FRAMBOISE

Framboise (pronounced /fʀɑ̃bwaz/) (from the French for raspberry) or Frambozenbier (Dutch) is a Belgian lambic beer that is fermented using raspberries. It is one of many modern fruitbeer types that have been inspired by the more traditional kriek beer, made using sour cherries.

Framboise is usually served in a small glass that resembles a champagne glass, only shorter (could also be a goblet). Most framboise beers are quite sweet, though the Cantillon brewery produces a tart version called Rosé de Gambrinus that is based on the traditional kriek style. The Liefmans brewery uses Oud bruin beer instead of lambic to make its high quality framboise beer, resulting in a very different taste. Recently, Framboise has become popular outside of Belgium, and can now be found in pubs and supermarkets all over the world. 

SLIVIVITZ

Slivovitz or Sliwowitz  is a distilled beverage made from Damson plums. Slivovitz is primarily produced in Slavic regions of Central and Eastern Europe, both commercially as well as by many households on an informal, homemade basis. Primary producing nations include Serbia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bosnia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia. It is most popularly consumed in those nations, as well as wherever communities of expatriate from these nations exist. Similar plum brandies are also produced in Switzerland, France, the United States, and Canada, but marketed under other names, such as brandy, Pflümli, or eau de vie.  

KIRSCH

Kirschwasser (pronounced KIRSH-vahs-ər, German for “cherry water”, German pronunciation: [ˈkɪɐ̯ʃvasɐ]) is a clear, colourless fruit brandy traditionally made from double-distillation of morello cherries, a dark-coloured cultivar of the sour cherry. However, the beverage is now also made from other kinds of cherries.

The cherries are fermented complete (that is, including their stones).

Kirschwasser is often simply called Kirsch in both German- and English-speaking countries. 

POIRE WILLIAMS

Poire Williams is a colorless eau de vie made from the Williams pear. It is generally served chilled as an after-dinner drink.

Many producers of Poire Williams include an entire pear inside each bottle. This is achieved by attaching the bottle to a budding pear tree so that the pear will grow inside it.

The Williams pear is known as the Bartlett pear in the United States.

Williamine is brand of Poire Williams; the trademark is owned by Distillerie Louis Morand & Cie, who distill the drink on their premises in Martigny, Canton of Valais, Switzerland from nearby orchards. 

APPLE BRANDY

It is a brandy made by distilling hard cider or fermented apple pomace. Applejack (American Brandy) is sometimes produced by a different method which is now rarely used. This method involves freezing the fermented cider and then removing the ice. 

APPLE VARITIES

POPULAR APERITIFS & DIGESTIFS

CALVADOS:

Calvados is an apple brandy from the French région of Basse-Normandie or Lower Normandy. Calvados is distilled from specially grown and selected apples, of which there are over 200 named varieties. It is not uncommon for a Calvados producer to use over 100 specific varieties of apple to produce their Calvados. The apples used are either sweet (such as the Rouge Duret variety), tart (such as the Rambault variety), or bitter (such as the Mettais, Saint Martin, Frequin, and Binet Rouge varieties), with the latter category of apple being inedible. The fruit is picked (usually by hand) and pressed into a juice that is fermented into a dry cider. It is then distilled into eau de vie. After two years aging in oak casks, it can be sold as Calvados. The longer it is aged, the smoother the drink becomes. Usually the maturation goes on for several years. A half-bottle of twenty-year-old Calvados can easily command the same price as a full bottle of ten-year-old Calvados.