the story of world liquors - hri
TRANSCRIPT
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The Story of World Liquors
1. World liquors and their cultures
2. Aperitif wine, enjoyed as appetizers
3. Table wine, adding flavors to your meal4. Dessert wine, after your meals
5. Beer, the World’s Most Popular Liquor
6. Cheongju and Takju, Fermented Liquors from the East
7. Whiskey, the Water of Life
8. Brandy, a Burned Wine
9. Vodka, Colorless, Flavorless and Scentless Liquor10. Liqueur, the Diamond in Liquid
11. Kaoliang Baijiu, Famous Chinese Liquor
12. Variety of Hard Liquors, Gin, Rum and Tequila
Author : HRI
copyright
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The Story of World Liquors
Liquor is a culture deeply rooted in the everyday life of people all over the
world. But regardless of being right next to us all the time, there are not much
people who know well about it. Let’s learn more about liquors of the world
and how to enjoy them in a more pleasant way.
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1. World liquors and their cultures
It is possible to think of the negative images of alcohol such as drunken
violence, which is becoming a social issue nowadays, but there are many
positive effects as well, including brightening up the atmosphere and
functioning as medicines for our bodies. Depending on how much we knowwell about liquors, they can be both beneficial and poisonous. This session is
about the liquors of the world and their cultures.
I have worked in a multi-national liquor manufacturing company and studied
liquors and relevant cultures of countries all over the world for the last 30
years. At least for me, liquor is a friend to share joys and sorrows of life and
a teacher teaching me how to get on with my life.
Liquor may remind you of negative stereotypes. But can you imagine a party
with no beers and wines? There are more positive effects than negative
effects.
Liquors can facilitate the relationship between people at a party or meeting,
while the ingredients of the liquor may work as good as vitamins. Liquors
can be evil or good. It depends on how much you understand them and how
well you utilize them.
Even though I have been studying liquors for the last 30 years, I think what Iknow about liquors is only sketchy because the history of liquors is very long
and wide. However, I really wanted and decided to share my knowledge of
liquors with as many people as possible.
The Origin of Liquors
Liquors were born with civilizations and spread out. The first wine was madein 8000 BC, in the Asia Minor region between the Black Sea and the Caspian
Sea, and spread down south to Mesopotamia, and then to Europe through
Egypt and the Mediterranean. On the other hand, white liquor was made in
the 13th century in the Middle East, and spread to Korea and Japan through
China. Lastly, beer, one of the world’s most popular drinks also originated in
the Middle East region in 3000 BC, and then disseminated to Egypt, Rome
and Western Europe, following the footsteps of wine. Liquors are made from
local grains and fruits which taste differ by regions according to the climate
and geography. Liquors have developed and spread out in various ways and
in harmony with the local foods.
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Sociology of Liqours
In many museums in the East and West, we can easily find antiquities
pertaining to liquors like kettle, glass and jug. In 2008, the National Museum
of Korea hosted a special exhibition which was titled Persian Antiquities.
The best of the ancient artifacts was the golden goblet decorated with a
winged lion which is the first national heritage of Iran. It is interesting
because Iran is the origin of Islam where the use of liquors is strictly
prohibited. From this ironic but interesting fact, we can imagine the liquor
played important role in the society.
In Shijij, a model of biographical literature, Sima Qian addressed the
importance of liquors by emphasizing the roles of liquors.One may not see his ancestors in ancestral rites with no liquors. Trueness is
shared through liquors between King courtiers and among friends. A request
of an apology comes after liquors. Liquors can be either evil or good. So, one
shall not abuse liquors.
The titan of modern philosophy, Immanuel Kant appreciated the value of
liquors by saying “Liquors tickle your mouth alive. Liquors unfolds your
mind. Liquors is the material that carries an ethical quality, openness of
mind.”The Cold War after World War II ended with a glass of ‘Baigar’.
On the presidential visit to Beijing, China in 1972, the president Nixon begun
the reconciliatory talks with the Chinese government with a toast of Mao-Tai.
Like this, liquors are deeply entrenched in human relationships and societies.
Korean liquors, the history and characteristics
Korean traditional drinking culture was once destroyed by invasion of
Japanese colonial troops. In 1909, under the Jooseryeong, a royal order
prohibiting the use of alcohol drinks, hundreds of years of drinking tradition
that had maintained from door to door, from age to age ended. From that
time, the cultural value of Korean liquors has been lost and liquors became a
standardized supply under rigid control of Japanese colonial forces.
In the 1960s, the spread of diluted Soju for common people gave rise todrunken violence.
However, The Seoul Olympic Games in 1988 has increased international
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interests in Korean traditional and locally manufactured liquors and this led
to eased liquor business qualification.
The opening liquor imports in 1991 made Korea emerge as a golden fishery
for liquor vendors.
Now consumers in Korea can easily buy diverse kinds of liquors not only
from western countries such as whiskey, brandy, wine and beer, but also fromAsia such as Sakke from Japan and Baijiu (white liquor) from China.
Nevertheless, it is irony that the cultures of each of the liquors have not been
well introduced.
People tend to believe they have knowledge of liquors. But only a few knows
liquors very well, they are much less than you might think of. In the Chosun
Dynasty, people used to learn how to drink in Seodang and Hyanggyo.
However, now days it is very hard to systematically teach or learn things
about liquors from all parts of the world.Let’s think of the term ‘liquor itself for the moment. The origin of the word
‘Sul’, a Korean word for liquor is known as ‘Subool’ meaning a liquid in a
fiery temperament.
Drinking causes a psychological effect on us, for instance warming our body
and relaxing our mind.
High-proof hard liquors are called ‘Jujeong’ in the East and Sprits in the
West. These words are all featuring the psychological effects of drinks.
The psychotropic characteristics of liquors influence individuals and societies
and explains why artists indulge in liquors and people drown their sorrows in
drinks.
As a beverage in various sorts of color, scent and flavor, liquor takes a large
part of the local food culture. Also the choice can be wide and vary
depending on individual preferences.
Liquors are made of hundreds of ingredients. The quality differs depending
on the brand name, even among products within the same category. This iswhy there are enthusiasts pursuing certain brands.
The history and culture of liquors and the characteristics of liquors are so
wide and various that liquors are seemingly very hard to know well.
In this opportunity, I am going to let you know how liquors have been with us
in our lives and how enjoy liquors in a better and more delicious way.
As previously discussed, the sorts of liquors are literally varied. So it is not
possible for me to introduce all kinds of liquors so I am going to introduce
some liquors that are common and popular.
From now on we are going to check out how liquors were born, how they are
made and how we can enjoy them. We will also talk about the background
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and ingredients of liquors and stories of figures who loved alcohol drinks and
more.
I hope this opportunity will make you see liquors in a new insight by help
you enjoy drinking with others and have some achievements in your society.
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2. Aperitif wine, enjoyed as appetizers
Wines can be largely categorized into drinks for before, during and after
meals. The aperitif wine for before meals is the beverage which marks the
beginning of a meal. “Aperitif” means not only ‘beginning’ but also
‘welcome’ for guests, playing the role of enhancing appetites. Therefore, it isrecommended to choose the aperitif wines that can elevate the mood of the
party for the invited guests. We now look closer at aperitif wines.
Aperitif Wine, An Appetizer Wine
Aperitif is a sort of wine that starts a meal.
it does not only start a meal by stimulating appetite but also welcomes the
guests.
So when you choose an Aperitif wine, it is recommended to choose a wine
that can liven up the mood of the party and entertains the guests. Don’t take it
too seriously. Once you learn about Aperitif, you can easily choose one
without difficulty. Drinking a little alcohol before a meal was a custom even
in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. However, there are two opinions
explaining how it became a routine custom. According to one opinion,
Vermouth which was developed in Italy in 1786 was recommended before ameal by a promotion strategy. The strategy made a success in the market and
led to a custom of drinking aperitif before a meal.
The other opinion insists that In 1846, Joseph Duvonnet, a French chemist
developed a medicine for Malaria by blending wine and Quinine. It was
recommended to have the medicine before a meal.
Whatever the truth is, the custom of aperitif spread through out Europe, and
out to the USA, and South America in the 20th century.
Sparkling wine
Sparkling wine is literally a wine with fizz. Providing a refreshing taste and
visual exhilaration, in most cases, it is served before a meal.
Sparkling wine was first developed by Dom Perignon, a monk in a local
monastery in eastern Paris. Brewing wine was one of the most important
duties of monks in medieval monastery. In a monastery of Hautvillers in
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Epernay, a suburb of Champagne region in eastern Paris, Dom Perignon, a
Benedictine monk was in charge of brewing wine.
He had unique ways to brew wines including blending various sorts of
grapes.
In autumn, people used to juice grapes and fermented the bottles of grape juices through winter. However, the bottles often exploded. This is due to
carbon dioxide gas emitting from yeast that resume the fermentation from
remaining sugar in spring. However, people who didn’t understand the cause
of the explosion called this sort of wines the devil’s wine.
Surprised at the mouthful of unique stimulation and refreshment of the
sparkling wine, Dom Perignon thought this was rather wine blessed by God.
He bought bottles and cork stoppers to complete the sparkling wine.
Champagne maker ‘Moet & Chandon’ purchased the monastery inHautvillers to preserve the tools and space Dom Perignon used to make
champagne.
The name of sparkling wines vary by the producing locations. It is called
Champagne in Champagne, France, Zekt in Germany, Cava in Spain,
Supmante in Italy and sparkling wine in U.S.
There are about 5,500 champagne brewing companies in Champagne, France.
Brewing a champagne requires much labor; it is not possible to brew
champagne through mass production like what beer production factories do.
How to make Sparkling Wine
Now let’s briefly discuss the process of sparkling wine making. The grape
varieties with a high level of acidity are regarded suitable for sparkling wine.
In some cases, immature grape berries are used to meet the required level of
acidity. The world’s most popular grapes for sparkling wine are Chardonnay,
Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
When grapes are harvested in autumn, they are juiced and fermented until the
alcohol content reaches 11% or so. For the fermentation, the grapes are
separated from their skins so that only juice is fermented just like what we do
to make white wines. Some sugar and yeast are added and then bottled for
secondary fermentation. Once bottled, the fermentation lasts at least 6 monthsto several years.
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When the fermentation is completed with proper pressure inside the bottle,
lees removal process should be done. This process is called ‘riddling’.
Riddling involves several times of horizontal and vertical rotation of the
bottles in order to consolidate the yeast and the lees up on the bottle neck.
This process is 100% manually done by hands, so it is impossible to mass
produce bottle-fermented sparkling wines.
When the riddling is finished, the bottle necks are quickly frozen to freeze the
consolidate lees. When the stoppers are opened, the lees will pop out with
some liquid. The bottles are refilled with the same wine liquid and then
corked again.
Sherry Wine
Sherry is a fortified wine. The base wines are fortified with grape spirit in
order to increase their final alcohol content so as to prevent the base wines
from being excessively oxidized during transport and storage.
During the 17th to 19th century, England used to be the largest wine
importing nation in the world. As the largest sea commerce nation, England
spread Sherry all over the world. The name Sherry came from ‘Jerez de laFrontera’, a wine producing area in southern Spain.
Sherry wineries are so large that the buildings have more than 10 meter high
open space inside to control the room temperature for fermentation, even in
the summer when the outdoor temperature reaches over 45 °C.
After fermented in this condition, sherries are completed through a long term
aging process called solera. After solera processing, sherries have a dry and
unique flavor.
Sherry is one of the white wine varieties, and thus the recommended serving
temperature is around 7 to 10℃. In Spain, restaurants provide sherry in
sherry wine glasses. However, when sherry wine glasses are not available,
you can serve it in white wine glasses.
The bubbles of sparkling wine contains the unique flavor to the surface, so it
is recommended to serve them in 5~7℃. Serving sparkling wines in generalwine glasses makes the bubbles disappear quickly So it is highly
recommended to use sparkling wine glasses when serving sparkling wines.
Long stemmed flute or tulip shaped glasses make the bubbles last longer.
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Aperitif wines are either sour or bitter to taste, or have sparkling bubbles,
making your mouth watery while stimulating your appetite. Now you have
learned what aperitif wine is. The Aperitif wines and your knowledge on
them will make your meal even more enjoyable with your good friends and
families better.
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3. Table wine, adding flavors to your meal
Table wine originally is a wine term referring to every wine with less than
14% of alcohol strength, but can be used especially for wines enjoyed during
meals. As it is intended to be enjoyed with meals, the harmony between the
wine and the food is also important. The French word “marriage” primarilymeans “marriage”, yet not only limited to the marriage of human beings but
also of food. In English-speaking cultures, it can be expressed as “food and
wine pairing”. Let’s explore the world of table wines.
One of the most important thing to consider when drinking wine is the
chemistry between foods and wines. The French word, mariage means a
marriage in English, but it also implies the harmony between foods. In
English speaking countries, it is called ‘food and wine paring’.
Chemistry Between Food and Wine
Having a harmony between liquors and foods is what defines fine dining.
There is a famous saying related to the marriage that have red wine for meats
and white wine for fishes.
In Korea, there has been a custom for a long time drinking some glasses ofliquors with supper, which Is generally called banju or yakju in Korean. It
used to be the norm of table setting to prepare foods in harmony with the
liquors and vice versa. As the old saying goes, everyone has a friend who put
into his head when the wines are aged and the moon rises, liquors and foods
in their natural match will stimulate the flavor of each other. However, when
they are not in a good match, they cannot make a harmonious flavor.
More recently, there is a growing interest in the chemistry between foods and
liquors. We often see hotels and restaurants under a promotion of mariage
between foods and liquors. Mariage is no more an exclusive term for
gourmets, but a common knowledge.
Famous wine production regions also have developed food culture.
Restaurants in Beaune, France which is a hub of Bourgogne wines are
famous for Beaune-style beef dishes. Also, Bordeaux, France is well known
for local lamb dishes as well as Medoc wines. As wine and food are made
from the local ingredients, they have been naturally developed together.
Of course there are no rules for matching between food and wine. It would benice if you have them in a good match. I will give you some tips to do so.
First of all, you need to think of the similarity, especially in colors.
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Matching meat dishes with red wine and fish-based dishes with white wine is
the most common example. We match our jackets with trousers or we often
select the colors of our clothes in match with the seasonal colors.
This is the same thing. It is an established practice to prepare white wine for
white fishes, and light red wines for red fishes such as salmon or tuna.
As for meats, red wine is best with red meats such as beef or lamb meats,while heavy white wine is good for chicken.
It is recommended to choose wines considering the heaviness of taste of
foods.
Greasy and weighty steaks are in good match with red wines, while foods in
plan or simple taste go well with white wines. However, light red wines are
recommended for fishes or shellfishes dishes when they are fried, and meat-
based dishes can go well with white wines if it is simply cooked.
These rules also can be applicable to Korean foods. Weighty red wines are
recommended for greasy and weighty foods including beefs and Sam-Gyeop-
Sal. Vinegary vegetables are good with white wine with some level of acidity.
Hot and spicy foods are in a good match with flavored wines such as pepper-
flavored or cinnamon-flavored ones. There may be, of course, some
exceptions. However, we have seen a lot of couples who have lived happily
and complemented together for a long time, even though their natures are
contrary to each other. Just like those couples, wines and Korean foods can
have a good match at the expense of trials and errors, even though they maynot seem compatible with each other at a glance.
People who cherished wine
Louis XIV of France who is known as Louis the Great or the Sun King was
famous for his particular taste for gourmet food. In the Versailles Palace,
hundreds of cooks were summoned everyday to prepare supper for him. Bythe time he was 40, he had to remove all of his teeth because of cavity. The
dish he enjoyed at that time was Foie Gras. For about 40 years until his death
at 77, Louis XIV had survived with the aid of Foie Gras on his gums.
However, Louis XIV had no interest in Bordeaux wine. He was a big fan of
Tokaji wine from Hungary and enjoyed Bourgogne wine and rose wine from
Rhone in southern France. It was likely that Foie Gras was in a good match
with rose or white wine.
Wine was beloved by the First Lady who used to enthuse maniacs and
busybodies. Especially, in the 1960s, Jacqueline Kennedy, the widow of the
president Kennedy was the most beloved and attractive one that any other
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First Ladies of the United States of America. Jacqueline, the heartthrob of
millions of Americans was the fashion icon unlike the traditional First Ladies
who were classic and rigid, and had profound knowledge of wines. Could she
have gotten familiar with wines after the death of her husband in 1963?
A Greek shipping magnate, Onassis prepared Ch. Petrus to ask for
Jacqueline’s hand, because he knew that she was a big fan of Ch. Petrus, a
red wine from Bordeaus, France. Ch. Petrus is a wine variety made from
Merlot grapes. It offers a soft but weighty taste. Owing to this episode, Ch.
Petrus that used to be an average wine until the 1950s became one of the
world’s best wine overnight by Jacqueline’s selection.
How to enjoy Wine and Food
I have a habit of smelling something when I first see it. This habit is largely
owing to more than 30 years of my profession, liquor evaluation. So it can be
sort of professional or work habit but it may appear weird to other people.
By the way, when drinking wine or eating foods while holding your nose,
you cannot taste nor smell them at all. This is because the senses of smell and
taste are complementary to create a combined sense. So it is recommended to
use your sense of smell and taste together when you enjoy wine and food.
What I have learned from Western master blenders is to smell liquors and
remember the smell of them and put it to the word. This is the only way to
clearly evaluate the smell and flavor of liquors.
Talking while eating is regarded as a taboo for Koreans in their 50s when
they were children. This is due to a custom prevailed in Asia. However, it is
important to have a deep knowledge and experience in flavor and taste of
wines to really enjoy wines. You can be a wine expert if you try and try to put
the flavor and taste of wines into words based on your experiences just like
you read and write as much as possible to write a good article. I hope you
will really enjoy your wine.
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4. Dessert wine, after your meals
The French word dessert means ‘to finish a meal’ or ‘to clean up the table’ in
English. The last offering at a course meal is called a ‘dessert course’. In a
dessert course, jelly, pudding or fresh fruits are served as a dessert in England
and the U.S. In a dessert, people are allowed to smoke a cigarette or have atable speech. Dessert is provided to finish a meal by suppressing appetite by
having sweet foods while refreshing the mouth. So a wine with high sugar is
a perfect dessert wine. Generally, when the residual sugar of a wine is less
than 4g/L, we call it dry wine, and when the sugar content is more than that,
we call it sweet. Dessert wines with high in sugar vary in types and so do the
grape varieties.
Typical examples of dessert wine are Spatlese wine, fortified wine and
chaptalization wine. Spatlese wine is made of late-harvested grapes toincrease sugar. A fortified wine is made by blending grape juice with brandy
to increase alcohol content. Chaptalization wine is made by adding sugar to
grape juice.
Wine production processes have been developed in diverse ways depending
on the climate, location, history or tradition of applicable regions.
Spätlese
Schloss Johannisberg from Rheingau, Germany is known as the origin of
Spätlese wine. The history of grape production in this area dates back to the
days of Charlemagne. A monastery was established in Rheingau, Germany by
Benedictine Order and then the monastery was dedicated to John the Baptist
in around 1130. Since the dedication, the hill, the monastery and the
community have been collectively called Johannisberg.
The father superior of the monastery had the vineyard restored in 1720 and
300,000 grape vines planted. This controlled planting is largely due to the
fact that the grape harvest time is one of the important factors determining
the quality of wine products.
In the autumn of 1775, a messenger conveyed an order of grape harvest had
arrived later owing by an accident, letting grapes overripe and even get
decayed. There was no choice to make wines with the overripe grapes. Guess
what! The final wine products have richer and softer flavor. This is how the
deluxe wine was invented.
From the very next year, the harvest time is put off for a month to produce
wine with overripe grapes, which is later called Spätlese wine. In autumn in
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this area, grapes berries go moldy in a early morning fogs. Farmers called the
molds Nobble Rot. A mold called Botrytis Cinerea provided grapes with
richer flavor. There is a record about this wine kept by Joh Muchael Engert,
an administrator recorded; “I had never experienced this sort of wine. It tastes
unprecedented.”
In this area, Reiesling grapes are harvested later, little bit later than Spatlese
to develop diverse sorts of wine products including Auslesen and
Beerenauslesen.
Through several centuries, Spatlese wine produced by the Chloss
Johannisberg monastery have maintained its reputation as the best deluxe
wine in Germany.
Port Wine
Opening the age of exploration, Portugal was once emerging as one of the
strong nations in Europe with many colonies including Brazil.
Porto, a port city in northern Portugal was the trade center for pot wine
products. Located in the hilly region stretched along the Douro river that goes
upstream to northwestern Spain, this city has advanced wineries dating back
to the Roman era.
In the days when Sherry wine was produced in Spain, Portugal produced portwines. In the mid-1770s, France had an alliance with Portugal and imposed a
heavy customs on French and Spanish wines. Port wine products from
Portugal was rapidly grown by benefiting from the levy of customs.
In 1775, at the occurrence of the great earthquake in Lisbon, Pombal, the
prime minister Pombal restored the damaged city through restoring the
economy using commerce. At the same time merchants started to make and
sell substandard wine products to England in low price. This was drawing
attention, Pombal enforced a place-of-origin system for the first time in theworld.
The name port wine is given to wines made from grape berries that were
harvested from the best-of-breed grape vines within a limited boundary. This
is the first quality control system well in advance (approx. 100 years) of the
AOC in France. Owing to the rigid quality control policies created and
enforced by Pombal, Port wine has been consistently grown so far.
Port wine is produced by aged grape juice for a day and then aged with
addition of brandy. Sherry is produced through secondary fermentation after
the first fermentation where brandy is added, while port wine is fortified wine
by adding brandy into grape juice. So port wines offer the natural flavor and
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sweetness of grape berries, which makes it a perfect offer for a dessert
serving,
as long as kept with a cap after the opening, port wines can be stored for a
long time just like hard liquors.
Ice Wine
Lastly, let us talk about ice wine which is one of the most popular dessert
wines. From the 1920s to 1930s, the prohibition of the use of alcohol in the
U.S had led to tightened qualification of a liquor production license in
Canada.
However the qualification was eased in 1974, and thus wineries around the
Niagara Falls started to produce ice wine products.
Ice wine is derived from Spatlese Wine of Germany. Ice wines are made of
juice from frozen grape berries harvested every mid-January when the
outdoor temperature is less than -10°C. The grapes for ice wines are
generally botrytised first and then frozen in the winter. So the berries have
higher sugar and offer richer flavor of botrytised wines.
In this episode, we’ve learned about dessert wines which are served after a
meal. There are too many sorts of wine and learning each of them in these
short-time lectures. I hope this will be an opportunity for you to get intowines.
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5. Beer, the World’s Most Popular Liquor
Almost everybody wants to have beer whenever you get stressed. Beer is one
of the best selling products in the world.
Beer is the most popular liquor product because it is inexpensive, brewable in
all seasons and in low strength. Also, wherever the producing location is, the
taste and quality is quite similar, which makes it more accessible. If you aretravelling around the world and if you don’t know which local liquor to have,
just choose beer and you can’t go wrong with it.
The human body is made up of 60~70% water. To survive we have to drink
water. We cannot skip a day. By the way, beer was a substitute for water for
some people to survive on.
The History of Beer
In Europe where most of the territory is covered with limestone, beer was
used as drinking water. Containing alcohol, beer provides strong resistance to
microorganisms. Because of this, beer was regarded as the safest drink in
addition to wines.
Compliments to beer has been everywhere from Mural paintings found in
ancient Egypt to the pubs all around the world.
According to a clay tablet excavated in the Mesopotamian-Sumerian
historical site which dates back to 3000 BC, beer production dates back to
that time period.
At that time, beer was produced by baking a bread from crushed malts, and
then fermenting the dough.
The production of beer first started in Mesopotamian areas, and then spread
to Europe through Egypt. It is interesting that beer became a local drink in
northern Europe where it is impossible to brew wines.
In the middle ages, production of beer, in addition to wine, was the
responsibility of monasteries. Feudal lords only permitted the monasteries to
brew and the monasteries gain huge profits by selling the beer after their
consumption. The monks were the best think tank at that time. They made a
great contribution to the improvement of breed of barley and the
development of brewage techniques.
Wenceslas, a king of Bohemia(currently Czech Republic) valued beer as a
noble and powerful drink, just like Julius Caesar who praised beer about
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1000 years ahead of him. So the king made a recommendation to the Pope to
remove the ban on beer production.
This led to the growth of the beer industry in the Czech Republic. Czech beer
products had significant effects all throughout the European nations.
In 1516, Wilhelm IV Bavarian King lay the groundwork for the German beerindustry by establishing the renowned German Beer Purity Law which is also
known as Reinheitsgebot. The regulation restricts ingredients of beer
products to water, barley and hop. Until the regulation come into effect,
various traditional ingredients were added to beer. Owing to the regulation,
hop became the essential ingredient to brew beer while other grains including
wheat and oats were widely used.
Until the 1800s, only draft beers have been distributed.
In the 20th century with introduction of low-temperature pasteurization,
pasteurized beer is distributed in bottles. However, low-temperature
pasteurized beers have a drawback. Some ingredients cause chemical
changes, degrading the taste and flavor as well as reducing the freshness.
By the 21st century, the introduction of advanced filtration technology to
perfectly filter microorganisms including yeast and lactobacillus allows draft
beers spread all over the world in bottles.
Nations in Love with Beers
Oktoberfest in Germany and the Qingdao International Beer Festival are the
most famous beer festivals in the world.
Commenced by the toast by the mayor of Munich at the noon of September
20th, Oktoberfest lasts until the first Sunday of October. Around 5 million
people gather to join the festival every year and consume approximately 5million liters of beers, just like an elephant drinking water.
More recently, the Quindao beer festival became more and more popular.
There were about 100 million participants in the event last year.
Enjoying Beer
Don’t you think of a glass of cold beer when you feel thirsty? Beer is a liquor
that tastes and feels refreshing. If you treat the beer with some extra cares,you can make it a perfect pint.
First of all, temperature is the most important thing in preserving the
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freshness of beers. Keeping beers in too low temperature makes it difficult to
taste the natural flavor of them while higher temperature reduces the
refrigerant taste.
Beers contain carbon acid gas. However, the temperature affects the
carbonation rate. Appropriate temperature properly facilitates the carbonation
and this will make the bubbles moderately stimulate your mouth and throat
and make you feel refreshing.
Proper beer temperature is between 4 to 10℃.
Even if you drink the same beers, the taste may differ depending on the place
you are. Hygiene also affects the taste of beers. When served in a cleaned and
cooled glass, beer tastes refreshing.
On the contrary, a dirty glass spoils the head and the flavor due to the
residuals including oils and dusts.
The pouring also affects the taste of beer. For example, pouring the beer
badly in glasses causes more foam with loss of carbonic acid gas and flavor.
Here are some tips for pouring beer. First, hold your glass at a slight angle,
and pour the beer targeting at the slope of the glass. At the half way point,
bring the glass back at a right angle while pouring the beer. If you pay more
attention, you can make the taste richer and the flavor deeper.
In this episode, we’ve learned much about beer which is the most popular
liquor in the world. How about a glass of beer tonight?
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6. Cheongju and Takju, Fermented Liquors from the East
In this section, we will discuss on Takju and Cheongju, which are traditional
drinks from the East.
Traditional drinks from China, Korea and Japan are generally made from
grains such as rice, barley, sorghum and wheat, through saccharizing orfermenting malted grains.
How to make Estern Wine
The brewing method of Takju and Cheongju is similar. Only one difference is
whether or not it is refined at the final process to remove solid matters
contained in it.
If it is refined, it becomes Cheongju, if not, it is Takju.
From this we can guess Takju is the original form of all the liquor products
from the East.
As The brewing method of Takju is disseminated from China to the South, it
is localized to the local tastes and differentiated into various types.
There weare two methods to brew grain wines in around the Yellow River in
China; Nu-ruk-beop, and Gok-ah-beop. We can find a phrase on malted rice
in the Shu Jing, one of the famous Confucian scriptures published in 500 BC.
It means “If governing a nation can be compared to making a wine, faithful
retainers are the mated rice and grains.”
In the phrase, Guk(국) refers to malted grain, and Erl(얼) (sprouts in
stubbles) means malt from barley sprouts that are artificially blown in the
water. From these two words, we can guess that grain wines were brewed by
both methods of Nuruk-beop(누룩법) a wine brewing method using Nu-ruk,
and Maek-Ah-beop, another method using malt.
However, Nu-ruk contains yeast and thus makes it easier to brew wine. So it
has been widely used to make grain wines so far.
On the other hand, Maek-Ah-beop(맥아법) has been limitedly used, as malt
is easily acidified by increased temperature.
Nu-Ruk is largely divided into two types. The first is Byeong Guk(병곡) a
caked Nu-Ruk, and the second is San Guk, or scattered Nu-Ruk.
Byeong Guk was widely used in the Huabei region to brew grain wines,
while San Guk(산곡) is assumed to be used in Southern China.
Caked Nu-Ruk is sort of a raw Nu-Ruk, which is made by crushing wheat
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grains and mixing the rough flour with water to make a cake. San Guk is
scattered Nu-Ruk which is made from grains or flour of grains. Caked Nu-
Ruk is easy to dry and store. The advantage of San Guk is that the scattering
facilitates Nu-Ruk to have more aspergillosis, which create more enzymes
breaking down the grains. Almost every Nu-Ruk used these days in Korea or
China is Caked Nu-Ruk. However, scattered Nu-Ruk is widely used in Japan.
Liquors from the Three Countries, China, Japan and Korea
The wine called Cheong Ju in Korea is called Huang Chiew, or Yellow Wine
in China.
Like Su Mi Huang Chiew brewed in Ji Mo region in Santung Province,
Huang Chiew is sometimes made from millet. However, it is quite often
based on rice and the alcohol content of the final wine is more than 15%. It is
common that it is made by steaming rice with other grains, and thenfermenting the steamed rice with Nu-Ruk. Huang Chiew is stored in pots or
jugs.
It is assumed that Koreans had their own ways to make refined wines even in
the era of the Three Kingdoms. According to an old book from Japan, In
Beon a man from the kingdom of Baekje taught the Japanese how to get
wines refined. Li Shagyin, a poet of the late Tang Dynasty left a poem to
cherish the wines from the kingdom of Shilla. Also, it is well known that Tak
Yak Ju is widely used for ceremonies and parties in the era of the Goryo andChosun Dynasty.
However, under the Jooseryeong, a royal order enforced in 1909 that
prohibited the use of alcohol drinks destroyed Korea’s hundreds of years of
its drinking tradition. In 1916, the Japanese colonial government banned
brewing wines at home, while forcing to use Ip-Guk-Beop, a brewing method
based on Japanese cultures. Originally, Korean traditional wines were made
from caked Nu-Ruk. However, most Tak Ju is brewed based on Japanese Ip-
Ja Nu-Ruk.The sales of beer excessed that of Rice Wine in 1985. In 2009 there was a
slight growth of Rice Wine largely owing to the government policy to support
domestic rice consumption. It is a pity that world renowned wines are yet to
seek in Korea.
Lastly let me talk about Japanese Rice wine Japan has had famous wine
products such as Hu Shi Mi from Tokyo, ever since the era of Tokugawa
regime. People had boasted and were proud of distinct characteristics of wine
products brewed in their provinces.
After the Meiji Restoration, 7 varieties of rice including Yamadanishiki and
Gohyakumanseok were developed and distributed for brewing sake. Masters
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combined science and traditional practices to control the milling rate of rice
and improve the fermentation temperature and yeast. Their huge and
consistent efforts made sake one of the world famous and noble wines. The
demand of Japanese sake has diminished due to the globalization of
lifestyles. However, the tradition of drinking the locally brewed wines are
still maintained, while about 2000 locally wines remain in existence.
Japanese sake is featured with a clean and simple flavor, which makes it agood match with Japanese seafood.
We have discussed on Rice Wine from the East which are made from grains.
They shared a long history with us for a very long time. Changes in the life
style allow us to enjoy various kinds of liquor products, and Rice Wine are
still so beloved by people.
As previously discussed, world famous wines are yet to seek in Korea. It’s
really pitiful. I hope someday Korea will introduce noble and fine wines that
captivate the taste of the world, just like what China and Japan did.
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7. Whiskey, the Water of Life
Civilization used to develop in an unexpected way by accident. The
Crusades, spanned for 300 years from 1096 to 1270 and consisted of 10
battles, were a war of attrition between European Christians and Islam from
the Middle East for the conquest of Palestine and Jerusalem.The Crusades contributed to the exchange of cultures between the East and
the West, though failing to accomplish its purpose.
Monks involved in the conflicts came home with hard liquor producing
methods, and started to localize the beer. The beer was later developed to
Whiskey.
At that time drinking was prohibited in the Middle East. However, alchemistsused to distill alcohol to produce spices and cosmetics.
The word alcohol is from Kuhl, an Arabic word. Kuhl refers to the local
cosmetics for eyebrows, which is still widely used in the region.
The methods were transferred from the alchemists, to Christian monks and
then spread throughout Europe.
The drink produced by distilling ale beer of England was called Usquebaughin Scottish Gaelic, meaning the water of life. This word was later transformed
to whiskey.
Scotch Whiskey produced in Scotland became a representative Whiskey
product.
These days, scotch whiskey is widely consumed in the world. Though it was
nothing but one of the sprits with pungent smell and rough taste.
Then how come it becomes the world best liquor product today?
In the early years of the 18th century, Scottish king James I sat on the throne
of England and founded the British Empire. Traditionally the Britons and the
Scotch had been on extremely bad terms like cats and dogs.
However, as the fiscal spending was increased owing to the growth of the
Empire, high liquor tax was levied on Scottish whiskey to increase tax
revenue.
The Scottish producing whiskey at that time moved the distillers to the
mountains to avoid high taxation. They started to produce whiskey secretly.
They had to distill whiskey at night because distillation emits smoke around.
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Owing to this night time production, the whiskey producers was also known
as moon shiners. The distilled whiskey is stored in oak containers and hidden
in caves to prevent them from being uncovered. One day, they found the
liquor in an oak container aged for several years in the hide; fine yellow
whiskey in a good quality with smooth taste and rich smell. This inadvertent
invention becomes an established practice, and whiskey finally came to the
throne of spirit. Whiskey tastes good only when it is aged for more than fiveyears in oak containers. This is because whiskey gets smooth in tastes
through the reaction with various ingredients coming out from the oak
containers. The aging process has not been clearly discovered yet. However,
it was found that some portion of the liquid is evaporated during the aging
process. So, the portion of evaporation was called ‘Angel’s Share’.
Although the quality is excellent, whisky is too expensive owing to the low
productivity.
Traditional whiskey is only made from malts and the production only utilizespot stills for distillation. The low productivity was due to the time-consuming
production process requiring fermented liquid to be boiled in a distiller and
then distilled twice to get the crude whiskey. However, during the distillation,
it is possible to control the content of ingredients that affect the quality of
whiskey. So whiskey produced using pot stills have a richer smell. The
whiskey products produced by this type of process is called Malt whiskey.
During the Industrial Revolution, demands of whiskey were rapidly
increasing in England. Whiskey brewers attempted diverse ways to diversifythe variety and thus to increase the production. Aeneas Coffey developed a
continuous distiller that continuously inserts fermented liquor to get distillate,
and then obtained a patent on the distiller. He succeeded to mass produce
whiskey by saccharifying and fermenting grains including barley, corn and
wheat with a dash of malt. The resulting product is called Grain Whisky.
Grain Whisky is inexpensive but has weak fragrance, so it is not regarded as
equivalent to the traditional malt whiskey.
By the 1800s, whiskey started to be distributed by merchants in metropolitancities. They developed a new whiskey variety to meet the market demand by
blending malt whiskey with a strong fragrance with inexpensive grain
whiskey.
In 1820, John Walker started a whole sale business to distribute blended
whiskey products he brewed, in a small city called Kilmarnock in Southern
Glasgow. It was Alexander Walker, John’s son who made the business
prosperous with born business skills. However, the business was ruined by a
storm in 1852. It was also his son to save the business from the disaster andrestore the business performance. Alexander had his office opened in
London. He always moved throughout the city on a wagon pulled by two
donkeys. From this time, the brand Jonnie Walker started to earn fame in the
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local whiskey market.
In 1908, the trademark of the fabulous whiskey brand Jonnie Walker was
created. The symbol mark of Jonnie Walker is an English gentleman walking
briskly in a hat and long boots. The symbol of Jonnie Walker is well matched
with its slogan, “born 1820, still going strong”.Traditionally, British people show too much enthusiasm for the royal family
affairs. This is why renowned manufacturers from many different fields used
to bring their productions to royal ceremonies.
Royal Salute, the world’s best whiskey brand was born as an offering to
Queen Elizabeth II for her coronation ceremony held in 1952. Based on the
fact that the 21-gun salute is reserved for kings, the first Royal Salute whisky
was aged for a minimum of 21 years.
There are three types of glasses to serve whiskey; on-the-rocks glass which
appears as general glass; shot glass with a half width of soju glass and
cocktail glass.
People who like high-proof whiskeys often use shot glasses to drink
whiskeys. In this case, We often say they drink whiskey straight up. However
straight whiskeys are so strong that they string mouths and throats, while
making it hard to savor the flavor and smell. By this reason, people often
diluted their whiskeys with water or used ice instead of water, which is on-
the-rocks. On-the-rocks has become the most common way to have or servewhiskeys today.
We have talked about whiskey, the water of life. Exhausted with your
everyday routine tasks? Why don’t you take a glass of whiskey to relieve
your stress away?
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8. Brandy, a Burned Wine
In Korea, many people call it Brandy Cognac. People order Cognac when
they order at a bar. Cognac is the name of a region in France where Brandy is
produced. However, the local Brandy is so famous that many people call it
Cognac.
Bordeaux in southwestern France was famous for wine production even inthe Roman Era. However, as Eleanor, a heiress of Aquitaine was married to
King Henry II of England in 12C, Bordeaux became an English territory.
In the mid-14th century, France went to war against England to recover
Aquitaine. This is called the Hundred Years’ War. Through the ware, France
finally recover Bordeaux. However, all through the wartime, the Bordeaux
wines were all taken up by Britons. Northern Europeans started to make
vineyards in Southern and Northern Bordeaux, which began the history of thewineries in Cognac and Armagnac regions.
In 17C, Dutch merchants used to stock up heavily with wine products from
Cognac and Armagnac to export to England. However they lost out to wines
from Bordeaux and thus were put into storage. Driven into a corner, the
Dutch merchants decided to distill the stored wine with water or other wines
to sell it to crews for drinks. The distilled wine was sort of a colorless and
rough hard liquor. Aged in oak containers, the wine became an
unprecedented quality and color which was later become Brandy. Themerchants in the Cognac region gained unexpected reputation owing to their
Brandy, and people in Cognac started to produce more brandy products than
wines.
The word Brandy is derived from Brandewijn in Dutch, which means burned
wine. Variety of Brandy is divided to grape Brandy, apple Brandy and cherry
Brandy depending on the main ingredients. In general, Brandy refers to grape
Brandy.
To produce Brandy, a grape variety called Uni Blanc is widely used. It is avariety of grape with high yield. The soil of the Cognac region in France are
so calcareous that the local grapes are not good for wine production while
good for Brandy.
When distilling a Cognac, a traditional pot still with 2,000 liters of capacity is
widely used. The distiller consists of the body, preheating tank and cooler.
The general pot still consists of an onion-shaped body and cooler only.
However, the Cognac distiller has an additional sphere preheating tank
between the body and cooler to collect heats of alcohol steam. The distiller isaesthetically beautiful and high in thermal efficiency. People named it after
the river runs through the Cognac region as Charente. The crude liquid with
70% alcohol is produced by distilling twice using this distiller and then aged
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in white oak containers.
The quality of Brandy varies depending on the grape varieties, fermentation,
the shape of the still kettle and the aging processes. So it is impossible that all
the Brandy crude liquids have excellent quality and characteristics. This is
why Brandy is generally produced by blending different crude liquids aged in
different distillation factories.
In the Normandy region, northwestern France has extensive apple farms for
brewing wines. Since the 18th century when the Cognac brandy from
southern France started to gain popularity, Normandy people have started to
make Brandy by distilling Cidre, an apple wine. Among all the Brandy
products from these regions, apple Brandy products from Calvados were
especially good in the quality, so the Calvados became a localized special
brand. From that time Calvados has been recognized as the best-of-breed
product among all the apple Brandy products.
The ages of Cognac and Armagnac Brandy is expressed in Compte. On April
1st every year, when the distillation of wines of the last year completes, the
Compte is 0.
Compte becomes 1 when an additional year passes, and 2 when two years
additionally pass. Cognac and Armagnac Brandy products are at least aged
more than a year.
Three star Brandies are aged more than 2 years. V.S.O.P refers to Brandy
aged more than four years. When aged more than 6 years, it is labeled as X.Oor Napoleon.
There are many people wondering why the age of some Brandy products is
labeled as Napoleon. The Prince of Napoleon was born in 1811, and the year
had a bumper harvest of grapes and thus the quality of Brandy products from
the grapes were especially excellent. To celebrate the bonanza year as well as
the birth of the Prince, Brandy manufacturers labeled the Brandy products
they produced as Napoleon.
Napoleon himself was also a fan of Cognac and wines. He ordered to includewine and Brandy to war supplies. There also exists a belief that the Napoleon
troops were defeated after conquering Moscow because the Brandy supplies
ran out and the forces became demoralized by the harsh climate.
Brandy is a distilled fruit wine with a rich and strong fragrance of fruits. As
aged in oak containers, it tastes smooth and fruity, which is a perfect
condition for a dessert. So it is recommended to take an occasional dip rather
than a gulp in such a way that you can feel the clear taste and that the food
residuals are washed away.The glass for Brandy is shaped like a tulip. When taking Brandy, it is
recommended to hold the glass fully with the palm to warm the liquid with
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body heat and to take an occasional nip while savoring the smell.
We have talked about Brandy which is also known as burned wine.
A glass of Brandy after finishing a meal help improve digestion and reduce
blood cholesterol. I hope you enjoy Brandy and the benefits of it.
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9. Vodka, Colorless, Flavorless and Scentless Liquor
Vodka originates from Northern Europe, and still largely produced and
consumed in the region such as Poland and Scandinavian Peninsula.
It is recorded in a book written in 1400 that leached Vodka (Okowita) is a
good medicine to reduce pruritus. Also, a record was found in a book writtenin Swedish in the similar year that an explosive type of Vodka (Auqavit) is
often used as an explosive mixture for guns. As the content of alcohol in
liquor increases, so does the explosiveness of the liquor.
Although some historical records were found in several regions, vodka has a
lot of relations with Russia. The term ‘vodka’ became popular to the public in
the 17th century. The term originates from the local word for water and water
comes from ‘the water of life’.
In ancient Russia, Mead made from honey or beer were widely used. In 1429,
the first hard liquor made from diverse sorts of grains was introduced in
Moscow. At that time hard liquor was called ‘water of life’, meaning a cure-
all. The hard liquor praised by the blinded Prince Vasily, is made from
diverse grains locally harvested in Moscow. In the 15th century, almost all
monastery produced vodka and in the late 15th century, Ivan III appointed the
production and selling of vodka as the government monopoly.
In the late 16th century, the Tsar royal family directly ran pubs called Kabak
to secure the nation’s finance. In the 17th century, Kabak became the seedbedof corruption.
In 1716, Peter the Great (Pyotr I), who is called the king of vodka, granted
the nobles and merchants with rights to produce and distribute vodka but
nobles and merchants had a conflict with the royal family about vodka
production rights in the 18th century.
In 1812, vodka became popular in France after French armies invaded
Russia.
Vodka in its early days was distilled by pot stills from the Middle East in the
14th century. Continuous distillers were invented in 1830 in England, so it
was about 10 years after the invention that the continuous distillers were
started to be used for vodka. Vodka was made from various kinds of
farinaceous ingredients and produced by distilling fermented wines made
from grains including potato, barley, wheat and rye. As the crude liquid after
distillation was rough, diverse herbs and fruits were added.
In 1785, a Russian pharmacist named Toviy filtered rubbing alcohol usingcharcoal to get rid of the color and smell and inadvertently found that clean
and smooth alcohol is derived through the filtration. Through the filtration,
alcohol was oxidized with acetic acid.
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The oxidation was then adopted and widely spread to produce vodka, so that
the final product has a unique smell and smooth flavor.
It was Dmitri Mendeleev, a chemist who developed the periodic table of the
elements in the 19th century, and made a decisive contribution to setting up
the 40% of alcohol strength of contemporary vodka. Before his invention, the
strength of vodka was not fixed. However, Dmitri suggested the alcohol
content of vodka by publishing a thesis where he insisted ‘the alcohol
strength that makes a perfect match between water and alcohol is 40%’.
In the late 10th century during the era of Kievskaya principality which
established the foundation of the Russian federation, the nation established its
national church.
At that time, missionaries of the Catholic, Islam and Greek Orthodox visited
Vladimir I. He, however, did not like the Catholics that was governed by the
Pope. After a long consideration, he chose the Greek Orthodox as the RussianOrthodox. It is alleged that he decided the Greek Orthodox because it is
relatively generous for drinking, while the Islamic laws prohibited use of
pork and liquors. It was common that Russian priests drink with each other or
with the devotees.
This story allows us to understand how much Russians have loved vodka.
Even while maintaining communism, Russia has had a large consumption of
Vodka.
Gorbachev who was the last General Secretary of the Communist Party of theSoviet Union and the symbol of the union’s freedom is allegedly disgraced by
his policy prohibiting the use of vodka. Gorbachev once limited the selling of
vodka to reduce excessive consumption, which resulted in resentment from
the people.
In Russia and Northern Europe, people used to cool vodka at around -20℃
and take it in straight shots. When cooled down, an alcoholic smell peculiar
to vodka is eliminated.
With no taste and smell, vodka is not a liquor to savor but one to ingurgitate.
Recommended side dishes for vodka include grilled meat skewers and white
bread spread with butter and caviars.
Tasteless, colorless and scentless vodka is also widely used for cocktail base
liquors. So it goes well with fruits, herbs and sporty drinks. Vodka is
colorless and scentless besides alcohol taste. Therefore it is widely used for
cocktail base liquors. When blended with fruits or herbs, the taste becomes
fruity or herby just like you draw a picture on a white board. It is alsorecommended to mix it with sporty drinks for a light shot.
We have talked about vodka, a representative distilled liquor from Russia.
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10. Liqueur, the Diamond in Liquid
Western people like sweet foods and thus enjoy sweet desserts such as
chocolate, pudding, ice cream and pie after they finish a meal. There has been
an established custom having a liquor with honey as a dessert, which is called
liqueur.According to a book written in 13th century in France, liqueur is an aquavit
that has been flavored with herbs or spices. It is alleged that the monks in the
Middle Ages found the recipe in compounding a medicine by blending
distilled spirits with herbs and plants.
The monks believed that liqueur facilitates refreshment and longevity.
So liqueur is regarded as a heaven-sent holy impression. Even in largemonasteries, a few people were allowed to take over the secret recipe.
In France in 1510, recipes from Benedictine abbeys were handed over.
Bols was produced in 1575 in the Netherlands, while Goldwasser was in
Germany in 1598.
Flavors of herbs and plants are soaked into the liquid by adding them in the
distillation process. As the ingredients of herbs and plants are melted in it,
liquid was regarded as an elixir of long life, and thus called Liquefacere,
which is the origin of the word liqueur.
As the Korean saying, Good medicine tastes bitter but is good for the body;
ingredients of medicines are generally bitter to the taste. This made people
add honey to the liqueur.
Generally a liqueur is referred to an alcoholic beverage with more than 15%
of strength and more than 10% of sugar. According to the Liquor Tax Law in
Korea, liqueur is defined as an alcoholic beverage with more than 2% ofevaporation residues. However the definition differs from a global definition.
Anyway, we can say a liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that contains large
amount of solid matters.
Traditional liqueur is largely divided into three types; liqueur blended with
herbs, fruits and seeds. More recently, the blending techniques of spices and
alcohol have been developed so that aliphatic constituents can also be added.
Examples include cream liqueur and egg liqueur.
Seed liqueur gives a mouthful of sweet taste and savory smell. The flavor and
fragrance of seeds such as cacao and coffee beans can substitute for tea while
sweet ingredients (honey or sugar) make it a perfect dessert for a meal. As for
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fruit liqueur, White Curacao, which is made from orange peels. from the
Netherlands and Cointreau from France are the most well-known products.
Cherry liqueur is as popular as orange liqueur. Examples are cherry Brandy
which has the natural color of cherries and Maraschino which has no color
but tastes sweet and bitter. Also there are liqueurs made from various types of
berries. Cream liqueur is a liqueur with a cream flavored with chocolate,
coffee and orange. Cream liqueur is a modern form of liqueur that has been
developed to meet the modern taste.
In the Benedictine Order, an Christian community that maintains its own
autonomy, had developed liqueur for medical purpose in Normandy, France
in 1510. The ingredients were known to include 27 herbs and plants such as
anise, peppermint and cinnamon.
Recipes of liqueur called an elixir of life have been handed over among a few
monks. The recipes were disappeared by the decline of the BenedictineOrder.
Benedictine liqueur saw the light of the day again by Alexandre Le Grand
who was a collector of religious books and discovered the recipe of
Benedictine liqueur in 1863.
The labels of the Benedictine liqueurs with historical tradition are engraved
with letters D.O.M which means al liquor dedicated to the most powerful
god. So the products are comprehensively called DOM.
Absinthe is an alcohol beverage once popular in France around the 1800s,which is produced by leaching stems and leaves of wormwood with high
strength alcohol, and then distilling the extract containing aromatic
components.
Absinthe was largely used as an aperitif due to the bitter taste and smell from
anise.
Absinthe was popular among Parisian artists in the early 20th century,
because they believed the hallucination effects of Absinthe stimulates the
creativity.
Absinthism is a disorder associated with the habitual abuse of Absinthe.
According to reports, the symptoms include hallucinations, insomnia,
tremors, and convulsions. It is widely known that artists like Van Gogh died
from epileptic seizures and suicides led by Absinthism.
However, several European nations resumed the production of Absinthe
owing to the European Union’s determination in 1981 that legalized the
production of Absinthe products. The determination was based upon theUnion’s acceptance of the opinions from the relevant industries that the side
effects of Absinthe have been exaggerated while the risks are not that higher
compared to other liquor products.
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Liqueur is a perfect liquor to take when finishing a meal and going to bed.
The ingredients facilitate the secretion of gastric juice and thus digestion.
The variety of liqueur varies in sorts, ranging from traditional ones produced
on the local history and tradition, to modern ones made from new types of
ingredients.
Cream liqueur in the middle strength (17~25%) is recommended to serve in ashot glass for a straight or as on the rocks, while high proof liqueur is better
when served as a cocktail blended with other drinks and fruit juices.
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11. Kaoliang Baijiu, Famous Chinese Liquor
Kaoliang Baijiu is famous Chinese liquor. From ancient times, the Chinese
have enjoyed drinking and have had several famous liquor products produced
in each region. Especially Baijiu, hard liquor is one of the representative
products in China in terms of its quality and output.There has been a diversity of opinions explaining when hard liquor was first
produced in China. Some people assumed that distilled sprits had been there
ever since sometime in the pre-Christian era, based on the discovery of the
copper-made distiller made in the East Han Dynasty.
On the other hand, others insisted that the hard liquors had existed from the
Tang or Sung dynasty, because the word So Ju, which means a spirit, was
found in a poem written by Bai Le Tian in the Tang Dynasty and Sung
Dynasty.
One thing that we can assure is that it has existed since the Won Dynasty. It is
evidenced by a paragraph from the Bencao Gangmu written by Li Shi Zhen.
It goes like “Kaoliang Baijiu based on sorghum was first produced in the
Won Dynasty”
Supplied to the Chinese troops on the Great Leap Forwards, a national
campaign in the 1930s led by Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, Baijiu wascontributed to boost morale of the troops, and became super popular as the
nation grew stronger. Today we can easily find Baijiu, one of the Chinese
liquor products famous all over the world.
For the last 30 years, I have experienced and learned so many kinds of
recipes of liquors from the world. But I believe the recipe for Chinese Baijiu
is unprecedented and unique comparing to those of other liquors.
Almost all recipes of Baijiu are based on solid state fermentation.
It is interesting because, the recipes of almost all of the other liquors from the
world, except Baijiu, are based on liquid state fermentation, which ferment
sugar solution made from sugar and starch to form yeast.
Solid state fermentation methods are slightly different by producers in terms
of ingredients, the mixture rate of intermediate fermentation products and the
mixture ratio of distillation residues. However, they have the following
processes in common.
Grains harvested in Autumn are mixed together and crushed roughly with the
peels. The crushed grains and the peels are then put into a 2-meter
fermentation dug, and malt powder and 20% of the residues from the last
distillation are mixed together and put into the dug for fermentation.
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The fermentation dugs become filled with solid matter which is mixed with
grain peels, steamed starch, micro-organism from the malts and from the dug
soils. As the fermentation progresses, alcohol and fragrance elements are
mixed and soaked into the grain peels.
The fermentation lasts generally for 60 to 90 days. High proof solution with
strength of 60% to 70% can be obtained by distilling the fermentation
products using a pot still. Some brewers even repeat the distillation process
more than 7 times. The quality of the distilled solution differs at each batch,
so the batches are mixed to achieve the consistent quality.
Chinese famous liquors such as Shuijingfang, Mao Tai and Guo Jiao have a
long history and tradition of the fermentation dugs. Indeed, it is widely
known that Guo Jiao has been continuously produced from the same
fermentation dugs since 1573.
For about 30 years after World War II in 1940s, the world has been dividedbetween liberals and communitarians who had a fierce arms race. In 1972
when president Nixon visited China to end the cold war and recover
diplomatic relation by rapprochement and opening, a glass of Mao Tai was a
real help to make both leaders start the talk.
Kinssinger, the Secretary of State of the USA at that time hinted the president
to pretend to drink the liquor, because it is very strong liquor. However,
Nixon drunk it off at a draught with Zhou Enlai, which relaxed the pressured
atmosphere in a flash. That was the very moment of the reconciliation
between the East and the West.
In 1974, Kissinger said in a meeting with Zhou Enlai that he feels like
everything can be settled with a glass of Mao-Tai, which was recognized as
the nation’s first liquor since the foundation of the Chinese Communist Party,
Mao-Tai is also known as the symbol of world peace.
Traditionally, Chinese people have often used magniloquence in expressions.
For example they say yellow dusts spread for over a thousand yards, when
it’s dusty outside. It goes without saying that they use magniloquence onliquors. In Jian Jin Jiu, a famous poem written by Li Bai, there is a verse that
goes “Drink a hundred jugs of liquor to drown your troubles.” From this
verse, we can get a glance of the Chinese appreciation for the liquor and arts.
In China the sales of liquor products are largely relying on the epithets they
referred to, so brewers and vendors eager to use fine epithets to refer to their
products. However, winners of the Chinese National Wine Competition are
generally recognized as the best and the greatest wine products. The
competition has been hosted five times so far, since the foundation of the
modern Chinese government in 1952. There used to be much hype and
hoopla for domestic brewers and liquor vendors to win the competition. The
competition was prohibited after the fifth competition in 1989 due largely to
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the alleged unfairness in the selection process and practices.
Mao Tai, Fen Jiu and Tu Zhou Lao Jiao were selected as the best and the
greatest liquor products in all the five competitions. Xi Feng Jiu, Wu Liang
Ye, Gu Jing Gong Jiu and Dong Jiu were selected four times, while Quan
Xing Daqu Jiu, Jian Nan Chun and Yang He Da Qu were selected three
times. These winners have been collectively called the 10 greatest Chinese
wines so far.
Because foods are easily decomposed in the Southern China including
Szechwan province where the atmosphere is in all time high humidity, fried
foods are so popular and varied.
Baijiu is regarded as a good match for the oily fried Chinese foods. Baijiu
varieties include Jian Xiang Xing Jiu, Nong Xiang Xing Jiu, Qing Xiang
Xing Jiu and Mi Xiang Xing Jiu. Some varieties have a strong smell of mold
derived from the fermentation dugs. However Baijiu gives a smooth taste andclear finish, which is one of the common features of the varieties. Anyway
Baijiu seems like a perfect match for Chinese foods, as they are either have a
strong fish smell or very greasy.
Chinese people are very proud of domestic wines, preferring them to other
wines from other country. The national well-being trends, however, have
made changes in the drinking culture in China. Traditionally, they used to
offer strong wine, but now they are changing to enjoy low strength wines. So
the strength of the domestic liquor products have also reduced the alcohol
content to meet the changes.
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12. Variety of Hard Liquors, Gin, Rum and Tequila
Among the world’s liquors, Gin, Rum and Tequila are categorized as hard
liquors. From the perspective of liquor history, white liquor, whiskey, brandy
and vodka can be called the 1st generation hard liquors.
Gin, rum and tequila are the next generation hard liquors that have beendeveloped after the 17th century along with the discovery of the New World.
In 1960s Korea, soju made with dilution of spirits were distributed, so gin,
rum and tequila have been categorized as general hard liquors. However, in
other countries, gin, rum and tequila have developed their own categories
with diverse sub categories such as general and premium.
In oriental culture, liquors were regarded as medicine, so there are some
liquors originating from medicine. In 1660, Sylvius in the Netherlands sold a
fever reducer that he produced by distilling juniper berries with alcohol. This
medicine later became what we know as gin.
In the middle of the 17th century, England closed a peace treaty with the
Netherlands to stand against them. The treaty, by the way, facilitated the
exchange between both countries. Gins were popular in England at that time
as production of Gin products were allowed without licenses. Owing to the
tax reduction effects, Gin products were distributed in low prices and called
‘a poverty worth of the King’s life’. Records from that time supported the
popularity of gins by depicting the country as a nation crowded with sots anddrunkards.
It is said that in 1830s England, more than half of the bars served gin
products only. Afterwards, gin spread out to the United States and widely
used as the basis for cocktails and became one of the world-famous liquors.
There are three types of recipes of gin.
First is a method from the Netherlands. The products are called wet gin,
which is distilled after fermentation with botanical crops.
Second is England’s method that distills the ingredients such as juniper
berries, cinnamons and coriander extracted with high proof alcohol. Gins
made by this method are called dry gin. It is transparent and colorless as there
it is not aged during production. It tastes clear and dry as well.
The last method produces gins by mixing the spirits with the essence of
botanical crops, which are called compound gins.
The quality of these gins is lower than other varieties. The gin product once
popular in 1980s Korea that causes a headache was one of the compound
gins.
Gin as itself offers a unique flavor and taste like those of pine resin. But it is
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widely used as the basis for cocktails such as gin and tonic, martini, paradise
and pink lady.
Reminding us of the one-eyed captain of Treasure Island, Caribbean Sea and
Cuba, Rum is made from sugar cane from tropical regions such as the West
Indies.
If you understand the origin of the name, you can see the characteristics ofthe liquor.
English settlers in Barbados used to call the liquor Rumbullon, which refers
to turbulence and excitation. Rum is the abbreviation of the word also
meaning a liquor to get drunk in a tropical climate. Rum is produced in any
tropical areas where sugar cane is harvested such as Brazil and Australia.
Rum products form the West Indies are regarded as the best among all
varieties.
In early productions, rums were made by fermenting the juice of sugar canesbut later the ingredients changed to treacle leftovers from sugar production.
The treacle is dark brown slimy syrup with 55~65% sugar. They are naturally
acidic but uniquely sweet to the taste and aromatic. The treacle is generally
fermented through natural fermentation through which the yeast and bacteria
create the unique fragrance.
Rums are produced by distilling twice using a pot still.
However, in case using treacle as ingredients, cheap spirits are producedusing continuous distillers, which are widely used for dilution liquors such as
Korean Soju or used as fuel.
When storing rums, containers made of American oaks are widely used. If
the rum is aged in these containers, the products are called heavy rum which
has a strong flavor,
whereas not aged rum is called white rum.
Rums in Korea are in most cases used as the basis for cocktails, but they
account for the largest portion of hard liquor production in the world. With
strong flavor and high alcohol content, rum is not only good to enjoy as
straight, but also a good basis to make a cocktail or a punch. Various recipes
are out there. You can enjoy rums in a daiquiri, pina colada, rum cock and the
likes.
Tequila which is known as the symbol of passion originates from the city of
Tequila in Jalisco, Mexico.
Traditionally, the local Mexican natives made a liquor called Pulque, which is
quite similar to Korean Makgolri, from a juice of agave plant. Indeed, in a
mural that is datable to AD 250, people are sharing tequila with each other.
Agave is a plant growing at high elevations. It looks like a cactus at a glance
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Author : HRI
HRI is established by Chung Ju-yung,the first CEO,founder and honorary
chairman of Hyundai Group in 1986. HRI is a leading Korean research think
tank committed to studying and analyzing the economic and industrial
environment as well as reunification economy of Korea. HRI,further,has
it’s own businesses such as business consulting, education and training
service,and knowledge-content business.
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copyright
Title : The Story of World Liquors
Title copyright © 2014 by HRI(Hyundai Research Institute)
All right reservedNo Part of this book may be reproduces in any means,
without permission in writing form from publisher.
Publisher : Mantrip
email : [email protected]
ISBN : 979-11-86223- 41-3