FAQ: Shrine to Spirits Frequently Asked Questions

1. Where can I buy those Bombay Sapphire glasses I saw in that ad?

To the best of my knowledge, the glasses featured in the ads are specially made for the ads, and aren't actually made for sale.

If you have managed to buy any, let me know!

2. Where can I buy <insert name of drink>?

Unfortunately, when it comes to helping on this, I live in Australia, so I can't help very much with specifics about where to buy liquor anywhere else. However, a few general pointers:
  1. Ask at a good liquor store. They might be able to order it for you.
  2. Ask at a few stores, different stores might deal with different wholesalers.
  3. Stores sometimes won't be able to order single bottles. Are you prepared to buy a case?
  4. You might be able to order it by mail/email order. Some online distributors are listed in the commercial links list.
Feel free to email me for help; sometimes I'll be able to let you know if a brand is still in production, or might even be able to find a manufacturer's address. If you want to know specific stores, you could ask for help on the alt.alcohol newsgroup.

3. How do I make <insert name of drink>?

I don't generally mix drinks, so I don't have a large collection of recipes. A few good places to look are listed in the cocktails links list.

4. I have a really old bottle of <insert name of drink>

What is it worth?

Depends on whether you are selling or drinking. There are auctions specializing in old/rare wines and spirits. Or, ask an antique dealer, or ask for help on the rec.antiques.bottles newsgroup.

Some auction web sites:

If it's a special bottling, or very old (especially pre-Prohibition), it might be quite valuable.

Is it still good to drink?

Spirits generally keep very well (cream liqueurs being a notable exception). If the bottle is unopened and still well-sealed, and has been kept away from excessive light, it should still be fine. It won't have gotten any better through aging, though. Spirits are not wine, and different processes take place during aging. Spirits generally age through interaction with the cask, and the outside air via evaporation through the cask.

The same applies for open bottles - if they are well-sealed, they should still be fine, even years after opening, as long as the bottle is at least ¼ full. If there's less left, there's a lot of air left in the bottle for the flavour and alcohol to evaporate into.

5. I am allergic to wheat. Can I drink <insert name of drink>?

There are a number of drinks free from wheat, barley, and rye:

Rum

Rum is made from sugar or molasses, and is grain free.

Brandy

Brandy (including cognac, armagnac etc) is distilled wine - but watch out for fruit ``brandies'' that are really fruit liqueurs and likely to have grain spirit as the base. Apple brandies (like calvados and applejack) and other eau de vie distilled from fermented fruit are fine.

Vodka

A lot of vodka is made from grain, usually rye, wheat, or barley. Avoid these! Most US vodkas are made from neutral grain spirit, mostly from maize/corn, and thus may or may not be safe. I don't have information regarding particular brands other than those listed below.

There are, however, some widely available potato vodkas. I'd recommend Luksusowa, which seems to be widely available, and cheap, in USA and Canada. Also, it's an excellent vodka. Chopin, a rather more expensive Polish vodka in a fancy bottle, is another excellent potato vodka.

Other wheat/barley/rye-free vodkas include Spodka (potato, Poland), Vistula (potato, Poland), Teton Glacier Potato Vodka (potato, USA), Rain (maize/corn, USA), Exclusiv (sugarcane, Puerto Rico), Bushman's (sugarcane, Australia).

Actually, some people with wheat allergies should be able to drink pretty much any vodka, depending on whether or not the particular things they are allergic to make it through the distillation, and how sensitive they are.

Gin

A lot of gins will be made from maize/corn derived neutral spirit, and are wheat-free. Alas, no information about any specific gins.

Whiskey

You might be able to find corn liquor that's 100% maize/corn. All bourbons have wheat, barley, or rye as well as maize, so avoid them.

Tequila and mezcal

100% agave tequila and mezcal is wheat free; cheaper blended tequilas may or may not be - they usually use cane sugar as the extra, but if you react badly to wheat, watch out when trying unfamiliar ones.

Liqueurs

Many liqueurs are made on a base of grain spirits, so be careful with liqueurs. Brandy and rum based liqueurs should be OK. Tia Maria is rum base, the manufacturers tell me that Cointreau is grain-free.

Non-distilled drinks

Wine is grain-free. Sake is wheat free. Cider (alcoholic cider or hard cider) is fermented apple juice, it should be fine. Read the ingredients, though, since some you find might use barley malt as an extra. You'll have to avoid beer.

6. I am allergic to yeast. Are there any spirits I can drink?

As spirit production starts with fermentation, it's possible that some traces of yeast may make it into the final product. However, distilling will tend to remove almost all of the yeast, making spirits the safest alcoholic drinks you'll find. Whether or not you can drink them safely depends on just how bad your allergy is.

A few points to keep in mind: