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Date Created: Jun 29, 2009 - 11:29:43 AM
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The production of spirits and liquors is an important part of the
industrial system of our country. Although we need to make a clear distinction
between these two kind of beverages.
Spirits and liquors are both high alcohol degree beverages, produced
with very different techniques: the first ones are distillates of fermented
products; the second ones are obtained simply by mixing of infusion. The
liqueurs or liquor drinks are a mixture of ethanol or water with brandy, sugar,
spices, essences, essential oils.
There are various preparation techniques: you can make an infusion of
the plant or of the aromatic herb in the alcoholic and sweetened liquid; or you
can distill the alcoholic liquid containing the herbal substance, thereby
extracting the aroma; or you can simply mix alcohol or spirit, spices, water
and sugar. The variety of raw materials results in a wide variety of beverages,
prepared with recipes often jealously guarded by the producers or even patented.
The alcohol content is variable, generally between 20% and 50%. Among the most
famous liquors we remember the limoncello, the nocino, the laurino, the
flavored grappa, the gineprino etc.
With the name of spirits we include all alcoholic beverages fermented
and distilled. The process used to produce spirits provides for the
distillation of fermented mixtures containing low-alcohol, which is
concentrated to obtain alcohol with high alcohol content.
Distillation is a process based on the different boiling point of liquid
of different composition that enables to separate the different components of a
liquid mixture.
The first rudimentary tool for producing distillate was called alembic
and its invention is attributed to the Islamic chemist Jabir ibn Hayyan,
between the VIII century and the IX century. The alembic is a boiler in which
to heat the mixture to separate, a condenser where the vapors that separate
from the boiling mixture are cooled and a container that collects the steam
condensed, enriched by the substances with lower boiling point.
By repeating this process several times you can concentrate more and
more the solution by increasing also the alcohol content.
When you make a distillation, the first and the last fraction of
distillate are discarded, head and tail, because they contain harmful
substances such as methyl alcohol (methanol) and other alcohol different from
the methyl alcohol. The heart instead is used, consisting in ethyl alcohol and
water. The current legislation provides for spirits alcohol content between 30%
and 86%, the rate of methanol tolerated depends on the type of spirit.
These techniques are very old but are still widespread in Italy,
especially with regard to spirits. Distil literally means pull our “drop by
drop” and then in a broader sense to derive the essence, namely the “spirit” by
something. And this is exactly the meaning and value of the ancient art of
preparing liquors. What master distillers and spirits and liquors manufacturers
are proposing themselves to do is offer to fans, experts and consumers a
showcase of excellence, where quality and variety of spirits is offered in its
splendor.
This article was written by Martina Meneghetti, with support from grappa moscato
. For any information please visit
grappa prime uve , please visit
liquore morbido .
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