Schnapps

Aguardiente is an alcoholic beverage distilled from an alcoholic fermentation. There is a great variety of agricultural organic substances whose paste or fermented juice is used for their extraction, including fruits, cereals, vegetables and grains. The spirits come from a multitude of plants rich in sucrose, which is the essential element in the preparation of the drink (since ethanol arises from it), in principle the spirit is alcohol diluted in water. Thus, the brandy takes its name from «Aqua» and «Ardiente» from the Latin «Ardens», lexeme «Ardie", referring to its low flammability, although it is also said that the name is due to the sensation of the alcoholic liquid substance when ingested. "Aguardiente" can refer to practically any alcoholic beverage obtained by distillation, but the name is applied above all to those that have between 30% and 59% of degree or volume of alcohol (see alcoholic strength).

Although the advent of distilled beverage making is related to the use of alembics and alquitars by Arab alchemists in antiquity, distillation methods were not fully developed until the late Antiquity and early Middle Ages. The manufacture of distilled beverages spread throughout Europe and the rest of the world, giving way to a wide variety of flavors, colors and aromas, which occur depending on the type of distillation, the distilled raw material and the different additives. These properties change from one culture to another according to customs, as well as the very use of the term aguardiente.

History

In Antiquity the art of distilling was already known, although it was used in perfumery but not to obtain alcoholic beverages. The art of distilling breaks into Western culture at the hands of medieval Arab culture through Spain. Alembic is an Arabic word, the same as alcohol, words that have passed into European languages. The names of other Arab inventions, such as sugar, pass into European languages, without the article: sucre, Zucker, sugar, zucchero, etc. In classical Latin there is no word to designate alcohol. Only in late medieval Latin did it begin to be called spiritus vini, avoiding the Latinization of the word alcohol.

The introduction of the art of making distilled alcoholic beverages, or at least its diffusion, is attributed (probably wrongly) to Arnau de Vilanova (1240-1311), who is credited with the translation of a work entitled Elixir of vinorum mirabilis specierum et artificiatum vinum. It is conjectured that together with his disciple Raimon Llull, in search of the elixir of life or elixir of eternal youth, they decided to experiment by emptying a pitcher of wine into the still to extract its essence; The result was clear, colorless water, which seemed to show that it was indeed the water of life due to the euphoria experienced after swallowing it. In addition to Life Water, it was also referred to as Burning Water due to its low flammability. In the end it was baptized as Kohol, some time later they would discover the unhealthiness of the first and last glasses of the distillation, which is called the heads and tails of the distillation. Although both Vilanova and Llull were credited with numerous works related to alchemy, including the ones mentioned above, they both strongly condemned alchemy and it can be said with certainty that they had little or nothing to do with these discoveries. Ezio Falconi is credited with being the first to use the word aqua vitae, an expression that is used to designate brandy in many languages. These are his words:

«Permanent water or golden water extends life. That's why it deserves to be called life water.»

His work, it is often wrongly said, would have been continued by his disciple, even more famous, Raimon Llull.

During the following centuries, the technical and elaborate production of spirits was controlled by the church in the monasteries, which were the exclusive centers of brandy production with a sophisticated science of elaboration, keeping the techniques of distillation, mixtures and aging known, as well as those that were being discovered. As the brandy passed through different parts of Europe, it took on different names, for example, in Scottish Gaelic uisge-beatha (whiskey).

Since its discovery and dissemination, the elaboration of the brandy was carried out empirically, with a dangerous inaccuracy that is said to have left multiple communities blind and intoxicated by adulterated liquor. Until the 18th century, thanks to the invention of the thermometer by the Dutch scientist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686-1736), it was not could legally regulate and supervise production.

Bob Emmons states that the art of distillation was introduced to Mexico before 1544, when beer was already being brewed.

Distillation underwent a decisive transformation with the invention, at the beginning of the XIX century, of the continuous distillation alembic, a Very ingenious device that allows, thanks to a system of plates located in a column, that the vapors come into contact with the alcoholic fermentation to steal more alcohol from it.

It cannot properly be said that a specific person was the inventor of the continuous distillation system. Eduardo Adam, Coffey, Cellier Blomental, among others, are mentioned. Coffey applied for a patent on his alembic in 1832. In the XX century, absolute alcohol has been achieved, without any admixture of water. Currently, distillation has advanced in such a way that it is possible to select the substances to be separated much better than before. A good distillation is as much or more necessary than a good raw material.

Classification

Depending on the plant and the country they come from

Thus, cane brandy, generically called rum, differs from other brandies in that it comes from sugar cane; whiskey comes from cereals, which give rise to different classes: corn whiskey from corn; the so-called single malt that comes from barley without mixing other cereals; tequila comes from the blue agave; the mezcal, from the rigid agave; brandy made from 'Vitis vinifera' grapes; the so-called Kirschwasser, made from cherries; Sochu comes from rice, etc. Many brandies do not have a specific name, as is the case with cider brandy. The same happens with unusual spirits, such as those from the sap of certain palm trees, mead, etc. They can only be designated by indicating their origin: cider brandy, mead, palm brandy, etc.

Once this primary classification has been established, we usually proceed further by country and city. Rums are usually classified as Dominican, Jamaican, Cuban, Haitian, Puerto Rican, etc. The same happens with wine spirits: Cognac, Armagnac, Jerez, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian, etc. In each country there are usually different customs and criteria that provide the corresponding brandy with its distinctive features.

According to the part of the fruit

Another significant classification leads to dividing spirits into "wine" spirits and "orujo" spirits.

Such a division cannot be applied to all spirits, but only to those that come from fleshy fruits, such as grapes, apples or pears. After treading them, to obtain that must that, once alcoholicly fermented, becomes wine, cider or perry, these residues can also ferment alcoholicly. The distillate obtained from these alcoholicly fermented residues is what is called “orujo brandy” or simply pomace, if it is from grapes, or “fruit skin brandy”, which is the most generic word. The presence of at least some of these skins is necessary in the distilled liquid, so that the distillate can receive the name of pomace brandy or fruit skin brandy. The residue of sugar cane or "bagasse" does not allow alcoholic fermentation, followed by distillation. The same happens with cereal residues and other raw materials, such as juices or milk.

Simple and Compound

Finally, spirits can be divided into the two aforementioned categories of simple spirits and compound spirits. The simple ones do not have a significant addition of flavors other than those of the brandy, while the compounds receive a significant addition of flavors from substances that do not generate alcohol, such as herbs, anise seeds, etc.

Regional overview

Asian

From reading books and brochures on Mongolian cuisine, it seems that arkhi, archi or arki, etc. It is a very generic expression, from the same root as arrac, which is used to designate any alcoholic beverage with a high alcohol content and consequently from distillation. To distinguish the milk distillate from the Russian distillate called vodka. Mongolians speak of shimiyn arki and non-Mongolians of Mongolian arki, that is, of Mongolian hounds. The shimiyn arki is usually very few degrees, about twelve (12%). The operation is carried out by manufacturers and processors of artisanal dairy products.

Airag, Ayran or Aiven, etc., same as chigee or chigi, same as kumis, seem to be suitable words to designate yogurt with alcohol, but not yet distilled. Regardless of the etymology of these words and their exact meaning, the art of distilling alcoholicly fermented yoghurts has been practiced in Mongolia since ancient times. Such yogurt schnapps can rightly be called "Mongolian schnapps."

European Union

The possibility of adding certain substances to the raw material, or to the distillate, raises the need to determine to what extent the spirits thus treated can be considered as such.

The distillate resulting from having macerated fruit in alcohol, that is, distilling an "alcoholado", is not considered brandy. Community legislation opposes "fruit brandy" to "fruit spirit drink" to distinguish both distillates. The flavor and character of the drink resulting from having distilled cider is different than the flavor and character of the drink resulting from having macerated apples in alcohol, with or without further distillation. In the case of certain strawberries - such as raspberries, holly, blueberries and a few others - Community legislation tolerates the use of the word "aguardiente", despite the fact that it is "a fruit spirit drink", but this it must be approved in each case by a committee. Says so:

“They may be called aguardiente followed by the name of the fruit, the spirits obtained by maceration, in a minimum proportion of 100 kg of fruits for 20 liters of alcohol to 100% vol, of certain berries and other fruits such as raspberries, berries, blueberries and others, partially fermented or not fermented”.

The reason is that it is very difficult to obtain an alcoholic fermentation from strawberries. However, the use of a lot of fruit is required; For example, in the case of raspberries, to make a liter of raspberry brandy no less than eleven kilos of raspberries must be used.

To preserve the flavor of the raw material, the result of the distillation must have an alcohol content of around 80 degrees of alcohol; that is, the alcohol must be slightly rectified. Legislation requires a maximum of distillation according to the various spirits, so that they preserve the peculiar characteristics of aroma and flavor typical of the alcoholic matter of origin. From 96 degrees, although a slight flavor of the raw material used is still perceptible, the distillate is no longer considered brandy, to be considered simply alcohol. The characteristic of spirits is to preserve residues —and therefore flavor and characteristics— of the alcoholic fermentation object of distillation. For spirits, the modern column alembic is not used, which is capable of easily distilling at 96 degrees, but the old-fashioned alembic, generally made of copper, called alquitara, which in English is called Power. However, the distillate leaves the still with very high graduations, around 80 degrees. As the sale of alcoholic beverages of such a high degree is prohibited, water must be added to send it for human consumption. Legislation and customs set a maximum and minimum alcohol content for each brandy. The band oscillates between 35 and 45 degrees (with exceptions). Generally, the alcoholic volume appears on the label (of brandy).

Gin is made from bland ethanol flavored with juniper galbules; and the same happens with aniseed liqueurs, both dry and sweet. However, the so-called Oude Genever (that is, old-fashioned gin), typical of Holland, must be made with a brandy that imparts a cereal flavor. Oude Genever is not considered a spirit.

The addition of substances to the distillate leads to a distinction, as the Vineyard, Wine and Spirits Statute did, between simple spirits and compound spirits. The first is the brandy as it comes out of the still; the second is that which is flavored or handled in various ways, before or after distillation or redistillation. In wine spirits it is legally allowed to add quercin and a coloring that, although called caramel, is not sweet. Moreover, the aging in oak typical of most spirits has, among other purposes, to communicate flavor. It is also common to age certain whiskeys in barrels that have contained sherry to impart flavor. In practice, totally simple spirits are not shipped for human consumption.

All alcoholic beverages contain water and ethanol. Adding more water or more ethanol poses problems: some Denominations of Origin, such as Cognac, only allow distilled water to be added. Historically, tea has been used, as the Espasa Encyclopedia points out in the corresponding voice. The water raises the problem of what kind of water is to be added. Pure ethanol raises the problem of whether or not to add it and to what extent it can be done. In whiskeys it is widespread practice to use very little alquitara distillate, to which pure ethanol from a continuous distillation still is added, together with water, both tasteless. On the other hand, in the more traditional wine spirits, such as Cognac or Jerez, this practice is not used.

The concept of brandy does not require that it be a dry drink. In general, the norms and regulatory councils are against sweetening spirits; there are exceptions such as the Greek Metaxá, which consists of a sweetened wine brandy. That spirits are dry is usually a regulatory requirement; but it does not follow, hence the dry nature of the drink is part of the concept of brandy. Certainly the spirits come out of the alembic dry; but from the moment that sweetening spirits is prohibited —and not other alcoholic beverages—, it is being emphasized that “aguardiente” has little to do with the ideas of “dryness” or “sweetness” of the drinks. Such a dichotomy is applicable to non-alcoholic beverages. «Aguardiente» is precisely what many laws and customs prohibit sweetening; the ban is given only if it is possible to sweeten (in some cases). High-grade alcoholic beverages that are not spirits are usually sweetened; but not always. Such is the case with anise, which has two versions: sweet, dry, and with gin (which is usually dry); it can also be sweet, like the so-called Old Tom. Historically there were many sweet gins. The fact that a liquor is dry does not make it a brandy. The dryness is only one element of the typical spirits, since they are usually dry.

Types of brandy

Simple brandies

The most significant in the Western world are four:

1. The rum, which includes the cachaza, the so-called "aguardiente de cane" and the "ron de melazas".
2. The brandyIn addition to those of Cognac and Armagnac (France), Jerez (Spain), California (United States) and Pisco (Peru and Chile).
3. The Whiskey: The ones in Scotland, the ones in Ireland, the so-called bourbon based on corn, the ones in Canada, etc. are outstanding.
4. The tequila.

Less universally widespread are the very varied fruit spirits: cherry, apple, apricot, among others, very typical of central Europe, the Balkans and Armenia, although they also occur in the Iberian Peninsula, Ireland, etc. Those obtained from palm or rice saps are considered exotic. Such is the case with the tuba, the burí or the Mongolian brandy, which comes from milk. They are usually grouped under the word arrac, a mixed bag widely used to designate exotic spirits.

Compound spirits

The custom of aniseed in some cases was due to the desire to hide or replace its flavor. In practice, they can be substituted with the so-called "sun and shadow": a mixture of anise and brandy, made in the glass or glass itself. It has also been customary to induce other flavors or remove their bad taste by adding herbs and aromas, as is the case with Benedictine liqueur. The Benedictines present two versions of their drink, one mixed with Cognac —hence it is called B.B. Bénédictine, with brandy—less sweet and another that is simply called bénédictine. The formula of these herbal liqueurs usually includes some anise, although barely perceptible. Turkish, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Albanian, Thessalian and Greek Macedonian raki consist of an aniseed wine brandy.

Currently, to induce flavors, a spirit is not usually used as a base, but rather pure and tasteless alcohol; or what is the same, the so-called "vodka for cocktails", which does not intend to communicate and does not communicate any flavor except those of water and ethanol. Compound spirits are disappearing and all liqueurs whose origin predates the invention of continuous distillation in the XIX century were compound spirits, since there was no way to obtain pure and tasteless alcohol. Only a brandy based on the liquor could be used.

Main simple spirits

Pear schnapps

Germans call the pear Birne and its brandy Birnenwasser or Birnenbranntwein. It is also made in Switzerland and France. Its most elaborate presentation consists of letting a pear grow inside the bottle, for which the bottle must be applied to the fruit before it grows. The bottle produces a greenhouse effect. The French often call this presentation poire d'Olive. To make brandy, it is common to use the Williams variety, also known as Williamina, a trademark registered by the Morand house, and the one known as Barlett. It is a white brandy of those that do not need aging.

Plum Brandy

In Spain, Prunus spinosa L. is usually used to make Pacharán. To make brandy, two orchard plum varieties are used almost exclusively: the Prunus domestica var. insititia and Prunus insititia var. syriaca. In Germany, plum brandy, without specifying the variety, is called Pflaumenwasser or Zwetschenwasser and Zwetschgenwasser. In Austria it is preferably Zwetschgenwasser. If the variety is Damask plum, it is usually specified: Quetschwasser or Mirabellenwasser.

The plum drink called slivovitz or šljivovica is native to central Europe and the Balkans. It is made with plums from Bosnia, huge and sweet, called Pozaga. It is also found written Pocegaca and Posegaca. The meaning of slivovic becomes synonymous with plum brandy, that is, when one speaks of slivovic —or a similar expression— referring to an alcoholic beverage, it is understood that one is referring to reference to a plum brandy, without mentioning the word brandy. Rakija is the name by which plum brandy is known in Bosnia.

Rawberry Brandy

Alise is understood as a brandy from Alsace, made with betula (birch) berries.

Applejack

From the apple there are, as with the grape, two fundamental types: cider brandy and apple pomace brandy, the first is more expensive and appreciated. With ten liters of cider, only one liter of brandy is obtained, which means that to make brandy, cider is used that is not suitable as cider for mouths, but this does not mean that it is a vinegary or bad cider. In relation to wine, a distinction is made between burning wine, intended for the alembic, and mouth wine, intended to be drunk, either as table wine or as wine for dessert. The same thing happens with cider. Otherwise it would be prohibitively expensive.

A reference spirit in Europe among cider spirits is the one made in Calvados. It is aged in oak and the diversification of the product is done due to ageing. Sometimes, to refer to apple pomace brandy, the expression eau-de-vie de marc de sidre is used. The expression eau-de-vie de marc de pomme is more correct, since the apple pomace is the result of treading the apple, regardless of whether after treading it, cider is made with the resulting must or it is not done, taking the must as a drink. Of the community denominations included in the section cider and perada brandy, nine correspond to France and only one to Spain: Aguardiente de sidra de Asturias. and perry" is due to the custom of adding perry to the cider or crushing the apple with some pear, to correct the acidity. Instead of pear, rowanberries can also be added. that is to say, the fruit of the rowan or mountain pear tree. Cider brandy is also made in the Basque Country, under the name Sagardoz, a Basque word that literally means "apple brandy".

In England, the company Bulmer's Cider at the Hereford cider museum produces a cider brandy, with the generic name of cider brandy, called King Offa. It is made in a still over direct heat and according to a long tradition. The Somerset Royal is made in Somerset in the Calvados style.

In the United States, cider brandy is known as applejack. The terminology used to refer to them is that of whiskey. Like whiskey, it is blended, that is, with ethyl alcohol added to the brandy, which is generally prohibited in the European Union. The Captain Apple Brandy is promoted as straight, that is, without the addition of tasteless alcohol. On the other hand, Laird's Applejack is presented as a blend, that is, pure and insipid alcohol mixed with a young brandy, which gives it a more fruity character, although all of them, even the young ones age in oak wood.

Grape Brandy

Aguardiente from grape wine is one of the best known and used. It is called brandy when aged. It is usually aged in oak barrels and that is when it acquires its characteristic brown color. It is also often called cognac. Cognac is a protected geographical appellation, so it is prohibited to use that word commercially to designate wine spirits that do not come from that particular region (Cognac) in France. The brandy of wine fresh out of the still is translucent like water. Thus, it is only called Brandy in the Netherlands.

If the brandy comes from the distillation of wine lees in the presence of the grape pomace or only from the distillation of the grape pomace, it is called pomace brandy or simply pomace. In some places, such as the Canary Islands, it is also known as Parra or Canna de parra. The best-known pomace spirits are grappa and Pisco.

Cereal Brandy

Community legislation distinguishes three sales denominations in relation to products from the distillation of cereals: Cereal brandy, Cereal brandy and Whiskey . "Cereal brandy" is considered a special kind of "cereal brandy". Whiskey, on the other hand, is not considered a kind of «cereal brandy», because the malting of the cereal grains is required in the sales name whiskey. The cereal brandy, which is not whiskey, is the best known Korn, typical of Germany and made with wheat.

Sake is made from rice. The drink obtained as a result of the distillation of sake is also called sake. This distillate is used to strengthen the sake, never exceeding 20% vol. Thus, sake becomes a fortified wine.

Rice liquor is currently produced in China, among other eastern countries, under the name Samshu. Soju is typical of Korea. Very similar even in name is the Japanese shochu, with two modalities: the ko and the otsu. The first is made with rice, but also with rye, unrefined sugar, sweet potatoes and corn, by alquitara distillation. The second is actually made with molasses as the main ingredient.

In the Far East, the most commonly used cereal to obtain brandy is sorghum. Sorghum bicolor (L.) or sweet sorghum is treated like sugar cane, squeezing its juice. From this juice you can obtain wine and brandy. The one used to make the beer known as "opaque" is the variety called "cafforum" of S. Sorghum vulgare Pers.

China is the first country to distill sorghum for beverages. The most traditional is obtained from the grain, the most famous being those known as Maotai and Fen. maotai is produced in Guizhou province, where Maotai is the name of a small town near the Chishui River in that province. Its prestige is based on the local sorghum. Throughout China there are thousands of varieties of sorghum. The fen is said to be 1500 years old. It is made in Shanxi province. Wuliangye is made in Sichuan province, with 60% sorghum. The rest is two kinds of rice, corn and wheat. From the same province and with the same components is Jiannanchun, but it only contains 40% sorghum. Brandy is also obtained from the sap and molasses resulting from the manufacture of sorghum sugar. Such manufacturing in China counts only a few decades. The sugar in sorghum sap—70% sucrose, glucose, and fructose—had long resisted humans being able to crystallize it.

Cherry and morello brandy

Of the alcoholic beverages from the cherry, perhaps the most famous is the maraschino of about 30 or 35% vol. Maraschino is a spirit made from a variety of cherry called marasca, with the production of which some cities in Dalmatia —especially Zara— became famous. Girolamo Luxardo prides himself on making il maraschino originale that dates back to 1821 at Zara. Traditional Dalmatian maraschino was produced by fermenting the seedless fruit. Along with the fruit, some leaves of the tree itself were crushed. The fruit that was used had to be green. After fermentation, the whole was distilled, adding a little wine from that fruit.

The typical Black Forest cherry brandy is made from wild black cherries, as well as Lapoutroie, so called because they are picked from this small Alsatian village in the Kaysersberg valley, between Strasbourg and Colmar. There may be less or more presence of crushed stones, depending on whether you want it to be less or more bitter. There is currently a distillery called Maraska. He produces fruit liqueurs, including what he calls slivovitz, which is made with blue plums, and kruskovac, made from pears. He calls the marrasca cherry brandy marraschino. Such names are confusing. The Bardinet house produces a brandy of 40% vol. the one who calls Maraschino; also another, of the same graduation, which he calls Kirsch. The Germans—as well as the Swiss—have gained a reputation for making cherry brandy. Hence, even in Spanish, this brandy is called Kirsch, which means cherry. The Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy gives entry to the word kirch, with the meaning of cherry brandy, perhaps due to the influence of the Royal Decree of 22-XII-1908, which so determined. The Germans distinguish between cherry liquor Kirschgeistof cherry brandy: Kirschwasser.

In Spain, the most famous cherry spirits come from the Jerte Valley, in Extremadura. But the cherry brandy from Valle del Jerte 42% vol. does not qualify itself as kirsch.

Agave brandy

Agave americana L. is the species with which Mezcal and Tequila are made. The varieties that are used to make the famous Aguardiente de Tequila are generically called Agave azul. Tequila takes its name from the city of Tequila (Jalisco), famous for producing it. Mezcal is not produced in Tequila, but mainly in Oaxaca. Other spirits from the agave are the “bacanora” —from a very small agave—, so called because of the city of Sonora called Bacanora. The “Raicilla”, made from another small agave called lechuguilla, typical of Jalisco. Another agave, Dasylirion wheeleri, gives rise to the "Sotol", typical of Boquillos and Chihuahua. "Comiteca" is another agave distillate.

There are about eight species of agave used to make the brandy called Mezcal. Above all, in 80 percent of its production, the Agave rigida Mill is used. Tequila acquires personality and popularity as a drink from the year 1800; later the mezcal. Before, all these spirits were generically called mezcal wine. These two spirits are imitated in many countries, which usually consists of pure and tasteless alcohol with a little Maguey Spirit.

There are other fermented beverages from the agave, but they are not obtained by distillation (see pulque). Mezcal is not obtained from pulque because it is not distillable, as it contains certain polymers. Mezcal is usually presented with a worm called "Juanito". Tequila is never presented with a worm.

Liquor de cocuy is spoken of as a distillate from the roots of Agave sisalana, typical of Venezuela, that is, Agave rigida (Mill), with which mezcal is usually made but not exactly. Actually the Cocuy is made with Agave cocui (Trelease).

Sugar cane brandy

Sugar cane brandy can be obtained from by-products of the sugar industry or directly from cane juice. In the manufacture of sugar, a first by-product called cachaça is obtained. It is generated before the crystallization of the sugar, as a consequence of the clarification of the must. With the cachaça, the rum called «Cachaza» is made. Brazil has made famous the Cachaça rum or simply Cachaça. Once the crystallization of the sugar has occurred, a residue called molasses or molasses, in the plural, remains. Most of the rum is made with molasses.

Rum can also be obtained directly from the juice of sugar cane. This rum is called Aguardiente de cane as opposed to Aguardiente de molasses de cane. In Peru it is called yonke (yonque or llonque), cañazo or shacta. origin, but in other countries such as Spain the word "cane" is usually stated on the bottles: flor de cane, the best cane, chosen cane, etc. The French call this type of rum rhum agricole and under that name it is marketed from the French Antilles. The rest is sometimes derogatorily designated by the name of industrial rum. Molasses rum, with a more pronounced flavor, is usually more appreciated than cane rum, although cane rum has its followers.

Aging in this type of brandy is optional. In Venezuela, in addition to being designated as aguardiente, it is also called caña clara or caña blanca (as in Paraguay), the low quality of this drink leads to its It is known colloquially as lavagallo. It is also common that the brandy that is called "cane" without any other explicitness (usually dark cane) is subjected to a process of infusion in different flavors, be it peach dried apricots, butia drupes or pitanga berries.

In Mexico, charquis is made from sugar cane. A small piece of the cane is left inside the plastic bottle to confirm its authenticity and demonstrate its natural provenance.

Main compound spirits

With aniseed

The vast majority of anise liqueurs have a pure and tasteless alcohol as their ethyl base. But before the invention of the column alembic, which allows distillation at 96 degrees, the rest being water, it was not possible. More than an anise liqueur, it was an aniseed wine brandy. Among those producers of aniseed wine spirits, the small mountain towns of Ojén, Rute and Cazalla stood out. For this reason, these products are usually included among spirits.

“Pacharán” (patxaran in Basque) is a liqueur, whose alcoholic content is between 25 and 30% of the volume, obtained by macerating sloes in aniseed brandy, characteristic from the regions of Navarra and Aragon. Pacharán was already well known and drunk in Navarra since the Middle Ages.

The drink known as raki, typical of Turkey, also usually consists of an aniseed brandy. Nowadays, the ouzo from Greece, the sambuca, mistrà, anisenne and tutone from Italy, the anisete and the pastis from France, crystal from Algeria, as well as most anise from Spain, are actually the result of the continuous distillation of an alcohol obtained from any plant with an anise added in its final phase.

Aguardiente antioqueño of Colombia

In Colombia, the "Aguardiente Colombiano", Anís or anisado, is produced by the liquor industries of various departments and is the alcoholic beverage of its kind with the greatest cultural identification and real consumption in the country, in addition from being exclusively the beverage to which the term Aguardiente refers, "Colombian Aguardiente", or Guaro. The main brands of Colombian brandy are: Blanco (Valle), Antioqueño (Antioquia), Nectar (Cundinamarca), Nariño (Nariño), Líder (Boyacá), Llanero (Meta), Anisado (Magdalena), Tres Esquinas (Bolívar), Cristal (Caldas), Caucano (Cauca), Red Tapa (Tolima), Doble Anís (Huila), Coco Anís (Atlántico), Platino (Chocó), ICL Puro Colombia (Valle); In addition, there is a new trend of premium spirits such as Real (Antioquia), Centenario (Cundinamarca), Aguardiente Premium Cumbé (Quindio), Mil demonios (Magdalena), Júbilo ((Armenia), and Origen (Valle).

In 2014 in the Salon Rojo of the Hotel Tequendama in Bogota D.C.- Colombia, the Colombian Society of Chemical Sciences and Eng. José Fernando Botero González established for the world the Guinness Record for the Largest Colombian Aguadiente/Anis/Anisado Tasting of the world.

In Peru there is a tradition of the Najar brand of anise. This macerate is part of the culinary tradition and the department of Arequipa. It is known as an excellent bassative.

With mists

Nebrina is the fruit of the juniper tree, a component of many alcoholic beverages. Before continuous distillation appeared, all gins consisted of inducing flavors of either a grape or grain brandy. Currently, in the so-called London Gin and in the gins called simply gin, spirits are not used as the alcoholic base, but pure and tasteless alcohol.

However, the Netherlands still makes gin the old-fashioned way. The word Oude, which means old and appears on the label, does not usually refer to the aging of the drink, but to the fact that it is made the old-fashioned way. The base is a cereal brandy that gives it a slightly brown color. To distinguish it from gin, it is called—even outside the Netherlands—Genever or Jenever. Corenwyn and Corenwinj are also old-fashioned gins. They taste even more like cereal.

With caraway

The Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy gives the following definition of Cúmel: «Aguardiente flavored with cumin, with a very sweet flavor». He points out that it comes from Kümmel, a German word to which he attributes the meaning of cumin. This is a bad translation, since cumel is made with caraway.

With milk

The Irish are fond of presenting a wide variety of drinks based on mixing whiskey with dairy products. In the 1970s, a very successful one appeared, the Bailey's Irish Cream or simply Bailey's. The merit of this liquor derives from having found a formula so that the milk does not coagulate.

In Australia there is another similar drink called Conticream. In addition to milk, it contains chocolate. Whiskey drinks with milk and honey are very common and accepted in the British Isles.

In Chile there are traditional preparations of brandy with milk and its derivatives, among which the so-called Colemono (“monkey tail”) stands out, to which cinnamon and coffee are also added; and the Liquor de oro which has buttermilk in its preparation.

In Bolivia they have ambrosia, which is a preparation of singani (grape brandy), sugar and ground cinnamon. This preparation is placed directly under the udder of the cows and is taken immediately after milking. There is also sucumbe, which is prepared over low heat with singani milk, cinnamon and egg, a traditional drink for the San Juan festivities.

With herbs

There are many spirits flavored with herbs, predating the invention of continuous steam distillation, which allows the spirit to be substituted with a tasteless, pure neutral alcohol. Some are presented as being composed of many chosen herbs. Some flavors do indeed come from herbs; others, from other botanical, cultivated and wild products. The addition of herbs to the brandy almost always seems to stem from the need to improve the bad taste of the brandy. This combination of flavors aspires to be —in wine terminology— balanced; that is, so that one flavor does not overlap with others. They usually have a bit of everything: a bit of angelica, a bit of orange peel, a bit of anise, etc. Herbal liqueurs are more difficult to make than fruit liqueurs, as the herbs—along with the desired flavors—often impart off-flavors as well. Today essential oils are often used, since they exist from practically any plant: hyssop, marjoram, mint, gentian, anise, nebrina, thyme, etc.

The brandies flavored with herbs of conventual origin are famous, such as the Grande Chartreuse based on those typical Savoy mugworts called «Genepí», due to that area of the Savoyard Alps called Génépi or Genepy . The Benedictines made in Fécamp the liqueur called Bénédictine, which was apparently invented by the monk and herbalist Dom Bernardo Vincelli in the XVI. The Benedictines present two versions of their drink, one mixed with brandy, so it is called "B.B" (Bénédictine with Brandy) less sweet, and another that is called simply Bénédictine, whose duplication was due to because many aficionados considered it just too sweet and drank it mixed with brandy.

In the Benedictine Monastery of Ettal, in Germany, the so-called Ettaler is produced. At Lérius Abbey, in Languedoc, they produce a green and yellow version of the liqueur, called Lerina. In the abbey of Monserrat, Catalonia, this liquor is called Monserrat aromas. Some American Poor Clare nuns make a honey-flavored herbal liqueur from a Belgian convent in Dirant, Claristine. Trappists make Trappistine, which consists of herbs mixed with wine brandy. Capuchins and Carmelites also make herbal liqueurs.

The town of Spa in Belgium sells as "Elixir de Spa" a beauty product for body rubs and a herbal liqueur known as "Elixir de Spa" 40% vol. In the Balearic Islands we have the “Hierbas de Mallorca”, “Hierbas de Menorca” and “Hierbas Ibicencas”. In Bohemia, Becherovka is produced, which was initially a stomach pharmaceutical, until it was produced as a liquor, due to demand.

In Poland, <span style="font-variant:small-caps;text-transform:lowercase" <span style="font-variant:small-caps;text-transform:lowercase" XVII a highly aromatic liqueur in which a bison usually appears, the Żubrówka. The Strega, which means witch, is a well-known and ancient liquor from Benevento. Apparently its inventor was Giuseppe Alberti in 1860 and it is made with sixty-two plant species. There is also Centerba, which is a generic name. A so-called latte di suocera —mother-in-law's milk— that is presented as coming from Malay pirates and is made in Bergamo, describes itself as Centerba liqueur; an example of production houses is Centerba Toro.

The word Aiguebelle refers to a 30 proof French liqueur based on about forty plants, which age in oak, created by the Trappist monks based on about fifty herbs, with a green version and yellow. The green one has a higher alcohol content, as is customary in this type of drink. The Galliano is a yellow liqueur with 35% vol. which is manufactured near Milan based on many infusions and distillations.In 1868, Francesco Averna launched a highly successful Amaro that bears his name: Averna ; the recipe for Amaro Averna had been obtained by his father Salvatore at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, in Sicily.

There are other distillates with herbs such as Mentuccia, of Italian origin, which is apparently made with 100 herbs, Jägermeister, from Germany, or Vieille curé, French, which consists of macerating one hundred and fifty herbs in brandy.

With absinthe

The Dictionary of the Spanish Royal Academy gives Absinthe the meaning of alcoholic beverage and Absinthe the plant with which it is made. To wormwood he gives the meaning of both plant and drink. In English the plant is called wormwood while the drink is called absinthe or absinth.