It seems every day a new Gin comes on the market and new micro distilleries keep popping up faster than you can say tonic. So it’s about time for us to understand the different stages of Gin production. There are two ways to make Gin – compounding and distilling. Compounding is considered to be the […]
Everyone knows about the importance of the water source when it comes to making Whisky. If you’ve read my article ‘Whisky battle – Laphroaig vs Lagavulin’ you’ll know the efforts these distilleries go to ensure the purity of their water supply. Even the word Whisky comes from Scottish Gaelic ‘uisge’ meaning water. But during my […]
My cousin advised me to visit this bar because, in her opinion, it was very ‘me’. Well, I can see why Finland’s first steampunk-themed bar would attract the likes of myself – slightly chaotic deco, bar shaped like a zeppelin, smoke, cocktails, Gin and even more Gin. From the outside, the venue looks dull and […]
To produce whisky you need three simple ingredients: water, yeast and barley (this can be mixed with rye or corn, I will talk about rye whisky soon) . The best type of barley is the one that produces the most sugar. There are five stages in the process: malting, mashing, fermentation, distillation and maturation. Malting During malting, the barley […]
Fancy something different? Here are some great alternative cocktails using Grappa as the main spirit – the recipes are based on Nonino products; however, if you wish to replace it with another high-quality Grappa make sure you get the correct grape variety as the flavours can be very different. Antonella (I have slightly changed the measures as […]
Italian Grappa is taken like French Brandy or Spanish Sherry, but remains very much in their shadow as it is considered by many to be nothing more than branded moonshine. Italian restaurants all over the world serve this spirit made from leftovers, the vinaccia from wine production. This in itself doesn’t mean it has to be rubbish; […]
First of all, as my blog post stresses, there’s Grappa and there’s Grappa. Take the time to find the quality brands (such as Nonino, Bocchino, Berta or Bepi Tosolini) as they are well worth the effort and are a wonderful spirit. The difference is explained through the production methods which I’ve bashed out below. Grappa […]
I, like probably millions of others, am used to the dusty male image that comes to mind when talking about Whisky. I used to go to this old Finnish hotel from the 1930s as the bar was really fascinating, with all these elderly gentlemen drinking Whisky for their sorrows or telling stories about their lives […]
Whilst in Rome I read about a bar serving mainly Gin so obviously I had to go and find it. It was fairly easy to find by Piazza di Firenze, but, to my surprise, it was part of a fancy-looking hotel. Luckily I had dressed up as I would have felt completely underdressed wearing Converse […]