Today is National Liqueur Day
October 16, 2020
October 16this National Liqueur Day! A liqueur is a strong alcoholic beverage that has been sweetened with herbs, fruits, nuts, cream, or spices. Liqueurs are traditionally served as after-dinner drinks or mixed with coffee.
The word “liqueur” comes from the Latin word “liquifacere,” which means “to dissolve or melt.” As early as 400 BC, the Egyptians and Greeks distilled wine to produce fortified spirits. They sweetened this concoction with cinnamon and honey—a combination that we still use today to create mead. In the thirteenth century, European monks and alchemists perfected the distillation process used to create liqueur. The liquid was primarily used for medicinal purposes.
Today, there are countless types and flavors of liqueur. Some of the most famous include Kahlúa, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Limoncello, Sambuca, and Jägermeister.
and.....In case you're curious....about booze!
- In 1964, the U.S. Congress recognized bourbon as a "distinctive product of the United States." The American whiskeygets its name from Bourbon County, Kentucky.Ironically, despite Kentucky producing 95 percent of the world's bourbon, none of it is currently made in Bourbon County.
- The word brandy isderived from the Dutch word brandewijn,which translates to “burnt wine.” This popular digestif is created by distilling wine. And get this: some of the earliest thermometers—used in the 1600s—contained brandy instead of mercury. The liquor was eventually replaced with mercury due to the latter material's wider range of liquid-state temperature.
- Even though gin has been produced in the U.S. since colonial times, itwasn't a very popular liquor until the Prohibition era. The ease with which it could be made and the relatively low cost involved in producing it made gin an abundant favorite at illegal bars.
- Stylists in the 1800s believed that rum held the secret to clean and healthy hair, and often advised their clients towash and soak their hairin the tropical liquor. (Brandy was considered a slightly less effective alternative.)
- Famous explorers Ferdinand Magellan and Christopher Columbustraveled with a large amount of sherry onboard their shipsduring their historic journeys. In fact, Magellan reportedly spent more on sherry than he spent on weapons for his 1519 trip around the world.
- True tequila (made from blue agave in specific regions of Mexico) never contains the infamous “worm,” though other types of mezcal (made from different agave plants) areoccasionally sold with the larval form of a moth that lives on agave plants floating in the bottom of the bottle. Even though the presence of these moths was a bad sign—indicating that the crop has been infested—including a “worm” in bottles of mezcal became a popular marketing gimmick in the 1940s and continues today.
- While most vodka is the product of distilled grains, potato vodka is also a popular alternative—especially for anyone with gluten allergies. Because it's derived from potatoes, this type of vodka isentirely gluten-free.
- The name “whiskey” comes from theEnglish pronunciation of the Gaelic term for distilled alcohol, which translates to “water of life” (or “lively water”).
- During the Prohibition era, the U.S. government's ban on alcohol salesdid not include whiskey prescribed by a doctor and sold in pharmacies. This exemption was one of the chief reasons behind the exponential growth of the Walgreens pharmacy chain, which stocked whiskey and grew from 20 stores at the start of Prohibition to almost 400 stores in 1930.