koumiss, and European settlers in North
America made apple brandy — applejack
— in the same way. Freezing-out produces
a different kind of concentrated alcohol.
There’s no heating step that alters the
aroma, and unlike distillation it retains and
concentrates the sugars, savory amino
acids, and other nonvolatile substances that
contributed to the original liquid’s taste
and body.
Purity and Flavor The best indication of how
strongly flavored a distilled alcohol will be is
the percentage of alcohol in the liquid
immediately after distillation, before it’s
further treated by aging and/or dilution with
water to its final strength (see box, p. 765).
The higher the alcohol content to which it’s
distilled, the purer a mixture of alcohol and
water it is, the lower the proportion of fusel
oils and other aromatics, and so the more
neutral the flavor. Vodkas are usually distilled
to 90% alcohol or more; brandies and
barry
(Barry)
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