*Flavouring & Colouring Spirits Flashcards
Natural spirit flavourings come from two raw materials, name them
- Fruit
2. Botanicals (a term that can only be loosely defined)
What are the five main ways of imparting flavour into a neutral spirit?
M.Raab
(a crazy mixed up man of minimal intelligence)
- (M)aceration
- (R)e-Distillation
- (A)dding natural flavourings
- (A)dding artificial flavourings
- (B)lending the products of the above.
If a highly rectified spirit is being macerated with fruit, what probably needs to happen first, and why?
- Often it needs to be diluted with water
2. High ABV can extract undesirable flavours.
What sort of time do spirits get macerated for?
Anything from a few hours to several months
What advantage does redistillation have over maceration?
Insofar as re-distillation enables specific aromas to be isolated by taking cuts of the heart, it is an advantage. Costs more mind you.
Describe a typical re-distillation of a spirit (3) with fruit/botanicals?
- Maceration is allowed for as long as needed.
- Fruit and/or botanicals are placed in the pot-still with the diluted neutral spirit.
- As congeners come off, the heart can be cut to isolate specific aromas
What is Cold Compounding?
The addition of natural or artificial flavourings to the diluted spirit
Why use Cold Compounding for flavoured spirit rather than redistilling it like Gin?
ReDistillation cannot add colour. Indeed, it would strip it out.
A spirit admits to having “Tincture”. What does that mean?
Another word for Maceration
Why would you use a vacuum to distill macerated botanicals?
Liquid boils at a lower temperature in a vacuum, therefore delicate botanicals that would otherwise disintegrate or spoil, can be used. Cucumber for example.
A bottle of spirit admits to being a “distillate”. What does that mean?
It’s another word for re-distilled
What is the advantage of using artificial colouring?
Consistency.
That’s all. Probably cheaper too.
