When you walk into a liquor store that has an abundant stock, such as K and W Liquor Store in New York, you might be overwhelmed by the choices. Without knowledge of wine and liquors, you won’t know what to choose. You have plenty of options of alcoholic beverages.
Wines From Around the World
While there are companies throughout the world that make similar types of wines, there are some wines that everyone recognizes as a part of a certain culture. One of the most well known is Japanese rice wine, called sake. It is brewed similar to beer instead of wine. Another place-specific wine is Riesling wine made from white grapes that originated in Germany. Sangria is an easily recognized Spanish wine that mixes wine, fruit, and brandy.
Specialty Wines
Sometimes you require your food and drink to be made a certain way because of health reasons, religion, or personal choice. It is possible to find a kosher wine, for example. A wine is only kosher if the fruit used to make it comes from a tree or vine that has bared fruit for more than three years. Organic wines are made from fruit that was grown without synthetic hormones or pest control. You can find organic chardonnay, merlot, and vodka.
Cooking Wines
While you can find cheap cooking wines in the baking aisle of the grocery store, using a real high quality wine makes the meal much better. Sherry is a common cooking wine with a cheap variety, but the real thing has a more robust flavor. Madeira wine designed for cooking usually contains salt and pepper to help season the food. Marsala wine, an Italian wine, is often used in cooking. You’ve heard of chicken marsala, right?
Liquors
Liquor is different from wine because it is made through distillation. Common liquors include brandy, rum, tequila, vodka, and whiskey. A famous, and highly alcoholic, liquor is absinthe. Absinthe, known as the green fairy, comes from wormwood and green anise. Liquor made from homemade distillers is popularly known as moonshine and isn’t found in liquor stores.
With so many wine and liquor choices, you might choose more than one to enjoy. Spend as much time as you need at the liquor store, such as K and W Liquor Store, and choose some new to try. You can always go back for more.
