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Anthony Dias Blue is the author of several books, including The Complete Book of Mixed Drinks and American Wine: A Comprehensive Guide. For twenty years he has been Wine and Spirits editor of Bon Appétit. His reviews have appeared in magazines and newspapers across the country, including Wine Spectator, Robb Report, epicurious.com, American Way, and Decanter. Mr. Blue's Lifestyle Minute is broadcast several times daily on CBS radio. He lives in California.

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An indispensable follow-up to his classic Complete Book of Mixed Drinks, Anthony Dias Blue presents The Complete Book of Spirits, a comprehensive collection of history, lore, and tasting tips, along with recipes for select cocktails. Here, in one concise and easy-to-use volume, is all the information a consumer needs to shop, mix, and sip like a spirits expert.

From bathtub gin to mojito madness, Blue brings the dynamic history of the spirits industry alive, demonstrating that spirit making is not only one of mankind's oldest pursuits but also perhaps its most colorful. In ten captivating chapters, readers are treated to everything they ever wanted to know about their favorite liquors, including vodka, aquavit, tequila, and whiskey. Blue also provides step-by-step instructions on how to host spirit tastings to educate your palate and to help you and your friends discover your favorite brands and blends. For every chapter and every spirit, there is also a handy tasting-notes section, with Blue's expert comments and his favorites, along with price points.

If you've ever wondered about the difference between potato and wheat vodkas, or between mescal and tequila or American and Irish whiskeys, or what makes single malt Scotch so desirable, look no further. With Anthony Dias Blue, America's leading wine and spirits expert, and The Complete Book of Spirits as your guides, you will take your enjoyment to a new level.

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The Complete Book of Spirits

HarperCollins Publishers

Chapter One

Vodka

In the past several years vodka has become the bestsellingspirit in the world, and its popularity is still growing. In theUnited States sales have reached beyond the forty-million-casemark and show no signs of abating. There are more than threehundred brands of vodka currently sold in the United States.What makes vodka so popular? Perhaps its versatility is a factor.Vodka can be infused with flavors, mixed in cocktails, appreciatedneat or over ice. It can be sipped or slugged. It is famous as anaccompaniment to caviar, and complements rich and spicy food. Itcan be made from almost any agricultural ingredient; grain, vegetable,even fruit. It has a mysterious history and inspires greataffection; its name even means "dear little water" in Russian,shortened from zhizennia voda, "water of life." To some, it seems,vodka is as necessary as water.

WHAT IS VODKA?

In Russia and Poland vodka has many nicknames, such as "HotWater," "the Monopolka," "the Bubble," "Crankshaft," "the Bitter Stuff," "the White Stuff." The United States Alcohol and TobaccoTax and Trade Bureau, though, defines vodka as "neutral spiritsdistilled from any material at or above 190 degrees of proof,reduced to not more than 110 nor less than 80 degrees of proof,and after such reduction in proof treated by one of the three methodsset forth therein so that the resulting product would be withoutdistinctive character, aroma, or taste." Federal regulationsalso require that the distillate, after treatment, be stored only inmetal, porcelain, or glass containers or paraffin-lined tanks.

Vodka is made from a fermented mash, water, and ethyl alcohol.Unlike other spirits, which are defined by how and wherethey're made (brandy has to be made from fruit, rum from sugarbeets or cane, tequila from the juice of the blue agave; Scotch hasto come from Scotland and cognac comes only from France) vodkacan be made anywhere from any raw carbohydrates that will ferment.Grains such as rye, corn, or wheat, or produce such aspotatoes, beets, or sugar beets, can be the mash base for vodka.There is even a classy French grape vodka. The organic congenersthat give character to Scotch, bourbon, tequila, and brandy are filteredout of vodka by a charcoal filtration process. Fuller's earth,quartz sand, and even diamond dust have also been used in thefiltering process, in the effort to create a mystically "pure" vodka.In fact, there is no such thing as absolutely pure vodka. The traceelements that remain after the filtration help give each vodkabrand its unique character.

PURE, CLEAN WATER

Water is the single most important ingredient in vodka and the onethat lends this refined spirit most of its character. The Russiansclaim that "living water" from their rivers and lakes is what makestheir vodkas stand apart from those produced elsewhere. Thequest for pure water has taken the Finns to underground streams,inspired the Americans to invent more elaborate water softenersand filtration systems, and even led one producer to melt chunksof ancient icebergs with the theory that the older the water, thepurer it will be. One company in Poland uses a water-softeningsystem to create its unique "water."

Standard U.S. production of vodka often includes the purchaseof neutral grain spirits at a high proof (190 or above), which arethen filtered, diluted to bottle strength, labeled, and shipped.Producers of imported vodkas and smaller-batch vodkas maketheir neutral grain spirit from scratch so they have complete controlover the process from the beginning to end. Some of the new small-batch vodkas include Teton Glacier Potato Vodka from Idahoand Tito's Handmade Vodka from Texas. The field is being redefinedagain by larger brands such as Grey Goose, from France, andChopin and Belvedere, both from Poland. There are also currentlyvodkas from many places with no traditional history of vodka production,including Scotland (Brilliant and Hendricks), Denmark(Frïs, Danzka, and Danaka), and Ireland (Boru). Add recentlyarrived Mor and Stön from Estonia and Zyr and Charodei fromRussia, and you have an enormous selection of premium spirits toexplore.

FLAVORED VODKAS

While gin and aquavits can be considered a form of flavoredvodka, it wasn't until 1996, when Stolichnaya introduced StoliLimon, that distillers began to add everything from peppermint topineapple to their vodkas. The trend created a whole new rainbowera of mixed drinks such as the blood orange vodkatini and thekey lime vodka gimlet. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuriesRussians mixed vodka with sweet syrup for women (men weresupposedly macho enough to drink theirs straight up), and theyhave also infused vodkas with spices and fruits for centuries.However, it would take another four hundred years for the practiceof flavoring to catch up with the West.

Now flavored vodkas have become very popular on the cocktailcircuit. Distillers all over the world are adding natural flavoringmaterials to their spirits, with and without sugar. It's clear that flavoredvodkas are here to stay. When vodka is flavored, the name ofthe flavoring must appear on the label. Almost any spice, flavoring,or fruit can be infused into vodka. Some of the more popular flavoringsare bilberry, blood orange, butterscotch, capsicum pepper,cherry, chocolate, cinnamon, clove, cranberry, currant, grapefruit,jalapeño, lime, lemon, Madagascar vanilla, mandarin orange, nutmeg,and raspberry. Depending on the brand and the sugar added,these flavors can range from too sweet to subtle. Some will provedelightful for sipping, while others are best served with mixers.

A RUSSIAN HISTORY OF VODKA

Vodka, an original eastern European beverage, appeared in eitherRussia or Poland around the thirteenth century. Much like itsnearest relation, gin, this white spirit was originally used medicinally ...

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