Vodka, Akvavit, Anise, Bitters & Liqueurs

Home , Akvavit, Column still, Punsch, Sambuca, Vodka

VODKA, AKVAVIT, ANISE, BITTERS & LIQUEURS

What do all of these spirits have in common, you ask? Akvavit, anise-based spirits, bitters and liqueurs are most often based on a neutral spirit (sort of like a vodka). For most of the spirits below a neutral spirit is simply flavored in different ways to create a specific outcome. With this being said there are many examples of liqueurs not being based on neutral spirits. More on this down below under liqueurs. It's also worth mentioning that Gin and Genever could technically fall under this section due to it being a flavoured neutral spirit. But due to the broad spectrum of definitions and the widespread recognition of Gin & Genenver through-out the world it will be described in its own chapter.

Vodka

Starting off with Vodka which is a neutral spirit distilled to either 95% (USA) or 96% (EU) alcohol by volume (abv). The high abv will naturally affect the outcome but some flavour, character and mouthfeel of the base material will still be left in the liquor. The classical base of vodka is either potato, barley, wheat or rye, but as of late you can (in the EU) base vodka on molasses, corn or grapes for example so long as it is stated clearly on the bottle. The two most commonly used base materials nowadays are wheat (which makes for a smoother product) and rye (which gives the liquor a more noticeable punsch). Some producers choose to blend different base materials spirits to create their perfect blend and balance.

Vodka is sold both unflavored and flavored. The flavoring of vodka can be done with synthetic flavoring methods or with natural ingredients. Some of these natural ways of flavoring dates back long before the big brands we know today were founded. It was simply done to make the spirit taste better. Vodka can also be matured but this is a very rare practice.

Since vodka has to be distilled to between 95-96% abv it is always distilled using a continuous still (column still). However there are examples of pot still vodka, but these obviously have to go through a column still distillation as well so the impact on flavor when using a pot still in the production of vodka is very little. In the manufacturing process of vodka filtering is often mentioned. Filtering is done by using activated charcoal and some producers claim it removes harsh unwanted flavors while others say it removes flavors that are wanted in the end product. The filtering is optional and not demanded by any law and the difference, well, it remains small but sometimes noteworthy.

Akvavit is based on neutral grain spirit flavored primarily with caraway and / or dill as well as other botanicals such as fennel, cumin, coriander, orange peel and other spices. The flavor ingredients are either added by maceration or as distillates. You can find a few examples on the market which have been matured on oak but this is not common practice when it comes to akvavit. Akvavit can be found outside Scandinavia but almost all the production still remains in the countries that historically invented this type of spirit; Sweden, Denmark and Norway.

Anise-based spirits

Anise spirits have its flavor derived from star anise, green anise, fennel or other plants which have the same aromatic compound, anethole. Anethole is the compound which contributes with the distinct anise / fennel flavor and odor. The flavoring of the spirit can be done by either distillation, maceration or by using flavor extracts which are added to the spirit. It is also permitted to combine and use several of these methods for the same product.

You might have noticed that some anise-based spirits like Absinthe, Pastis and Ouzo for example will louche when water is added. This is caused by the inability of the Anethole to dissolve completely in water and is a great way to test if the absinthe or anise-based spirit on your shelf is the real deal made of natural ingredients containing anethole or not.

Absinthe

The key ingredient here is most often Artemisia absinthium also known as grand wormwood but other types of wormwood are also being used. The wormwood gives Absinthe a musky floral note and a bitter edge to the otherwise anethole driven flavor and aroma. The green jade color (if not artificially added as done in cheap examples) comes from the addition of Artemisia pontica/petite wormwood, hyssop or melissa.

The ingredients are generally macerated in high strength neutral grain spirit. However absinthe was originally made on a wine base. The spirit sometimes ends up at as high abv as 80% on the shelves but there are also examples at lower percentages.

Absinthe is often mentioned in history as a spirit that induced hallucinations due to the drug coming from the wormwood that is called Thujon (sometimes spelled Thujone). Although Thujon is a drug which can have these effects, Absinthe doesn't have high enough levels of the drug to give effect and most likely never had. When looking into EU law and the production of absinthe nowadays, the level of Thujon is set to a maximum of 35mg per liter (1 0mg in USA). Really old bottles of Absinthe have also been tested for Thujon levels but to bust a myth, it most likely never had any Thujon levels high enough to actually give effect.

Pastis is a dry spirit with different sets of botanical recipes but Pastis must always include liquorice root and the maximum sugar level allowed is 1 00g per liter. Pastis has its origin in France and this is also where the most famous brands come from.

Ouzo

This is Greeks answer to pastis. The spirit must be colorless and have a maximum sugar level of 50g per liter. Most examples are based on neutral alcohol which is redistilled with anise and sometimes with other botanicals as well.

Raki

Raki is the equivalent of Ouzo and Pastis but instead Raki comes from Turkey or Lebanon. Raki is made on a “raisin/sultana spirit” (pomace) which is redistilled with anise. This spirit is more subtle and mellow and seen as the highest quality of the anise-based spirit family.

Sambuca

Although the Italian Sambuca is more of a liqueur made as a digestif due to the high levels of sugar compared to the anise-based spirits mentioned above, it still deserves an extra mention in this section. Sambuca has strong notes of anise and/or fennel and the best examples will also louche when water is added.

Bitters

Bitters can be made on cinchona bark/quinine, angelica, gentian, bitter orange, rue, nux vomica, artichokes, rhubarb, bitter aloe for example. The list of choices is practically endless with possibilities and combinations. The ingredients are either distilled or macerated (however maceration is more common practice). The bitter base is aromatized by the addition of cloves, vanilla, coriander, ginger, sweet peels or other ingredients.

On Distilling & Spirits Level 1 www.forbartenders.com 11 Copyright © Noel Ekstrand Bitters come in different categories; the cocktail bitters (the very small bottles used to extend the palette of certain cocktails), the aperitifs and the digestifs. The distinction is somewhat debated but in general aperitifs are the dryer and digestifs a bit sweeter but not always.

Big producers of famous bitter brands are the countries that are a part of the European Alps such as Italy, Germany, Austria and France for example. This being said, bitters, like most spirits that don't have a legislated area of production, are being made all over the world in different forms and with very, very different tastes.

Punsch / Punch

Punch is an Arrack based spirit (Batavia Arrack) flavoured with citrus and sweetened with sugar. Other flavourings can be added and sometimes other spirits like rum or cognac is also added for complexity. Most Punsch tend to be very sweet (around 200grams of sugar per litre, technically a liqueur in many ways) but there are examples which now experiment with less sugar to bring new life into this old and traditional spirit.

The spirit has its roots in the nordics with Sweden being the only country which has the term 'Swedish Punch' geographically protected within EU-law and also carries the most history and traditions around this spirit. Swedish Punch has to be based on at least 50% Arrack spirit which has been made without any additions or flavourings added to it. The Arrack which is used is by tradition always Batavia Arrack from Indonesia, distilled in pot stills. The Batavia Arrack is produced from rice, sugar cane and the sap from date trees.

The term 'Punch' stems from the tradition of drinking shared punch bowls which was a mixture of spirit (not always, but often arrack), water, sugar, citrus & spice (often tea) popular in the 1 8th century. The import of goods from Java, Indonesia to Sweden brought the Arrack spirit to these parts of the world and set off this trend here back in 1 733. Punch later developed into its own bottled spirit which was based on the arrack spirit (first sold in 1 845).

Before moving on it is important to know that Arrack or Arak comes in many very different variations and is a somewhat loose term of spirits. It is essentially a term covering very different spirits across many countries around the middle east, asia, southeast asia and india. It can be distilled from sugar cane, rice, molasses, sap from the coconut tree or the date tree etc. And it can also be a term referring to a spirit from Lebanon and Iraq which is a flavoured anise spirit and in some countries such as Iran the term ‘Arak” refers to spirits in general.

A liqueur is a spirit which has been sweetened and flavored. A liqueur can be flavored with natural or nature- identical flavoring substances. There are a number of different types of liqueurs ranging from cream, milk and nuts to fruit, spices, herbs and everything in between. The variations are never ending and you can find liqueurs being made across the entire globe.

A liqueur has to contain at least 1 00 grams of sugar per litre. Except for cherry liqueurs (70 grams per litre) and gentian spirits (80 grams per litre) which are the exceptions to prove the rule. A liqueur labeled with 'Créme de' followed by the name of the raw material means that it contains at least 250 grams of sugar per litre. In addition to this there is yet another exception to the rule when it comes to 'Créme de cassis' which has to contain a minimum of 400 grams of sugar per litre. Note that the minimum grams of sugar per litre mentioned above are EU legislation where most of the old and big brands are still being produced today. In the United States the sugar content minimum is based on a percentage instead of grams per litre. In short, the sugar content minimum in the United States is lower.

Also worth noting in this section is that Sloe Gin, which will be treated under the Gin section, is really a liqueur in the strictest of definitions. Just like a few other more or less common spirits like Sambuca, Maraschino and Apricot Brandy just to name a few examples. But some spirits simply deserve their own mentions and categories.

Remember this?

Liqueurs and sugar Absinthe Most liqueurs consist of at least 1 00grams of sugar per The primary ingredient of Absinthe is the Grand litre and most contain much more than that. Wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium).

Akvavit Vodka Akvavit is based on neutral grain spirit flavored primarily Vodka is distilled to at least 95% (USA) or 96% (EU) with caraway and / or dill and often also with other herbs alcohol by volume (abv) which results in a neutral spirit and spices. with little character left compared to other spirits.

Punsch Pastis / Sambuca / Ouzo / Raki Punsch is an Arrak flavoured spirit from Scandinavia most All flavoured with either anise or liquorice root these notably Sweden. spirits are famous examples of anise flavoured spirits.