The science of Vodka

Date: 19th October, 2010

Manila Restaurant and Wine Bar discusses Vodka and gin

The idea of the purest, cleanest vodka is one of the biggest marketing ploy’s going. Every company is advertising triple distilled, quadruple distilled, and so on, to give you the impression that the vodka is the best distillate possible. Some companies even make the gimmick go to six or seven times distilled! So what makes one vodka special and another one not so special? What would be the best way to make an ultra elite vodka? Why does all of this matter? I’m not quite sure, but vodka is the number one selling spirit and prices for a bottle are climbing to the levels of single malt scotch and fine cognac. The majority of this is marketing, with image being everything, so it seems.

So if we are going to make the purest vodka ever, how would we do that? Well, first we need to look at the most important part of the vodka and that would be ethanol. This alcohol has been made for thousands of years by fermentation. Almost everyone knows that to ferment stuff you need yeast and a source of sugar, which usually comes from grains or fruit. I’m not going to spend much time on fermentation, but let’s look at how these affect the taste profile of vodka.

When a source of fermentable sugar is selected it can have a big impact on the final vodka product. Even though the product may be distilled a quadrazillion times, it is still going to contain some congeners. So what is a congener you ask? This is the chemistry definition:

Congener is a term in chemistry that refers to one of many variants or configurations of a common chemical structure.

In laymen terms, a Congener is a general term for small molecules other than ethanol which are found in alcoholic beverages and provide “flavour”. They include aldehydes, esters, and primary alcohols such as methanol and isoamyl alcohol. These molecules are usually present in the material that was selected for fermentation, or they could be a bi-product of fermentation. For example rye grain has a very distinct taste when distilled at low proof. This is because it contains certain oils and congeners that are soluble in ethanol, or have similar boiling points and are collected with the purified ethanol. The more strict the distillation process, the lower the congener levels and the purer the spirit.

There is a certain point where distillation cannot go any further. For example, no mater how many times you distill an ethanol-water mixture, you will never get 100% ethanol. This is because ethanol and water form an azeotrope at 94.68% ethanol. Now, what the hell is an azeotrope you ask?

Azeotrope – A liquid mixture of two or more substances that retains the same composition in the vapour state as in the liquid state when distilled or partially evaporated under a certain pressure.

This means that certain mixtures cannot be separated, by distillation, because they form a unique mixture that boils at its own unique temperature. Many compounds form azeotropes, and in many cases other organic molecules form an azeotrope with ethanol and it cannot be separated. This results in a less than pure distillate. However, for the purpose of vodka, this isn’t a bad thing at all.

These impurities are what makes each vodka relatively unique. Since the congeners come from the fermentation material and the yeast, a distiller can control these by selecting the starting materials. This leads to the marketing people making wild claims about the base materials and the multiple distillations resulting in the finest, purest spirit ever created. Which really doesn’t mean much, but many people latch on, believing they are getting something special. I’m not quite a true believer.

Vodka is a means to an end. By that I mean that it is the purest flavour carrier. For example, a vodka martini works because using a small amount of vermouth, in a base of ethanol, allows the drinker to detect delicate flavours. Straight vermouth isn’t quite a delicate drink. In other drinks, the alcohol helps to balance out the sweetness, without affecting the flavour. Now, if I were to create a vodka company I would create 100% pure ethanol and then mix it with ultra purified water.

Is it possible to get 100% ethanol?

Yes, there are a couple of ways, the sexiest being “molecular sieve” technology. Basically, you start of with a good distillation process and distill until you hit the magic number of 94% ethanol. Then you use the molecular sieve technology to further rectify the ethanol to 100%. You take the 100% ethanol and mix it with the purest water available or pick some place in the world that has the image of pure water and mix it with the ethanol. Voila, instant vodka and a method that could make the marketing geeks go nutty!

There are a couple of other methods including using lime (calcium hydroxide) to dehydrate the ethanol, but this method requires adding a relatively impure mineral to the ethanol, resulting in a lot of possible contamination by trace organics and other chemicals. Doesn’t sound sexy. The other way is solvent extraction. Still not cool sounding, well maybe cool, but not healthy sounding.

Over all I’m not a big fan of straight vodka. Vodka has its place, usually in a martini or when companies distribute flavoured vodkas. That is truly where vodka shines, as a carrier for flavours. On its own, vodka is just ethanol with some extra stuff, but when combined with flavours you can make a great drink. The marketing groups are where the mystique and creativity come from. Sometimes I wonder if a vodka maker discusses the process with the marketing department, before the manufacturing department.

Source: http://www.artofdrink.com/ingredients/spirits/vodka/the-science-of-vodka

Although wines are widely available in most Asian countries, especially in Hong Kong which has eliminated import tariff on wines altogether, the availability of fine vintage wines is still very scarce. Most wine merchants offer big names, young vintages and cheaper wines for everyday consumption. Wine lovers and connoisseurs looking for something special often travel to Clark Pampanga Philippines to do their shopping at this Wine Shop in Manila.

At Yats Wine Cellars we believe that a little bit of knowledge in wine goes a long way to developing expectations in the wines we choose to buy or drink. Without expectation, it is difficult to really enjoy wine to its fullest. With this in mind, efforts are made by Yats Wine Cellars to make it as easy and enjoyable as possible for our clients to learn more about wine.

Birthday wine gifts is one of the most popular birthday gifts to give someone living in the Philippines. Fine Vintage wine from Yats Wine Cellars is a sure winner and it does not have to cost a great deal to send someone a bottle in Philippines

To avail of wine catering service of Yats Wine Cellars, just contact this wine supplier in Manila or Angeles Clark Philippines for a meeting to design a theme for the event. The venue for a wine event can be in the privacy of a home, the convenience of an office in Manila for example or in a clubhouse of a subdivision. Wine glasses and accessories necessary for wine service are included in the wine catering service. Moreover, interesting wine notes accompany the wine to help participants enjoy the event even more by learning a little bit about wine while enjoying the party. A wine steward will be present to serve the wine.

There is also an exciting collection of white wine from Burgundy at this wine shop in Clark Pampanga such as Meursault, Chablis, Chassagne Montrachet, Puligny Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne and St. Aubin. Red wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhone are also available with a good depth of back vintages too. Visitors buy wine in Manila and Pampanga should not miss stopping at this wine shop for a few bottles of fine vintage wines to bring home.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.