now are sold as digestifs, sometimes with herbal properties, and cocktail flavorings. The botanical ingredients used in preparing bitters have historically consisted of aromatic herbs, bark, roots, and/or fruit for their flavour and medicinal properties. Some of the more common ingredients are cascarilla, cassia, gentian, orange peel, and cinchona bark. Most bitters contain both water and alcohol, the latter of which functions"
"Absinthe Absinthe (; ) is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage (45–74% ABV / 90–148 U.S. proof). It is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from botanicals, including the flowers and leaves of ""Artemisia absinthium"" (""grand wormwood""), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. Absinthe traditionally has a natural green colour, but may also be colourless. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as """""""" (the green fairy). It is sometimes mistakenly referred to as a liqueur, but it is not traditionally bottled with added sugar and is, therefore, classified as a spirit. Absinthe"
"as a solvent for botanical extracts as well as a preservative. The alcoholic strength of bitters varies widely across different brands and styles. The earliest origins of bitters can be traced back as far as the ancient Egyptians, who may have infused medicinal herbs in jars of wine. This practice was further developed during the Middle Ages, where the availability of distilled alcohol coincided with a renaissance in pharmacognosy, which made possible far more concentrated herbal bitters and tonic preparations. Many of the various brands and styles of digestive bitters made today reflect herbal stomachic and tonic preparations whose roots"
"An apéritif is any alcoholic beverage usually served before a meal to stimulate the appetite, while a digestif is any alcoholic beverage served after a meal for the stated purpose of improving digestion. Fortified wine, liqueurs, and dry champagne are common apéritifs. Because apéritifs are served before dining, they are usually dry rather than sweet. One example is Cinzano, a brand of vermouth. Digestifs include brandy, fortified wines and herb-infused spirits (Drambuie). Pure ethanol tastes bitter to humans; some people also describe it as sweet. However, ethanol is also a moderately good solvent for many fatty substances and essential oils."
"raised to 20–30 % alcohol by volume. Home production of applejack is popular in Europe. A few producers in Quebec and England, inspired by ice wine, have developed ice cider (French: ""cidre de glace""). For this product, the apples are frozen either before or after being harvested. Its alcohol concentration is 9–13 % ABV. A popular apéritif in Normandy is ""pommeau"", a drink produced by blending unfermented apple juice and apple brandy in the barrel (the high alcoholic content of the spirit prevents fermentation of the juice and the blend takes on the character of the aged barrel). Cocktails may"
"Apéritif and digestif Apéritifs () and digestifs () are drinks, typically alcoholic, that are normally served before (apéritif) or after (digestif) a meal. An apéritif is an alcoholic beverage usually served before a meal to stimulate the appetite, and is therefore usually dry rather than sweet. Common choices for an apéritif are vermouth; champagne; pastis; gin; rakı; fino, amontillado or other styles of dry sherry (but not usually cream or oloroso sherry, which is very sweet and rich); and any still, dry, light white wine. An ""apéritif"" may also be an hors d'oeuvre or amuse-bouche preceding a meal, such as"
"orange bitters, the flavor of which ranges from dryly aromatic to fruity, and is most commonly made from the rinds of Seville oranges and various spices. Orange bitters are commonly called for in older cocktail recipes. Bitters prepared from the tree bark containing the antimalarial quinine were occasionally included in historical cocktail recipes, which served to mask the intensely bitter flavor of this medicine. Trace quantities of quinine are still included as a flavoring in tonic water, which is used today mostly in drinks with gin. Digestive bitters are typically consumed either neat or with ice at the end of"
"a local producer makes a bitter brännvin (beskbrännvin), called Jeppson's Malört. ""Malört"" (""ma-laert"") is the Swedish word for the plant ""Artemisia absinthium"", wormwood, often used as an ingredient in absinthe. Brännvin was central to the semi-mythical world in the songs of Sweden's bard, Carl Michael Bellman. For example, in Fredman's Epistle no. 1, the first verse begins: Brännvin Brännvin is the Swedish term for liquor distilled from potatoes, grain, or (formerly) wood cellulose. It can be plain and colourless, or flavoured with herbs and spices. The term includes vodka and akvavit, but akvavit is always flavored. Beverages labelled ""brännvin"" are"
"alcohol at approximately 38% ABV and above, but not in water. Diluting the spirit causes it to separate creating an emulsion, whose fine droplets scatter the light. This process is called louching, and is also found while preparing absinthe. Similar aperitifs include oghi (from Armenia), mastika from Bulgaria and Macedonia, rakı from Turkey, pastis (France), and arak (from the Levant). Its aniseed flavour is also similar to the anise-flavoured liqueurs of sambuca (Italy) and anís (Spain) and the stronger spirits of absinthe (France and Switzerland). Aguardiente (Colombia), made from sugar cane, is also similar. The Italian drink ""Pallini Mistra,"" named"
"include ""The Hasher's Delirium"" (1910) by Émile Cohl, an early pioneer in the art of animation, as well as two different silent films, each entitled ""Absinthe"", from 1913 and 1914 respectively. On November 9, 2018, the alternative rock band I Don't Know How But They Found Me released a song titled ""Absinthe"" as part of their 1981 Extended Play. Absinthe Absinthe (; ) is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage (45–74% ABV / 90–148 U.S. proof). It is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from botanicals, including the flowers and leaves of ""Artemisia absinthium"" (""grand wormwood""), together with green anise,"
"bitter and sweet oranges, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Once they reach the herbalist’s workshop, the botanicals undergo three different forms of extraction: boiling, maceration and distillation. After this, twelve mother essences are taken and synthesized into six tasting notes: bitter and herbaceous, spicy and floral, chocolate and caramel, fresh and balsamic, vanilla and red fruits, and warm and tropical. One final element is added to these six notes, called ""Premio""; it is the final and fundamental ingredient of the secret recipe. The Premio is the result of micro-distillation of five botanicals. Just one liter for every 15,000 is enough to"
"Gran Classico Bitter Gran Classico Bitter is an alcoholic apéritif/digestif (28% alcohol - 56 proof) created following the ""Italian Bitter of Turin"" recipe dating from the 1860s. This recipe, which was originally produced under the name Torino Gran Classico, had been purchased in 1925 from a Turin-based distillery by the small Swiss distillery E. Luginbühl, located near Bern. It is made by soaking a mixture of 25 aromatic herbs and roots including wormwood, gentian, bitter orange, rhubarb, and hyssop in an alcohol/water solution in order to extract their flavors and aromas. This process is similar to that which was originally"
"can be flavoured with many botanicals including cinchona bark (the source of quinine), gentian root and fruit, and typically don't contain wormwood, or flavours of wormwood, that vermouths historically have. Two types include Quinquina and Americano. Quinquina uses cinchona as a main flavouring ingredient. Brands of this type of aromatised wine aperitif include Lillet, Dubonnet and Byrrh. Americano uses gentian root as the main flavouring ingredient. The name comes from the Italian 'Amer' meaning bitter, rather than any reference to 'America'. Brands of this type of aromatised wine aperitif include Cocchi Americano and Vergano Americano. Lillet is a French aromatised"
"Orange bitters Orange bitters is a form of bitters, a cocktail flavoring made from the peels of Seville oranges, cardamom, caraway seed, coriander and burnt sugar in an alcohol base. Orange bitters, which are not to be confused with standard Angostura bitters, are currently enjoying a resurgence among cocktail enthusiasts. For many years, it was difficult to find orange bitters in the United States and elsewhere. Because of this, some cocktail recipes which traditionally contained orange bitters may now exclude that ingredient. Renowned mixologist Gary Regan created Regan's Orange Bitters in the 1990s. Regan's are bottled and sold by the"
"Akvavit Akvavit or aquavit (; also akevitt in Norwegian) is a distilled spirit that is principally produced in Scandinavia, where it has been produced since the 15th century. Akvavit is distilled from grain and potatoes, and is flavoured with a variety of herbs. Akvavit is also popular in Germany and the American Midwest. Akvavit gets its distinctive flavour from spices and herbs, and the dominant flavour must (according to the European Union) come from a distillate of caraway and/or dill seed. It typically contains 40% alcohol by volume or 80 proof (U.S.) The EU has established a minimum of 37.5%"
"to whether the difference is even perceptible. The traditional génépi from the Province of Cuneo has been selected by the Italian Slow Food Foundation as an Ark of Taste product. Génépi Génépi or génépy (in French) or ""genepì"" (in Italian) is a traditional herbal liqueur or aperitif popularized in the Alpine regions of Europe. ""Genepi"" also refers to alpine plants of the genus ""Artemisia"" (commonly called ""wormwood"") that provide the liqueur's flavor and color, and the French Savoy region adjacent to the Aosta Valley, where the plants grow and where the beverage originated. Genepi liqueur is related to absinthe in"
"perceive it as unpleasant, sharp, or disagreeable, but it is sometimes desirable and intentionally added via various bittering agents. Common bitter foods and beverages include coffee, unsweetened cocoa, South American mate, bitter gourd, olives, citrus peel, many plants in the family Brassicaceae, dandelion greens, wild chicory, and escarole. The ethanol in alcoholic beverages tastes bitter, as do the additional bitter ingredients found in some alcoholic beverages including hops in beer and orange in bitters. Quinine is also known for its bitter taste and is found in tonic water. Bitterness is of interest to those who study evolution, as well as"
"Byrrh Byrrh is an aromatised wine-based apéritif made of red wine, mistelle, and quinine. Created in 1866 and a trademark since 1873, it was popular as a French apéritif. With its marketing and reputation as a ""hygienic drink"", Byrrh sold well in the early 20th century. It was even exported, despite the similarity of its name to ""beer"", complicating sales in English- and German-language speaking regions. Byrrh was sold in the United States until Prohibition. As of 2012, Byrrh has been reintroduced to the United States. Brothers Pallade and Simon Violet, itinerant drapers from Thuir (France), decided to take advantage"
"refrigerated. The same name is also given both to a flavouring essence whose taste resembles bitter almonds and a light biscuit. Ratafia Ratafia is a term used for two types of sweet alcoholic beverage, either a fortified wine or a fruit-based beverage. The former is a type of ""mistelle"", a mixture of marc brandy and the unfermented juice of the grape, and is the type produced in France. The latter is a liqueur or cordial flavoured with lemon peel and herbs in various amounts (nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, mint, rosemary, anise, etc.), typically combined with sugar. It may also be prepared"
"ailments, and to aid digestion. These claims are presented with little in the way of scientific evidence to support them, though empirical evidence provides for a very large database of positive results. The alcoholic ""Swedish bitters"" is purported to have a similar flavor to ""Angostura bitters"", though perhaps drier. Nowadays, it is more common to prepare Swedish bitters from a dry herbs mixture The following herbs are added to alcohol to make Swedish Bitters: There are variations on this recipe and herbal shops supply alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions of the drink. Maria Treben's book contains 9 pages on this bitter,"
"plant was prepared separately and then added back to 'augment' (increase) the alcoholic tincture. The roots of the word therefore refer first to the extraction or separation process and then to the recombining process. These herbal tinctures are alleged to have superior medicinal properties to simple alcohol tinctures, perhaps due the formation of soap-like compounds from the essential oils and the basic salts contained within the ash. In theory these spagyrics can also optionally include material from fermentation of the plant material and also any aromatic component such as might be obtained through distillation. The final spagyric should be a"
"Génépi Génépi or génépy (in French) or ""genepì"" (in Italian) is a traditional herbal liqueur or aperitif popularized in the Alpine regions of Europe. ""Genepi"" also refers to alpine plants of the genus ""Artemisia"" (commonly called ""wormwood"") that provide the liqueur's flavor and color, and the French Savoy region adjacent to the Aosta Valley, where the plants grow and where the beverage originated. Genepi liqueur is related to absinthe in that its namesake botanicals are of the genus ""Artemisia"", but like Chartreuse, it is a liqueur (contains sugar) and traditionally taken neat. Like many European herbal liqueurs, especially those used"
"Latin America, apéritifs have been a staple of tapas for centuries. There is no single alcoholic drink that is always served as an apéritif. Fortified wine, liqueur, and dry champagne are probably the most common choices. Because it is served before dining, the emphasis is usually on dry rather than sweet, as a general guideline. A digestif is an alcoholic beverage served after a meal, to aid digestion. When served after a coffee course, it may be called ""pousse-café"". Digestifs are usually taken neat. Common kinds of digestif include: Bitter digestifs typically contain carminative herbs, which are thought to aid"
"Amaro (liqueur) Amaro (Italian for ""bitter"") is an Italian herbal liqueur that is commonly consumed as an after-dinner digestif. It usually has a bitter-sweet flavour, sometimes syrupy, and has an alcohol content between 16% and 40%. Similar liqueurs have traditionally been produced throughout Europe. There are local varieties in Germany (where they are called ""Kräuterlikör""), in Hungary, the Netherlands, and France. But the term ""amaro"" is applied only to Italian products of this kind. Amaro is typically produced by macerating herbs, roots, flowers, bark, and/or citrus peels in alcohol, either neutral spirits or wine, mixing the filtrate with sugar syrup,"
"Ratafia Ratafia is a term used for two types of sweet alcoholic beverage, either a fortified wine or a fruit-based beverage. The former is a type of ""mistelle"", a mixture of marc brandy and the unfermented juice of the grape, and is the type produced in France. The latter is a liqueur or cordial flavoured with lemon peel and herbs in various amounts (nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, mint, rosemary, anise, etc.), typically combined with sugar. It may also be prepared with peach or cherry kernels, bitter almonds, or other fruits, as many different varieties are made. The liqueur is typical of"
"and 20% ABV (30–40 proof), though some may be much higher. Schnapps Schnapps ( or ) or schnaps is a type of alcoholic beverage that may take several forms, including distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, and ""flavored liqueurs"" made by adding fruit syrups, spices, or artificial flavorings to neutral grain spirits. The English loanword ""schnapps"" is derived from the colloquial German word ""Schnaps"" (plural: ""Schnäpse"") which is used in reference to spirit drinks. The word ""Schnaps"" stems from Low German language and is related to the German term """"schnappen"""", which refers to the fact that the spirit or liquor"
"aguardiente is an alcoholic beverage of 45% and higher alcohol content by volume (beverages with over 55% alcohol content by volume are illegal). It is made, like Italian grappa, by distilling the grape residue, primarily the skins and pulp (') plus the stems (') and seeds, left over from winemaking after pressing the grapes. It is used to make several other flavored liquors, such as the ""murtado"" or ' (using sun dried ""murtilla"", an orange-reddish wild rose fruit), the ' (soaking sun-dried morello cherries) and ""licor de oro"" (flavored with saffron and lemon peel). Dried mint, peeled walnuts, almonds, and"
"as a remedy against hangovers and nightmares. ""Artemisia absinthium"" is used to make the highly potent spirits absinthe. Malört also contains wormwood. The aperitif vermouth (derived from the German word ""Wermut"", ""wormwood"") is a wine flavored with aromatic herbs, but originally with wormwood. ""Artemisia arborescens"" (tree wormwood, or ""sheeba"" in Arabic) is an aromatic herb indigenous to the Middle East used in tea, usually with mint. A few species are grown as ornamental plants, the fine-textured ones used for clipped bordering. All grow best in free-draining sandy soil, unfertilized, and in full sun. ""Artemisia stelleriana"" is known as Dusty Miller,"
"cirrhosis and alcoholism. The American Heart Association ""cautions people NOT to start drinking ... if they do not already drink alcohol. Consult your doctor on the benefits and risks of consuming alcohol in moderation."" Liquor Liquor (also hard liquor, hard alcohol, spirit, or distilled drink) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruit, or vegetables that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. The distillation process purifies the liquid and removes diluting components like water, for the purpose of increasing its proportion of alcohol content (commonly expressed as alcohol by volume, ABV). As liquors contain significantly more alcohol, they"
"part absinthe and 3-5 parts water. As water dilutes the spirit, those components with poor water solubility (mainly those from anise, fennel, and star anise) come out of solution and cloud the drink. The resulting milky opalescence is called the ""louche"" (Fr. ""opaque"" or ""shady"", IPA [luʃ]). The release of these dissolved essences coincides with a perfuming of herbal aromas and flavours that ""blossom"" or ""bloom,"" and brings out subtleties that are otherwise muted within the neat spirit. This reflects what is perhaps the oldest and purest method of preparation, and is often referred to as the ""French Method"". The"
"Picon (apéritif) Picon is a caramel-coloured, flavoured bitters drunk as an apéritif, which traditionally accompanies beer in the east and north of France. It is made from a base of fresh oranges which are dried and mixed with a solution of alcohol which is distilled. Picon also contains gentian and quinquina in equal measures. Sugar, syrup and caramel are added last. Gaétan Picon, born in 1809, was a scholar who had an apprenticeship at the distillery of Aix-en-Provence, Toulon and Marseille. In 1837, after taking a trip to Algeria where he had been in the French Army, he invented Picon."
"Liquor Liquor (also hard liquor, hard alcohol, spirit, or distilled drink) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruit, or vegetables that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. The distillation process purifies the liquid and removes diluting components like water, for the purpose of increasing its proportion of alcohol content (commonly expressed as alcohol by volume, ABV). As liquors contain significantly more alcohol, they are considered ""harder"" – in North America, the term ""hard liquor"" is used to distinguish distilled alcoholic drinks from non-distilled ones. As examples, this term does not include beverages such as beer, wine, mead,"