especially when aged in wooden barrels or casks. Some manufacturers use caramel or artificial coloring to darken their spirits.
BAR CODES
• Whiskey. The word comes from the Gaelic uisce beatha , meaning “water of life.” It’s alcohol distilled from fermented grains such as barley, rye, corn, wheat, or a combination. In Ireland and the United States, whiskey is spelled with an “e.” In Scotland, Canada, and Japan, it’s spelled whisky .
• Scotch. Whiskey made in Scotland. According to international law, only whiskey made in Scotland may be called Scotch.
According to studies, grapefruit scent can make women appear as much as 6 years younger to men.
• Bourbon. American whiskey of the type originally made in BourbonCounty, Kentucky, typically made from 70 percent corn and 30 percent wheat, rye, or other grains. Tennessee whiskey is similar to bourbon, except that it’s produced in—you guessed it—Tennessee. It’s filtered through a ten-foot layer of maple charcoal, which gives it a milder, distinctive flavor.
• Brandy. Alcohol distilled from fermented fruit juices. Brandy is short for brandywine, which comes from the Dutch brandewijn , which means “burnt wine.” It can be made from grapes, blackberries, apples, plums, or other fruits. Cognac is a type of brandy produced in the Cognac region of France.
• Gin. Distilled grain alcohol flavored with juniper berries. Sloe gin is gin flavored with sloe berries from the blackthorn bush instead of juniper berries.
• Rum. Alcohol distilled from molasses and sugarcane juice, both of which are by-products of the process used to turn sugarcane into refined sugar.
• Vodka. Distilled alcohol originally made from potatoes, but today mostly made from grain. “Vodka” is the diminutive form of voda , the Russian word for water, and means “little water.” All vodka produced in the United States is required by law to be colorless, odorless, and nearly tasteless, which accounts for its popularity in mixed drinks.
• Sherry. White wine that has been fortified by the addition of distilled spirits. It gets its name from Shareesh , the Arabic name for the town of Jerez in southwestern Spain, where it originated.
• Port. Fortified red or white wine. It gets its name from the city of Porto in northern Portugal, where it originated.
• Vermouth. Fortified white wine flavored with aromatic herbs and spices. It’s no longer true, but the flavorings were originally used to mask the flavor of inferior wines. Vermouth gets its name from wermut , German for wormwood, one of the traditional flavors.
• Cordials. Distilled spirits combined with sweetened fruit pulp or fruit juices. Liqueurs are similar to cordials, except that the flavoring is provided by flowers, herbs, seeds, roots, or the bark of plants. Many traditional cordial and liqueur recipes are centuries old and started out as medicinal products.
Number of glaciers in Glacier National Park in 1910: 150. Today: 27.
“BUNGA BUNGA!”
Sophomoric clown or a brilliant satirist of British imperialism? Either way, Horace de Vere Cole was responsible for one of the best pranks in history .
H IS MAJESTY REQUESTS… In the years before World War I, Britain had the most powerful navy in the world. And the HMS Dreadnought , armed with 10 large guns and powered by a steam engine, was the pride of the fleet. Considered the superweapon of its day, the huge battleship lay anchored under the tightest security in Weymouth. Few outside the Navy’s top officers had ever stepped on board, much less toured its “top-secret” state-of-the-art weaponry.
On February 10, 1910, Sir William May, the ship’s captain, received a telegram from the Foreign Office, signed by Under-Secretary Sir Charles Hardinge, announcing the impending arrival of the emperor of Abyssinia and his court in England. The emperor was to receive the royal treatment, including a tour of the HMS Dreadnought . The captain immediately ordered his
BAR CODES
• Whiskey. The word comes from the Gaelic uisce beatha , meaning “water of life.” It’s alcohol distilled from fermented grains such as barley, rye, corn, wheat, or a combination. In Ireland and the United States, whiskey is spelled with an “e.” In Scotland, Canada, and Japan, it’s spelled whisky .
• Scotch. Whiskey made in Scotland. According to international law, only whiskey made in Scotland may be called Scotch.
According to studies, grapefruit scent can make women appear as much as 6 years younger to men.
• Bourbon. American whiskey of the type originally made in BourbonCounty, Kentucky, typically made from 70 percent corn and 30 percent wheat, rye, or other grains. Tennessee whiskey is similar to bourbon, except that it’s produced in—you guessed it—Tennessee. It’s filtered through a ten-foot layer of maple charcoal, which gives it a milder, distinctive flavor.
• Brandy. Alcohol distilled from fermented fruit juices. Brandy is short for brandywine, which comes from the Dutch brandewijn , which means “burnt wine.” It can be made from grapes, blackberries, apples, plums, or other fruits. Cognac is a type of brandy produced in the Cognac region of France.
• Gin. Distilled grain alcohol flavored with juniper berries. Sloe gin is gin flavored with sloe berries from the blackthorn bush instead of juniper berries.
• Rum. Alcohol distilled from molasses and sugarcane juice, both of which are by-products of the process used to turn sugarcane into refined sugar.
• Vodka. Distilled alcohol originally made from potatoes, but today mostly made from grain. “Vodka” is the diminutive form of voda , the Russian word for water, and means “little water.” All vodka produced in the United States is required by law to be colorless, odorless, and nearly tasteless, which accounts for its popularity in mixed drinks.
• Sherry. White wine that has been fortified by the addition of distilled spirits. It gets its name from Shareesh , the Arabic name for the town of Jerez in southwestern Spain, where it originated.
• Port. Fortified red or white wine. It gets its name from the city of Porto in northern Portugal, where it originated.
• Vermouth. Fortified white wine flavored with aromatic herbs and spices. It’s no longer true, but the flavorings were originally used to mask the flavor of inferior wines. Vermouth gets its name from wermut , German for wormwood, one of the traditional flavors.
• Cordials. Distilled spirits combined with sweetened fruit pulp or fruit juices. Liqueurs are similar to cordials, except that the flavoring is provided by flowers, herbs, seeds, roots, or the bark of plants. Many traditional cordial and liqueur recipes are centuries old and started out as medicinal products.
Number of glaciers in Glacier National Park in 1910: 150. Today: 27.
“BUNGA BUNGA!”
Sophomoric clown or a brilliant satirist of British imperialism? Either way, Horace de Vere Cole was responsible for one of the best pranks in history .
H IS MAJESTY REQUESTS… In the years before World War I, Britain had the most powerful navy in the world. And the HMS Dreadnought , armed with 10 large guns and powered by a steam engine, was the pride of the fleet. Considered the superweapon of its day, the huge battleship lay anchored under the tightest security in Weymouth. Few outside the Navy’s top officers had ever stepped on board, much less toured its “top-secret” state-of-the-art weaponry.
On February 10, 1910, Sir William May, the ship’s captain, received a telegram from the Foreign Office, signed by Under-Secretary Sir Charles Hardinge, announcing the impending arrival of the emperor of Abyssinia and his court in England. The emperor was to receive the royal treatment, including a tour of the HMS Dreadnought . The captain immediately ordered his
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