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Beer Wine And Spirits Article:

90+ point rated wines under $20

Tequila

It was once a ritual usually performed by a man. He would put some salt where the bottom of the thumb met his wrist. After licking the salt, he would take a swig of tequila from a shot glass and then bite into a piece of lime. Ladies were not too fond of this and always drank their tequila mixed into a cocktail. Tequila is listed as a spirit and distilled from the sugar sap of the blue agave plant then fermenting it and producing a liquor with a distinctive taste. Tequila was sold exclusively in Mexico until the nineteen-nineties when sipping it became trendy in the Southwestern region of the United States. The price of tequila varies from the modest to the more expensive depending upon the quality of the producer. Now with the demands of authenticity, the premium brands are truly appreciated world-wide.

Traditionally, tequila has always been served in a two-ounce glass, or caballito at room temperature or enjoyed ice cold with some bottled lime juice added or just a squeeze of the lime itself. A famous glass company in Austria introduced a six and three-fourth ounce glass for sipping tequila that fully allows the taste of it to be fully appreciated by the glass's shape.

The distillers of tequila have to follow strict guidelines set by the Mexican government and be bottled at the distillery in the Tequila region of Mexico. There are two general categories and four types of tequila. Blanco, or silver is clear and transparent and has a stronger flavor. Oro, or Gold has added colorants and flavorings producing a caramel color with a mellow flavor. Reposado, or rested in oak casts from two months up to one year. It has a mellower taste that is gentler to the palate. Afiejo, or aged is a blanco, a clear tequila kept in white oak casts for more than a year. Reserve is a special Afiejo, aged tequila kept in oak casts for up to eight years. It is priced much higher than the premium brands.

The drink recipes below are from www.itequila.org for more of an authentic taste.

A tequila sunrise is a great way to start a weekend morning while eating a breakfast taco and imagining the sun as it rises over Acapulco Bay. Note: For a non-alcoholic version, a favorite brand of sparkling mineral water is substituted.

Tequila Sunrise

2-oz of ice-cold tequila

4-oz orange juice

1-oz grenadine

Pour orange juice into a highball glass and then pour the Ice-cold tequila slowly tilting the glass to get a layered effect.Trickle the grenadine on top to get a perfect sunrise .Garnish a cocktail stirrer with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry.

A tequila sour mimics a whiskey sour using an Afeijo, or aged tequila for a better taste.

Tequila Sour

1-1/2 oz. tequila

2-oz. lemon juice

1-tsp. sugar

Blend ingredients with crushed ice and strain into a sour glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

After a workday, happy hour is a way of winding down in the larger cities of Texas.Everyone heads to their favorite Mexican restaurant and orders either a blended frozen margarita or one that has been classically prepared in a cocktail shaker.

Classic Margarita

2-oz. Tequila

1-oz Triple Sec

½ oz. Mexican lime juice

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice that might be in cubes, coarsely chopped, or finely crushed. Rim a glass with salt by rubbing the rim of a margarita or a martini glass with a slice of lime and then pressing the glass lightly on a plate filled with a fine salt.

For the home bartender, a frozen margarita is blended and then poured into frosty margarita or martini glasses that have been rinsed out with cold water and put into the freezer.

Frozen Margarita

Into a five cup blender:

4-cups of ice from a bag of commercial ice cubes

2-oz tequila

1-oz. Grand Marnier

1-oz Cointreau

2-oz. bottled lime juice

4-cups of a commercially prepared liquid margarita mix

Directions: Blend all of the ingredients then pour into a frosty margarita or a martini glass and garnish with the lime slice that has been twisted into an S shape.

The author grew up in Texas where drinking tequila or mixing it into cocktails is a very common practice.

wine.com

Wine is undoubtedly one of the great national treasures of France, and some of the most expensive in the world, like a vintage Romanee Conti red wine produced in Burgundy can set you back anything upwards of 1,000 for just one bottle.

These days, people have started consuming a lot of wine. The reason is that today, people are aware of the health benefits of drinking wine. A good amount of money is spend on wine consumption. However, the main difficulty most people face after purchasing wine is the storage of wine. People tend to spend a lot of money on purchasing wine but after some time, they feel that they have almost wasted their money. The reason is that the wine does not taste the same after some time. Now, this is because these people do not have any clue about how to store wine properly. Proper wine storage is very important for providing longevity to wine and also to enhance its taste while maintaining the quality.

Back in October of this year the news of an impending hop shortage claimed that prices will skyrocket for their favorite craft brew and that the price of hops in general would rise to all-time highs. If you are a micro/craft brewer perhaps the situation of the world hop market should be taken very seriously. If you are a homebrewer, how will this affect you?

It's been nearly a month and you've waited patiently for your latest batch of homebrewed beer. The time has come and you open a bottle or pull the tap and begin to fill a glass of what you hope will be your next favorite beer (generally speaking my favorite beer is usually the one I'm drinking at the moment). The taste is great but the beer is hazy and not very clear. You know it taste good but it's hard to convince your friends, who are used to buying and drinking sparkling clear beer, that the cloudy haze is alright to drink and really doesn't affect the taste.

Unmalted grains such as corn, rice, rye, oats, barley, and wheat are called adjuncts. They are used in brewing beer and produce beers with added body and a greater brilliancy. Adjuncts also contribute to the flavor of the beer, for example, rice has a very neutral aroma and taste, while corn results in a full flavored beer and wheat adds dryness to beer. Adjuncts also can result in a final product with higher alcohol content without altering the flavor.