On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1431

“bathtub gin” slowed further progress from
1920 to 1934. In the 1950s, mixologists
discovered the value of vodka as a largely
flavorless alcohol, and the appeal of sweettart fruit juices and sweet liqueurs. Over the
nextfewdecadestheyconcoctedsuchbroadly
popular drinks as the mai tai, piña colada,
screwdriver, daiquiri, margarita, and tequila
sunrise. In the 1970s, vodka dethroned
whiskeyasAmerica’sbest-sellingspirit.
Thelate20thcenturybroughtamodest
revivalofinterestinthemoreaustereclassic
cocktails,andinfinedistilledspiritsofall
kinds,mixedwithnothingmorethanwater.
FoodWords:Alcohol
Our wordalcohol comes from medieval
Arab alchemy, which strongly influenced
Western science and gave it several other
important terms, includingchemistry,
alkali, andalgebra. To the Arabs, al kohl
was the dark powder of the metal


antimony, which women used to darken
their eyelids. By a process of
generalization, it came to mean any fine
powder, and then for the essence of any
material.Alcohol was first used to mean
the essence of wine itself by the 16thcenturyGermanalchemistParacelsus.
MakingDistilledAlcohols

Alldistilledalcoholsaremadeinbasicallythe

sameway.
Fruits,grains,orothersourcesof
carbohydratesarefermentedwithyeasts
tomakealiquidwithamoderatealcohol
content,from5to12%byvolume.
Thisliquidisheatedinachamberthat
collectsthealcohol-andaroma-rich
vaporsastheyescapefromtheboiling
liquid,andthenpassesthemacross
coolermetalsurfaces,wherethevapors