Glossary
| Cocktails! |
| Basic rules of cocktail making |
| Cocktails throughout history |
| Required tools |
| Bartender's Glossary |
| contact |
Ale: Old english beer of hi yeasting, average alcohol percentage
Almonds: Seed of the Almond tree. It's special taste can be found in orgeade and liqueurs like the italian Amaretto.
Angostura: Alcoholic bitter (44%) based on Rum and named after the Venezuelan city where it was fist produced in 1824. Because it is very concentrated, a few drops will be enough to bring a cocktail to taste.
Anise: Fragrant plant that causes the special taste of Pastis (star anise) and the anisettes (green anise).
Anisette: Anise liqueur with 250 grams of sugar per liter. Commonly consumed in the Mediterranean countries and know as Sambuca in Italy. In France the anisette of Bordeaux (Marie Brizard) is the oldest.
Apricot Brandy: Apricot liqueur made by soaking the fruit.
Aquavit: Alcoholic beverage from grain or potato's, distilled in northern Europe.
Arak (Raki): Alcoholic beverage from Asia, usually with an anise taste. Mostly found in the near east (Lebanon, Turkey, etc.)
Benedictine: Liqueur that's been made for over a century in in Fecamp (FR) following an old recipe of the benedictine monks. Contains lot's of fragrant herbs.
Bitter: This family of spirits of in alcohol soaked fruit with a more or less bitter taste, consists of many members. Some are suited as aperitif, like Picon, Punt e mes (alcohol free), while other, stronger bitters are added in smaller quantities, like fernet-branca and angostura.
Bourbon: American whiskey made from at least 51% corn
Brandy: British word for spirits, especially for those made of wine. In England brandy is really a synonym for Cognac.
Byrrh: aperitif made from wine which has been aromatized with quinine and Curaçao and has ripened for 3 years.
Campari: Red Italian bitter of wine.
Cassis: Crème of liqueur made of black berries.
Chartreuse: Liqueur made of plants following a recipe of the Chartreuse monks. There is green Chartreuse (55%) and Yellow Chartreuse (40%).
Cherry Brandy: Liqueur that is made by soaking cherry in alcohol.
Cider: Fermented, light sparkling apple juice. It can replace beer or champagne in several long drink recipes.
Cobbler: Long drink made of fruit or fruit juices, mixed with wine or spirits.
Cocktail Master: Device which is used to may layered cocktails.
Cointreau: Liqueur made of different types of orange's skins, which are soaked in alcohol. Belongs to the family of the triple-sec.
Collins: Long drink that is made in a tumbler glass, en consists of a spirit, lemon juice, ice and soda water.
Cremant: Sparkling wine of good quality with a special appellation
Crème: Liqueur which contains more than 400 grams of alcohol per liter.
Curaçao: Liqueur made of a sour orange, originally form the Netherlands and named after one of the islands in the Dutch Antilles. Originally colorless, but best know in Blue color, while also available in green or pink. Adds a special taste to the cocktails.
Cynar: Italian bitter from Artichoke. Can be used in several cocktails, but mixes particularly well with beer.
Drambuie: Liqueur from Scottish whisky and herbs, aromatized with honey.
Dubonnet: Aperitif made of Roussilon wine and special herbs.
Eggnog: Warm or cold cocktail made from eggs and milk
Fernet-Branca: Brand of Italian bitter, which is also made in Switzerland and France and has a very specific taste. Comes in regular bitter and menthol.
Fizz: a long drink with lemon juice and often Gin.
Flip: Cocktail made with egg, in a shaker.
Galliano: Italian liqueur made of many herbs, which has the most beautiful golden-yellow color.
Gentian: Mountain plant of which the root is used for preparing many liqueurs, aperitifs and digestives.
Ginger Ale: Soda water with ginger taste. Commonly used in long drinks in the UK and the USA. Canada Dry resembles it the most.
Grand Marnier: Liqueur made of orange skin and cognac. For cocktails the Cordon Rouge is most commonly used.
Grog: Warm Cocktail with strong alcohol (rum, but often also whiskey, cognac, calvados), hot water and sugar and honey, brought to taste with lemon and cinnamon.
Guignolet: Cherry liqueur with an alcohol percentage that is lower than that of Cherry Brandy. Commonly consumed as an aperitif.
Highball: Long drink that is served in a tall glass with a spirit, a soft drink and ice.
Juniper berry: Used to aromatize Gin and Genever (Jenever).
Julep: Cocktail of fresh mint of which the leaves are chopped and mixed with crushed ice.
Kahlua: Liqueur of coffee beans, originally from Mexico, with an alcohol percentage of 26%.
Ketchup: just kidding!!!
Kibowi: Exotic liqueur of Kiwi; green colored.
Kir: Aperitif of white wine and Crème de cassis. This drink carries the name of Kanunnik Kir, whom, as mayor, declared Kir the official aperitif of the city hall of Dijon.
Kirsch: Aromatic Cherry spirit.
Kummel: a colorless liqueur with anise like taste, flavored with caraway seed, cumin, and fennel.
Malaga: Spanish liqueur-like wine from the district around Torremolinos.
Malibu: a soft, colorless, liqueur with rum, mixed with coconut and lime.
Marasquin: Italian liqueur (Maraschino), made of morels.
Marc: Eau-de-vie that is distilled from the leftovers after pressing the grapes.
Marsala: Liquor wine from Sicily, present in most kitchens, but also served as aperitif
Martini & Rossi: Maker of the most famous vermouths: rosso, bianco, dry, rose and bitter.
Mescal: Mexican spirit made from agaves; a bit more regular then tequila. Some brands add a worm in the bottle.
Midori: Soft liqueur made of Melon; green colored and produced in Japan by Suntory.
Mistella: a mixture of grape juice and spirits.
Noilly-Prat: French vermouth brand from the city of Marseille.
Old fashioned: Low and wide glass, mostly used for whiskey. Also the name of a sort of cocktail of whisky with a few drops of angostura.
Orgeade: Syrup made of almond and orange blossom. Very popular in Surinam.
Ouzo: Colorless Greek aperitif from anise. Served straight, on the rocks or with cold water.
Passoã: Bright red liqueur from passion fruit.
Pernod: one of the oldest Aperitifs Dating back to 1792 and a member of the Absinthe family. The current version of Pernod, from 1922, differentiates itself from Pastis by the addition of caramel.
Pils: Blond beer of low yeasting and average alcohol content. Originally from the city of Pilsen in Czech and the most common type of beer in the world.
Pimm's: Liqueur brand, which was created in London in 1840. The drink is mostly based on Gin (Pimm's #1). This refreshing drink combines well with soft drinks, slices of orange, or lemon with ice. Pimm's #6 is based on Vodka.
Pippermint Get: Crème de Menthe, invented by the brothers Get in 1796. By accidentally misspelling the word peppermint, the name came to be as it is today.
Pisang Ambon: Exotic, wonderfully green, banana liqueur.
Pisco: Brandy from Chili and Peru, made of Moscatel grapes. This strong tasting drink adds a lot of taste to cocktails.
Pousse-café: The name for a cocktail that consists of multiple layers of differently colored drinks. This is done by pouring drinks of different weights (mostly depending on the sugar content) over the back of a spoon into the glass.
Ruby: Light red port which has ripened just slightly.
Rye: American Whiskey made mostly from, obviously, rye.
Safari: Liqueur brand with strong exotic fruit aroma's.
Sake: Japanese alcoholic beverage with average alcohol percentage, made of fermented, puree, rice. Sake is served lukewarm or hot in small cups or glasses.
Schnaps: Spirit made of grain or potato's. Most popular in middle and northern european countries.
Soda: Carbonated, slightly mineralized, water.
Soft drink: Family of alcohol free, carbonated, drinks that are aromatized with fruit extracts. Cola, Tonic, etc.
Sour: Short dink with lemon juice (mostly whiskey, but also gin or rum), popular for it's astringing effects.
Southern Comfort: American liqueur from Missouri, made from peaches soaked in bourbon, perfumed with lemon.
Stout: Dark, almost black, beer from England and Ireland. Low on alcohol content, so quite suitable for cocktails.
Tabasco: Spicy American sauce, made form in vinegar soaked red spanish peppers and other herbs.
Tia Maria: Jamaican liqueur made of rum and coffee extract.
Tonic: Carbonized drink aromatized with fruit and plant extracts, like the quina.
Triple-sec: Sweet, soft liqueur, perfumed with oranges. Curaçao, Cointreau, and Grand marnier belong to the family of the triple-sec's.
VS: Indication for the age of Cognac, Armagnac and Calvados. This quality, more mainstream than the VSOP or the XO is most commonly used in cocktails.
Williams: A type of pear, which is used in the wonderful tasting Poire Williams brandy.
Worcester sauce: A powerful emulsion of extracts of meat, molasses, anchovies, garlic and spring onions. Used to enhance the taste in many cocktails.
Xeres or sherry: From Spain originating wines of which the fermentation is stopped by adding spirits. There are many kinds, from dry (fino, amontillado, manzanila) to sweet (oloroso, amoroso, cream).
