Root beer is a very common beverage that can come in an alcoholic and non alcoholic versions. In the old days it was traditionally used as an herbal medicine. If yo look at the history of this soft drink you will see that there have always been mildly alcoholic variations. The medicinal properties of the original root beer were for the treatment of coughing or mouth sores.
The mildly alcoholic version is made by adding sugar and yeast to the extract so there can be some fermenting. This will give you an alcohol percentage of about 0.4%, compare this with the more normal 4% in most beers these days and you will agree that 0.4% is mild. It is not that hard to make root beer at home and when you start out with an extract and leave the mixing of your own flavors until later it will only be easier.
Before 1960 most of the root beers were made with Sassafras tree roots, but then is was outlawed because it was deemed that this ingredient would cause cancer. Nowadays making this type of beverage includes ingredients like wintergreen with vanilla, licorice, sarsaparilla and ginger mixed in. Using an extract on the other hand is the easiest way and the one we would recommend when you are starting out with this hobby. The preferred extract would be the type that is sold at most brewing outlets and not the type you can get at grocery stores. Get yourself a container that can hold about five gallons of water and in which you can put that to a boil but still have enough room to ad sugar and other ingredients.
The extract from the supplier will often have a recipe accompanying it which tells you how much needs to be added to the boiling, sugar holding, water. But once you start getting the hang of making root beer you will start to experiment a little and taste the mixture and add more or less extract as you go along. Getting some bubbles in the mix Maybe you would like your root beer with bubbles, this means that it needs to be carbonated, then you will have to put some yeast in the mixture. Often you will hear that you need to add champagne yeast but if you were to ask it some home made root beer makers with some more experience they will probably tell you to use ale yeast. The problem with champagne yeast is that it lives much longer under pressure which can cause your bottles to burst.
The fizz will get in there because the yeast will react with the sugar once it is added to the flavored mix. You should have some patience then it will take a minimum of 12 hours to get some good carbonation in the home made root beer. When the kick is not there you should let it rest for another 12 hours to ferment. Once this is done you are ready to bottle the beverage. Always sterilize the bottle beforehand so you prevent any bacteria getting in. Keep the bottles chilled. Keep in mind that making home made root beer is a lot of fun and it's something you could do with all the family.
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Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Daiquiri, one of the most famous Cuban Drinks Around the World
A name, a drink and a whole legend. That is a Daiquiri, which is part of the Cuban cocktail´s recipe book and is prepared from the irreplaceable rum.
What thousands of people from all over the world order when they first arrive in Cuba is a Daiquiri, but there are many variants of this refreshing drink, mainly in order to fight the heat on the hot island.
Its essentially about a blending of rum, lemon, sugar and crushed ice, from the ups and downs of the cuban with a mantle of rebelliousness and gourmets wishes. Its a kind of flag for any drinker and also for those, who are not.
The close relative to Daiquiri is the Canchanchara, a drink that is related to the Cuban struggle for independence in colonial times. The Mambises, Cuban rebels who fought in the scrubland against the Spanish colonialism in the 19th century, knew very well how nice it was drinking a preparation with 2/3 rum or aguardiente and 1/3 lemon, sweetened with natural honey.
This preparation undoubtedly quenched the thirst and was the perfect remedy for the feeling of nervousness that is naturally caused by the preparation for a combat or after been injured. So is recorded in the campaign chronicles of this era. Actually there are several versions for the origins of the Cuban Daiquiri. One of them tells that at the turn of the 19th century, the engineer Pagliuchi, captain of the Cuban Liberating Army, visited the iron mine of Daiquiri, in Santiago de Cuba, in the Eastern side of the island, by Santiago de Cuba.
There the soldier had a meeting with his North American colleague Jennings S. Cox, in order to rescue some mines in the area of El Cobre, where nowadays exist an important basilica and a copper deposit.
As the northerner didnt find any drink in the larder to quench the thirst, like Gin or Vermouth, he mixed the only ingredients he had, rum, sugar and lemon preparing an excellent refreshing drink.
The second version about this matter dates from 1898, when the US-troops landed on the beach belonging to the area of Daiquiri. The general Shafter, who commanded the troops, watched carefully Mambises by preparing the Canchanchara.
Then he added ice on the blending of rum, lemon and sugar, in order to give the preparation a touch of distinction, that without doubt owe its name to that beach in the Eastern part of the Cuban Island.
Rapidly the Daiquiri became traditional at the Hotel Venus in Santiago de Cuba, getting popular with the name Daiquiri Natural.
It really wins fame later in Havana City, when the Spanish barman Emilio Gonzalez, better known as Maragato, served it at Hotel Plaza. However, the man who gave the drink its real fame was his Spanish colleague, Constantino Ribalaigua, who sold it at the Bar-Restaurant El Floridita. This master made then the 4th and final version, the Daiquiri Floridita.
About the Author
San Cristobal UK is a Tailor-Made Cuba holiday specialist and has a vast experience in organizing holidays to Cuba. This is one of a series of articles devoted to promote the Cuban Culture and to give information on what to do and see in your Holidays to Cuba.
What thousands of people from all over the world order when they first arrive in Cuba is a Daiquiri, but there are many variants of this refreshing drink, mainly in order to fight the heat on the hot island.
Its essentially about a blending of rum, lemon, sugar and crushed ice, from the ups and downs of the cuban with a mantle of rebelliousness and gourmets wishes. Its a kind of flag for any drinker and also for those, who are not.
The close relative to Daiquiri is the Canchanchara, a drink that is related to the Cuban struggle for independence in colonial times. The Mambises, Cuban rebels who fought in the scrubland against the Spanish colonialism in the 19th century, knew very well how nice it was drinking a preparation with 2/3 rum or aguardiente and 1/3 lemon, sweetened with natural honey.
This preparation undoubtedly quenched the thirst and was the perfect remedy for the feeling of nervousness that is naturally caused by the preparation for a combat or after been injured. So is recorded in the campaign chronicles of this era. Actually there are several versions for the origins of the Cuban Daiquiri. One of them tells that at the turn of the 19th century, the engineer Pagliuchi, captain of the Cuban Liberating Army, visited the iron mine of Daiquiri, in Santiago de Cuba, in the Eastern side of the island, by Santiago de Cuba.
There the soldier had a meeting with his North American colleague Jennings S. Cox, in order to rescue some mines in the area of El Cobre, where nowadays exist an important basilica and a copper deposit.
As the northerner didnt find any drink in the larder to quench the thirst, like Gin or Vermouth, he mixed the only ingredients he had, rum, sugar and lemon preparing an excellent refreshing drink.
The second version about this matter dates from 1898, when the US-troops landed on the beach belonging to the area of Daiquiri. The general Shafter, who commanded the troops, watched carefully Mambises by preparing the Canchanchara.
Then he added ice on the blending of rum, lemon and sugar, in order to give the preparation a touch of distinction, that without doubt owe its name to that beach in the Eastern part of the Cuban Island.
Rapidly the Daiquiri became traditional at the Hotel Venus in Santiago de Cuba, getting popular with the name Daiquiri Natural.
It really wins fame later in Havana City, when the Spanish barman Emilio Gonzalez, better known as Maragato, served it at Hotel Plaza. However, the man who gave the drink its real fame was his Spanish colleague, Constantino Ribalaigua, who sold it at the Bar-Restaurant El Floridita. This master made then the 4th and final version, the Daiquiri Floridita.
About the Author
San Cristobal UK is a Tailor-Made Cuba holiday specialist and has a vast experience in organizing holidays to Cuba. This is one of a series of articles devoted to promote the Cuban Culture and to give information on what to do and see in your Holidays to Cuba.
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