Cocktail Story: Top 5 spirits used in cocktails

Spirits are made by distilling a fermented mash of various starchy ingredients. They are so-called because only the alcoholic ‘spirit’ of the original ingredient is extracted and collected by means of distillation. During or after the process of distillation, various flavouring agents are added to give the various spirits their character. As spirits usually have high alcoholic content and not much flavour on their own, they form the base of most cocktails. In fact, a cocktail is no more than a base spirit to which various sweetening / modifying agents are added in order to bring down its alcoholic content and modify their flavours.

The five most popular types of spirits used as a cocktail base, and their respective primary ingredients, are as follows:

Gin – made from juniper berries

Brandy – made from fruits (grape brandy is the most common)

Rum – made from sugarcane

Vodka – made from varying ingredients eg. wheat / fruits

American whiskey – made from rye / corn

Gin

Out of the 75 IBA ‘official cocktails’, 20 mentions gin as their base* – more than any other spirits. David Embury, in his book ‘The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks’, also elects gin as the ‘most important’ base spirit due to its ability to blend well with other ingredients. Gin derives its flavour from juniper berries and other botanical ingredients, depending on the manufacturer, which give the spirit its delicate aroma. There are various types of gin but London Dry Gin is the most prominent type used in cocktails nowadays.

Common brands: Gordon’s, Bombay Sapphire

Brandy

Of all spirits, brandy is not only the oldest but is universally recognised as the finest. Nowadays the term ‘Brandy’ usually refers to grape brandies, but brandies can also be made from other fruits such as cherry or apple. The best grape brandies are produced in the Cognac district of France. Unlike whiskeys, the Frenchmen a specific grading system to indicate the quality of individual cognac bottles, rather than stating their age – ‘Three Stars’ being the youngest, ‘V.S.O.P’ (Very Superior Old Pale) the medium range, and the best of all (which are usually the oldest) are labeled ‘Napoleon’. For use in cocktails, the ‘Three Stars’ variety is usually adequate – to mix any higher quality cognac with other ingredients is, according to Embury, ‘a sacrilege to the nectar of the gods’. The better brandy brands are usually served neat as a digestif.

Common brands: Hennessey, Remy Martin

Rum

Rum is produced by the distillation of fermented sugarcane by-products, such as molasses, mostly around the Caribbean and Latin America. In the past, rum was an iconic alcoholic beverage of the Royal Navy and pirates, as well as being an important trade commodity of the Colonial Age. White rums have a light flavour and thus work great as a cocktail base, whereas dark rums are utilised more often in tall drinks or in cooking. Rum cocktails such as Piña Colada and Mai-Tai have been made popular by the boom of Tiki culture.

Common brands: Bacardi (Puerto Rican), Havana Club (Cuban)

Vodka

This national drink of Poland and Russia is made from various fermented ingredients such as wheat or fruits. It has a neutral, clear flavour which has led to concoction of the famous slogan that vodka ‘leaves you breathless’. Its neutral taste allows vodka to blend well with almost anything, therefore making it a perfect cocktail base. Vodka was virtually unknown outside the ‘vodka belt’ countries during the cold war, but since the collapse of the Iron Curtain, the popularity of vodka has exploded in the Western world, and vodka has now become one of the most popular spirits across the globe.

Common brands: Smirnoff, Absolut

American whiskey

Whiskeys (Whisky is the British spelling and is used for Scotch whiskies) are spirits made from grains such as barley malt, rye, corn etc. They are produced all over the world but those produced in Scotland and the USA are the two most prominent. Scotch whiskies are rarely used as cocktail bases due to their strong smoky flavour that does not blend well with other ingredients. American whiskey, on the other hand, has always been widely used in cocktails. There are two major subtypes of American whiskies – Rye and Bourbon. Rye has traditionally been associated with the Northern states, but has lost its popularity nowadays, whereas Bourbon, a cultural icon of the Southern states, is enjoyed all across the globe. Straight Bourbon whiskey, or Tennessee whiskey, is a subtype of Bourbon but Tennessee whiskey manufacturers refuse to have their products labeled as Bourbon, and insists that Tennessee whiskey is a separate type of whiskey. American whiskeys are more commonly combined with aromatic ingredients such as vermouth or bitters, rather than liqueurs or citrus juices.

Common brands: Jim Beam (Bourbon & Rye), Jack Daniel’s (Tennessee)

*20 IBA official cocktails that use Gin as a base spirit – Angel Face, Aviation, Casino, Clover Club, Derby, Dry Martini, Gin Fizz, John Collins, Monkey Gland, Negroni, Paradise, Ramos Fizz, White Lady, Tuxedo, French 75, Singapore Sling, Bramble, Dirty Martini, Espresso Martini, Vesper. Dirty Martini and Espresso Martini will be considered as Gin cocktails, although the IBA website lists Vodka as their base.