Popular alcoholic drinks for your upcoming yacht charter

Rum

Whilst you’re probably familiar with rum, you might not have a clear understanding of its components, so let’s start there: Rum is an alcoholic spirit made from fermented sugarcane juice (or its by-products, e.g. sugar cane syrup, sugar cane molasses etc.).

Quality:

When it comes to determining the quality of rum, there are several factors to consider. For example, the raw fermenting materials, the method of fermentation, the types of yeast used to convert sugars to alcohols, the method of distillation, the process of maturing the spirits over time, the blending of various barrels of rum, and even the quality of water used to dilute the final product!

Types:

Some Rum is made directly from cane juice, which is fermented immediately after being crushed, including the cachaças from Brazil and the Rhums Agricole from Martinique. Most of the rum distilled in the world today is made from molasses, and some rum is made from concentrated sugar cane syrup which contains over 90% sugar.

How It’s Made?

First, the sugar cane juice is fermented with yeast and water, which turns the sugar into alcohol. Then the fermented liquid is heated to vaporise the volatile elements, at which point the vapours are condensed back into a liquid which is then aged in wood barrels and mixed with other rums to add a richer, more complex flavour.

Gin

According to the EU’s regulations on Gin, it’s defined as a spirit made with ethyl alcohol, flavoured primarily (but not exclusively) with juniper berries. The ethyl alcohol used must be distilled to the minimum standards stated in the EU Spirit Drink Regulations. 

Simply put, Gin is a clear, unaged spirit in which juniper is the main flavour, and must be a minimum retail strength of 37.5%. Gin is said to have directly evolved from a 13th-century traditional Dutch drink known as jenever but has since become Britain’s national drink.

Quality:

The quality/taste of gin can be influenced by the type of wood used in the barrel, the gin’s age, the size of the barrel used in ageing it and the previous liquid in the barrel.

How it’s Made:

Gin is made by distilling fermented grain mash (usually the grain is barley, but anything that comes from agriculture can be used as the mash base), after which the juniper berries are added for flavour.

Traditionally, fermented grain mash is distilled to create a neutral alcohol with an alcohol content of around 68%, then re-distilled with botanicals to add flavour.

By using the column-distilled method, the resulting product will be a stronger neutral alcohol than that derived from the classic distilling method. After that, it’s distilled for a second time with the herbs & plants hanging from the top and being heated to allow the flavours to be extracted into the gin. 

Types:

One of the most popular gins to drink on board a superyacht is London Dry Gin. London Dry Gin is infused with botanical flavour through re-distillation. No artificial ingredients are permitted in the process of its making, and no colour or flavour can be added after distillation. Its predominant flavour must come from juniper.

Tequila

For a spirit to be classified as a Tequila, it needs to be produced in one of five Mexican regions (Jalisco being the most common). Tequila is made by distilling fermented juice from the heart of a blue agave plant and the best tequilas are made with 100% blue agave which can be identified by the labelling.

Types:

Blanco: This clear tequila is aged for up to two months when the taste of agave is at its strongest.

Gold: Often mixed and dyed to appear aged, it is another excellent choice for shots or cocktails.

Reposado: Aged between 2 months to a year in an oak cask or an old bourbon barrel which adds an oaky flavour, this tequila is perfect for both cocktails and sipping straight.

Añejo: Also known as “aged” tequila, spends one to three years in a wooden barrel or cask, resulting in a smooth balance of agave and oak flavours. It’s another great choice for sipping or making specialist cocktails.

Extra-Añejo: A newer style of tequila that is aged for three or more years and is recommended for sipping only, which allows you to appreciate all the added flavours from the extra time spent ageing.

How It’s Made:

After the agave is harvested, the core is baked to extract the sugars that will then be fermented. Following this, the Agave core is shredded and mashed to extract the sweet juice known as mostos. The mostos needs to ferment until it becomes ethyl alcohol, at which point it will be combined with water and yeast in fermentation tanks, and then distilled twice to purify the liquor and concentrate the alcohol. It’s only after the second distillation that the Tequila as we know it will be produced followed by an ageing process of 2-3 weeks before being bottled.