Mixology has a vocabulary unique to itself.  I thought it would be fun to make this a reoccuring blog, so check back regularly for updates.  If you would like to be alerted when a new blog is posted, let me know via email, and I will send you an update each time.

THE TEACHER IS NOW IN...

So go ahead and impress your friends with your new vocab words.  Study carefully!

Aperitif - Originally referring to wine, but may mean any alcoholic beverage taken to stimulate the appetite before a meal.

Bacchus - "Roman God of Wine and Barley" celebrated on the third of January.

Cava - Sparkling champagne-like wine from Spain.

Dash - Approximately 1/4 teaspoon.

Eua de vie -  A French term referring to a distilled spirit derived from fermented fruit juice.  They are made globally, but don't confuse real eau de vies with under proofed imitations.  Real eau de vies clock in around 80 proof.  Usually served post dinner.

Forbidden Fruit -  A liqueur made with brandy, honey, and shaddock (grapefruit).

Giggle Juice aka Giggle Water (slang) - Liquor or any alcoholic beverage.

Honked (slang) - Drunk (adjective).

Lace  - To add something extra to a drink (e.g. "Would you please lace my coffee with some Amaretto?").

Mist - A term meaning "on the rocks" (preferably with shaved or crushed ice).  Coming from the fact that certain clear liqueurs cloud or mist when poured over ice.

Out of Order - Someone who is incapacitated due to drinking alcohol.

Punt - The indent at the bottom of a wine bottle.

Rot Gut - Referring to a cheap or below average straight drink, usually liquor or wine.

Scorpion Rice Whiskey - A bottled spirit indigenous to Southeast Asia.  Each bottle can contain one or more whole preserved scorpions, as well as roots, pods, and herbs.

Thunderbird - Higher than average proof, inexpensive, screw-capped wine.

Weisenheimer - An obnoxious know it all.

Van der Hum - A South African brandy-based, orange liqueur flavored with herbs and spices.

Zymurgy - The science or study of fermentation.

 

I admit it.  I research  my "competition" that's out there.  After all, this is a business, and it's important to know what your competition is doing.  For the private event Bartenders out there that do have a website, I am repeatedly running across this:

"
We've bartended for many celebrities such as:
Madonna
50 Cent
Tom Cruise
et cetera, et cetera, et ectera
"

I don't know...perhaps it is the integrity and respect for others that was instilled into me from a very young age, but I strongly feel that this is simply exploitation and disrespect for other people's privacy.  Personally speaking, if I was a celebrity and hired a company for a service, I wouldn't want my name flashed around on their website unless there was some mutual compensation and pre-arranged agreement.  I would prefer to remain anonymous just as any other "Everyday Joe".

Here's one thing that you will NEVER find on my website, and that's the names of  celebrities I have worked for in the present, past, or future. 
It's just not right, and it's disrespectful.

But if you don't agree with this idea, then the rest of this blog may interest you...

Let's take a closer look at Kahlúa and Tia Maria.

There's Kahlúa. 

Kahlúa is a coffee-flavored liqueur from Mexico.  With a heavy weight and sweet taste, it distinctly tastes like coffee.  Since 1936, it was produced by Allied Domecq.  However, by 2005, the company was partially acquired by the second largest spirits distributor in the world, Pernod Ricard.  Depending on individual markets, alcohol content varies between 20.0% to 26.5% (40 to 53 proof). 

Then there's Tia Maria.

Tia Maria is a coffee-flavored liqueur from Jamaica.  Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee beans are used as the main ingredient flavor, and it is fermented to an alcohol content of 26.5% (53 proof).  However, as sold, alcohol content is reduced to 20% (40 proof).  Shortly after WWII, Jamaica's Dr. Evans, invented this concoction.  It wasn't until after many taste tests were performed, by many acquaintances from the Country Club in Kingston, was the final formula conceived.  It was later acquired by Pernod Ricard.