Most brewers will joke that in reality they work for the yeast – that their job is to feed it and keep it happy. This organism from the fungi class of flora is found in biofuels, baking, the wine industry, and of course brewing. It is everywhere – in the air, in the soil, on your skin.
Explainer
Undoubtedly one could classify vodka as a ‘beginner’s spirit’, reserved for the days of underage drinking- but the versatility alone should give us pause to reconsider what this ‘spirit without distinctive character, aroma or taste’ can bring to the table.
“It was not only until after Prohibition that Scotch whisky surpassed Irish whiskey sales. Since Irish whiskey was more popular, and considered by many to be better in quality to Scotch whisky, many American distillers tried to associate their products with Irish whiskey and therefore adopted the Irish spelling of whiskey.”
“Each of them would then get a small taste of what we would internally call ‘love’. A small welcome drink that was thoughtful, delicious and unique to us. Our go-to was a little elegant shot glass of white port and elderflower tonic with a frozen grape…”
Although Champagne would have us all believe that bubble size in these liquids is the defining note on quality, it is in fact the quantity of Co2 escaping from the drink that determines how rough and biting that drink will be and how the aromas will be punching the air.
“After the 2000s renaissance of classic cocktails, every dedicated, arm-banded bartender was making their own bitters before it got weird to do so. If you can’t do it better for cheaper, right? Jokes aside, homemade bitters and a demand for all types of new flavours have led to some incredibly creative new drinks…” Jono Carr
“People solicit and compete for awards and do what they can to get noticed and people get nasty about winners and complain a lot.” – Simon Ford, 86 Spirits Company & former Chair of Tales Awards
“The difficulty in spiced rum is doubled, the regulations surrounding its production just don’t exist. Should it be called a liqueur? A spirit? Just another rum? It’s hard to pin down.”
“During this same period we have seen the non-Cuban hand rolled cigar industry boom. Many of these now well-established factories were set up by former Cuban cigar workers and families who owned factories before the Cuban revolution.”
“While relative newcomers, we have definitely done our bit for the brewing world. The landscape of beers in Australia has never been more exciting; with 740 active breweries, and only 6% of that number captured by the biggest brewers, there is now a beer for every occasion.”
Speaking with Eros Pedone, again he mimics this notion that often creative thought comes from outside of the bar, allowing originality to shine. As Eros has said, to ‘live a continuous brainstorming life’ will allow us the opportunity to continually find ways to do things differently.
“I believe these products being labelled as “non-alcoholic spirits” is a clever marketing ploy allowing producers to charge a premium for what essentially is distilled and flavoured water.” – Sven Almenning, founder of Speakeasy Group, talks about the non-alcoholic ‘spirits’ trend