Digestifs

Just as an aperitif is an alcoholic beverage served before a meal in order to stimulate the appetite, a digestif is an alcoholic beverage served after a meal in order to aid digestion. While an aperitif is generally lighter in alcohol and tends to be more dry and herbal, a digestif is often stronger in alcohol and can tend to be more on the sweet side, although some can be quite bitter. Americans are probably more familiar with digestifs than aperitifs, as they seem to be more common here. There are a wide variety of digestifs, including fortified and late harvest wines, such as sherry, port and icewines; distilled grape products, such as brandy, Cognac, Armagnac and grappa; and a whole host of liqueurs with complex and often closely guarded recipes. As with aperitifs, a good portion of digestifs come from Europe.

Fortified and late harvest wines include port, sherry and dessert wine and ice wine. Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes in the area around Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. Sherry's are generally dry, and are fortified with grape spirits to bring the alcohol level up to about 16%. Ports are fortified wines made generally with red grapes exclusively in the Douro Valley of Portugal, and are often sweet in taste. Ports have many different classifications, such as single vintage and single harvest. Ruby ports are aged in concrete or steel containers, giving them a bright red color. Tawny ports are aged in wooden barrels and allowed to oxidize, giving them a golden brown color and a nutty flavor as they age. Tawny ports are classified by age: 10, 20, 30 and over 40 years. Late harvest, or dessert wines are made from grapes that are left on the vine longer than usual. These grapes develop a mold called botrytis (noble rot), and the resulting wines are very sweet. Ice wines are made from grapes that are allowed to freeze on the wine. When these grapes are pressed the ice crystals are removed leaving highly concentrated sugar behind.

Distilled grape products include brandy, Cognac and Armagnac. Although there are some fruit brandies, most brandy is made from distilled grapes. Brandies are often barrel aged, imparting a carmel color. Brandies that are not aged have caramel color added. As a digestif, brandy is often consumed straight, but it can be used to make cocktails, such as a brandy manhatten. Cognac is a grape based brandy that is made in the Cognac region of France. Armagnac is a grape based brandy from the Armagnac region of France, and has been made for over 700 years. Calvados is an apple brandy that comes from the Lower Normandy region of France. Grappa is an Italian brandy that is made from the skins, stems, pulp and seeds of the grape (also known as pumace.) Kirsch (cherry) and Slivovitz (plum) are other fruit brandies.

Brandy is classified as follows:
- A.C.: aged two years in wood.
- V.S.: "Very Special" or 3-Star, aged at least three years in wood.
- V.S.O.P.: "Very Superior Old Pale" or 5-Star, aged at least five years in wood.
- X.O.: "Extra Old" aged at least six years in wood.
- Vintage: Stored in the cask until the time it is bottled with the label showing the vintage date.

Liqueurs are distilled spirits that are blended with any variety of fruit, cream, nuts, herbs, spices or flowers, and range from bitter to very sweet. They are sometimes also called cordials or schnapps, but in Britain, cordials can also mean a non-alcoholic fruit flavored syrup, and schnapps is traditionally a form of brandy in Germany, as is aquavit in Scandinavia. It seems that most countries, especially in Europe have a traditional liqueur, and there are many on the market. They can be categorized by type:
Berry Liqueurs include Chambord (raspberry), Creme de Cassis (black current) and Sloe Gin (sloe berry).
Coffee Liqueurs include Kahlua, Kamora and Tia Maria.
Cream Liqueurs are actually made with cream, and include Bailey's Irish Cream, Advocaat, Amarula, Rumchata and Tequila Rose.
Creme Liqueurs are not made with cream, but have a high amount of added sugar which gives them a syrupy consistency. Examples are Creme de Cacao and Creme de Menthe.
Flower Liqueurs are made with flowers, such as St. Germain (elderberry flowers).
Fruit Liqueurs include Amarula (amarula fruit), Cointreau, Gran Marnier & Triple Sec (orange), Curacao (bitter orange), Limoncello (lemon), Midori (melon), Pama (pomegranate) and Pucker (apple).
Herbal Liqueurs can be divided into two categories, those with or without anice.
Anice based herbal liqueurs include Anisette, Pernod Ricard and Sambuca.
Other herbal liqueurs include Benedictine, Canton, Chartreuse, Fernet, Galliano, Goldschlager and Jagermeister.
Honey based liqueurs include Barenjager and Drambuie.
Nut based liqueurs include Amaretto and Frangelico.
There are also quite a few whiskey based liqueurs such as Fireball cinnamon whiskey and Irish Mist.

The range of digestifs is vast, ranging from sweet to bitter. There is a flavor out there for virtually anyone. The next time you are enjoying a special meal, consider adding a digestif for afterwards. Experiment with some new flavors to see what suits your taste, or let our staff guide you.

Chip Bartsch
West Vail Liquor