Know your Algonguin from your El Diablo

The Glossary

Sometimes it can appear that us bartenders are speaking in a foreign tongue, this page helps to get us all speaking the same language.

G

Gin

The rectified neutral spirit distilled from any grain, potato or beet and flavoured with Juniper.

Gin Acts

First passed in 1736, was designed to help reduce the amount of gin shops and to make the spirit too expensive for the working classes to drink. Who at the time used to drink a lot of it. It put a tax on gin and introduced the need for a licence to sell sprirts.

Grappa

Grappa is a fragrant grape-based spirit of between 40% and 60% alcohol by volume (80 to 120 proof), of Italian origin. It is made by distilling pomace, i.e., grape residue (primarily the skins, but also stems and seeds) left over from winemaking. It was originally made to prevent wastage by using leftovers at the end of the wine season. It quickly became commercialised, mass-produced, and sold worldwide. The flavour of grappa, like that of wine, depends on the type and quality of the grape used as well the specifics of the distillation process.