BEVERAGES

DOSSIER

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 BEVERAGES: BAR EQUIPMENT

A bar should have the necessary equipment for making cocktails,

serving wine, spirits and liqueurs correctly and for making tea
and coffee. Basic equipment includes:

Cocktail shaker Grater

Bar spoon Drinking straws
Mixing glass Lemon squeezer
Assorted glasses Citrus zester
Ice buckets and stands Cocktail sticks/swizzles
Small ice buckets and tongs Wine and cocktail lists
Ice scoop Coasters
Juicer Trays
Water jugs Fridge
Strainer Sink
Wine baskets Glass washing machine
Corkscrews Glass cloths
Bottle openers Cutting board and knife
Jigger Soda syphons
Doiley Toothpicks
Cocktail parasol/umbrella

Food items include:

Salt and pepper Ice cubes

Olives Cube sugar
Cocktail cherries Candy sugar
Perrin’s sauce Brown sugar
Tabasco sauce Eggs (yolk and white)
Angostura bitters Cream
Nutmeg Mint
Cloves Oranges
Ginger Lemon wedge/slice
Cinnamon Lime wedge/slice
Fresh or tinned pineapple Celery

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 BEVERAGES: BAR EQUIPMENT

And now answer the following questions on bar equipment:

1. What are ice buckets and stands used for?

2. What are small ice buckets and tongs used for?

3. Why are wine baskets used for?

4. What is a cocktail stick used for?

5. What are drinking straws used for?

6. Write a list of items that you would find in the refrigerator of a bar.

7. What are the main ingredients of the famous Perrin’s sauce?

8. What does a bartender use a lemon for?

GLASSWARE
Glassware vocabulary:

Base: the bottom of a glass

Stem: the narrow part of a wine glass, for example
Bowl: the part of the glass that holds the liquid
Rim: the upper edge of the glass that comes in contact with the lips
Handle: the part used to hold a dimple glass, for example

Common complaints about glassware include:

“There’s a crack in the glass” or “The glass is cracked”.

“The glass is scratched” or “There’s a scratch on the glass”
“There’s a chip in the rim of the glass” or “The rim of the glass is chipped”.
“The glass is not clean” or “The glass is dirty” or “The glass is cloudy”.
“There are thumb marks on the glass” or “The glass has thumb marks”.
“There are lipstick marks on the glass” or “The glass has lipstick marks”.
“The glass is dusty” or “The glass is full of dust”
“The glass is warm”
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“The glass doesn’t smell clean”
BEVERAGES: BEER

Beer is usually served in either pints or half pints.

A pint of beer = 0’6 litres

A half pint of beer = 0’3 litres = “a glass”

Customers may ask for draught beer, canned beer or bottled

beer. There are many different types of beer, including:

Bitter: Pale beer with a bitter taste.

Mild: Light or pale beer with a mild flavour.

Stout/porter: Very dark, strong beer with a smooth, creamy “head”.

Lager: Light, German beer.

Some customers like to mix beer with another drink, for

example:

Shandy: Draught bitter and lemonade

Here is some beer-related vocabulary:

Beer barrel Barrel of beer

Beer bottle Bottle of beer

Beer can Can of beer

Tankard Beer mug

Pint glass Half pint glass

Beer mat

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Common complaints about beer include:

“This beer is cloudy”. “This beer is flat”.

“This beer is too warm” / “This beer isn’t cold enough”.

“This beer has too much froth / foam / head”.

BEVERAGES: WINES

First of all, can you answer the following questions about wine ?

1. What fruit is wine made from?

2. Name some wine-producing countries.

3. What latitudes do wine-producing zones lie between?

4. Which country is the largest wine producer?

Wines are classified as follows:

Still wines may be red (normally dry), white (dry to very sweet) or rosé (dry
or semi-sweet).

Semi-sparkling wines are usually white.

Sparkling wines are usually white. The most famous is champagne, made in
north-eastern France, but sparkling wines are made in other parts of the
world too, for example the Catalan cava. These wines can be very dry, dry,
medium sweet or sweet.

Fortified wines are wines with alcohol added. They can be dry, medium or
sweet. The best known are:

Sherry (from Jerez, Spain)

Port (from Oporto, Portugal)
Madeira (Madeira island, Portugal)
Marsala (Marsala, Sicily)
Muscatel, made from the muscat grape.

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Apéritif wines
Vermouth (either Italian or French)
Dubonnet, Cynar, Campari, Bitter etc

Organic wines are made from grapes grown free of artificial pesticides or
fertilizers.

BEVERAGES: WINES
There is an immense variety of words to describe the colour, aroma and
taste of different wines. Here is a small selection of the most usual
adjectives.
Colour Taste
Clear Vinegary or tart
Cloudy Clean
Dark Full-bodied
Dull Harsh
Light Heavy
Light
Rich
Aroma Robust
Vinegary Silky or smooth
Deep or full Well-balanced
Fruity

Common complaints about wine include:

“The wine is cloudy”.

“The wine smells bad/off/foul”.
“The wine tastes sour/sharp/vinegary”.
“This wine is undrinkable”.
“The colour is wrong” or “This wine has a funny colour”.
“There are dregs in my glass” or “There is sediment in my glass”.
“There are bits of cork in my wine”.
“The wine is too cold” or “The wine isn’t cold enough”.
“This wine has a bad/funny aftertaste”
“This champagne is flat”

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 BEVERAGES: SPANISH WINES

In the supermarkets and wine shops in the north of Europe,

there is a large selection of wines from all over the world.
People are familiar with wines from France, Italy, Spain,
Germany, California, Australia, South Africa, Chile and many
other countries. So do not be surprised if they do not always
know a lot about the wines of this country! Also, do not expect
the tourist on a two-week holiday to have an exhaustive
knowledge of Spanish geography. Be patient and explain your
wines in clear, simple English.

The best known Spanish wines among English-speaking people

are:

Sherry. Everybody knows sherry. (Maybe they do not know that sherry
comes from the town of Jerez, in the province of Cádiz, in the south-west
of Spain).

Rioja. The most famous Spanish wine, known to everybody but pronounced
in many different ways. Red Riojas are better known than white. (Many
tourists cannot situate the Rioja wine-growing region on a map. You can say
that it is situated on the River Ebro, in the north-central part of Spain,
south of Bilbao).

Ribera del Duero. This is another well-known Spanish red wine, but not
everybody can pronounce it! (If customers want to know where it comes
from, say that it comes from the area around the River Duero, in the
north-central part of Spain, north of Madrid but south of the Rioja region).

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 BEVERAGES: CATALAN WINES

Catalan wines are not very well known as such. Very often
tourists are surprised to learn that popular wines like Torres or
Freixenet are produced in Catalonia. Again, give simple
explanations and remember that many tourists really want to try
the local wines but the problem is that they do not know what to
ask for. Many people just say “Rioja” because it is the only word
that they recognise (and think that they can pronounce) on the
restaurant wine list.

Penedès This is the classic wine-producing region of Catalonia which makes

fine red, white and sparkling wines. (Explain that the region is situated to
the south west of Barcelona).

Priorat Robust, red wines from the Priorat area in Tarragona (Explain that
this province is situated to the south of Barcelona).

Alella Nice red, white and rosé wines made in the Alella area, just north of
Barcelona.

Perelada Good sparkling wines from an area situated in the north of the
province of Girona, near Figueres and Cadaqués (near the French border).

Empordà-Costa Brava A new wine, a local wine that is very popular at the
moment. These wines come from an area very near the French border,
north of Figueres

It is always difficult to know how to describe the Catalan “cava”

to English-speaking tourists. Here are some ideas:

“Cava is a sparkling wine made here in Catalonia. It is like champagne but it

is called cava”.

“Cava is a Catalan sparkling wine. It is similar to champagne but in Catalan

we say cava”.

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There are 11 Catalan wine-growing regions qualified by the
INCAVI (The Catalan Institute of Wine). 12 guarantees of origin
in total with cava.

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 BEVERAGES: WINE VOCABULARY

CATALAN ENGLISH CATALAN ENGLISH

(amb) agulla semi-sparkling florit mouldy
abocat smooth fresc fresh, cool
acaramel·lat caramelized gasificat carbonated
acerb sharp grau alcohol content
afruitat fruity gust flavour, taste
afustat woody imbebible undrinkable
agre sour mètode xampanyès champagne method
agredolç sour-sweet míldiu mildew
aigualit watery most grape juice
amarg bitter pàl·lid pale
ametllat nutty picat sharp
anyada year pla flat, insipid
apagat dull ple full
ardent fiery, warming pòsit dregs
aspre harsh postgust finish
atemperar to chamber potent strong
avellutat velvety premsa press
bóta cask químic chemical
brut brut raïm grape
buquet bouquet ranci mellow
cava sparkling wine retrogust aftertaste
celler wine cellar roure oak
cep vine sec dry
copa wine glass Semi-dolç semi-sweet
cos body semi-sec medium dry
criança ageing, maturing sommelier cellar master
decantar to decant tasta vins wine-taster
desagradable unpleasant tèrbol cloudy
destapar to uncork verema grape picking
embotellar to bottle vi blanc white wine
envellir to age vi negre red wine
esbravar-se to go flat vi novell new wine
escumós sparkling vi rosat rosé wine
especiat spiced vinagre vinegar
etiqueta label viticultura wine growing

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 BEVERAGES: LIQUORS
(SPIRITS AND LIQUEURS)

Liqueurs are sweetened and flavoured spirits/alcohols.

Spirits are any distilled alcoholic liquor such as brandy, rum, whisky, or gin

Brandy is distilled from wine. The most famous are Cognac and Armagnac
but brandy is made in many wine-producing areas.

Eau de vie is fermented and distilled juice of fruit (raspberries, cherries,

plums, pears, strawberries etc). It is transparent.

Gin is very popular in the English-speaking world. The word comes from
“genièvre” in French, meaning juniper. There are many different types of
gin.

Grappa is an Italian style brandy.

Pastis is a spirit flavoured with aniseed or liquorice and is normally served

with a jug of water to dilute. The French like it a lot.

Rum is a spirit made from fermented sugar cane and is produced in the
West Indies.

Schnapps is a spirit made from fermented potatoes. The main production

countries are Germany and Holland.

Tequila is a Mexican spirit made from the fermented juice of the agave
plant. It is often drunk after a lick of salt and a squeeze of lime or lemon.

Vodka is a very pure, colourless and flavourless spirit, made in Russia and
other Eastern European countries.

Whisky (Scotch or Canadian) or whiskey (Irish or American) is a spirit

made from cereals (barley, rye, wheat or maize).

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 COCKTAILS

Cocktails were an American invention, the direct result of the

Prohibition Era (1919 – 1935) in the United States. During this
period, the manufacture and sale of alcohol was illegal. However,
inventive Americans soon started making bathtub gin and
moonshine whiskey in their own homes. They sold the usually
undrinkable alcohol to the public in illegal bars called
“speakeasies”. Mafiosi like Al Capone got very rich in this way.
To disguise the appearance and improve the flavour of these
drinks, bartenders started to add fruit juices, syrups and other
mixtures. So the cocktail was born.

Look at the following verbs and then read the recipes for some
popular cocktails:

to stir to shake, shook, shaken

to add to pour
to sprinkle (with) to grate
to fill up to mix
to garnish (with) to decorate (with)
to chill to serve
to top up to strain
to squeeze

OLD FASHIONED
1 measure bourbon whiskey
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon water
2 dashes Angustura bitters
Ice

Stir all the ingredients with ice in a mixing glass. Strain and pour into a
rocks glass. Decorate with cherry and orange.

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MINT JULEP
2 measures bourbon whiskey
soda water
1 tablespoon sugar
6 mint leaves
crushed ice

Put sugar and mint into a highball glass. Add a little soda water and
thoroughly mash the mixture until the sugar is dissolved. Add the bourbon
and fill the glass with crushed ice. Stir until the outside of the glass is well
frosted. Decorate with mint. Serve with two straws.

MANHATTAN
2 measures rye whiskey
1 measure sweet red vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
ice

Stir all together with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Decorate with a
cherry and lemon peel.

WHISKY SOUR
2 measures whisky
1 measure lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg white
ice

Shake all the ingredients with the ice and strain into a rocks glass.
Decorate with a slice of lemon.

HORSE’S NECK
2 measures gin
dry ginger ale
ice

Place ice cubes and gin into a highball glass. Add ginger ale to taste.
Decorate with twisted lemon peel.

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DRY MARTINI
2 measures gin
half measure dry vermouth
ice

Stir ingredients in a mixing glass. Strain into a cocktail glass and decorate
with an olive.

BLOODY MARY
2 measures vodka
150 ml tomato juice
2 dashes Perrin’s sauce
2 dashes lemon juice
1 dash Tabasco sauce
1 pinch celery salt
celery stick
sprinkle cayenne pepper
ice

Stir together all the ingredients in a highball glass with ice. Decorate with
a celery stick.

BRANDY ALEXANDER
1 measure brandy
1 measure crème de cacao
1 measure cream
ice

Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a champagne flute.
Sprinkle ground nutmeg on top.

CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
Champagne
1 sugar lump
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 teaspoon Cognac or orange Curaçao
Dampen the sugar lump with Angostura and place in a champagne flute. Pour
over well-chilled champagne and float the Cognac or orange Curaçao over
the back of a teaspoon. Decorate with a strip of orange peel and a cocktail
cherry.

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LISTENING ACTIVITIES:

1)
How do you make a cocktail?
Put the steps into the correct order:

Shake well, to mix and chill the liquids

Next, pour in one measure of tequila
First, take a cocktail shaker and fill it with crushed ice
Finally, pour the Margarita into the glass and serve
Garnish with a slice of lime
Then squeeze some fresh lemon juice into the shaker
Then pour in a quarter measure of triple sec
Then add a dash of lime juice
Then put some ice cubes into a salt-rimmed glass

Take turns to practice the instructions and mime the actions with a
partner

2)
Can you make these drinks?
Listen, write the name of the cocktail and fill in the gaps.

A)……………………………………

First, take the ………………………… and fill it with ……………………. ………………………

After that, add three measures of ………………….. ……………………, one measure
of …………………… ……………………… and a teaspoon of ………………………… ………………….
Then, shake well and strain into a ……………………… ……………………. Finally,
garnish with a ……………………… …… ………………… and that’s it.

B)…………………………………….

Half fill a large glass with ……………………, then add one and a half measures of
………………… ……………………. and three quarters of a measure of …………………
……………….. Then, add a dash of …………………. …………………….. Stir it well and
strain into a ………………………… ……………………… Finally, add a ……………….. …….
……………… and garnish with a ………………………

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