Liquids Category

These pricey wines are produced from grapes that are picked late in the season, after they've shriveled a bit on the vine. This concentrates the sugar and allows producers to turn the grapes into sweet, rich dessert wines. Some of the best late harvest wines are made from grapes that have become moldy with the Botrytis cinerea fungus (also known as "noble rot"). The fungus pokes holes in the grape skins, allowing more water to evaporate. Ice wine = icewine = eiswein is an especially sweet and expensive kind of late harvest wine in which the dehydrated grapes are allowed to freeze on the vine, resulting in a very sweet wine. These and other late harvest wines are often sold in half-bottles, and are best drunk by themselves or with fruit or light desserts. Don't serve them with chocolate or very sweet desserts.

Freshly squeezed lemon juice tastes much better than bottled juice.

These liqueurs are made with lemon peels and best served very cold.

This Spanish liqueur is made up of 43 ingredients, with vanilla and citrus predominant.

Light corn syrup is used to make everything from candy to fake blood at Halloween.

18 - 30% fat Unlike heavy cream, lower-fat substitutes like light cream, half-and-half, and evaporated milk tend to "break" or curdle when added to sauces. To prevent this from happening, heat the sauce over low or medium heat, or reduce the cream substitute before adding it to the sauce. Don't let the sauce boil. Cream sauces made with lower-fat cream substitutes also tend to have less body; to correct for that, consider adding 1 tablespoon flour or 2 teaspoons cornstarch to the sauce for every cup of evaporated milk substituted. Stir the thickener into a paste first to prevent lumps.

30 - 36% fat Unlike heavy cream or whipping cream, lower-fat substitutes like half-and-half and evaporated milk tend to "break" or curdle when added to sauces. To prevent this from happening, heat the sauce over low or medium heat, or reduce the cream substitute before adding it to the sauce. Don't let the sauce boil. Cream sauces made with lower-fat cream substitutes also tend to have less body; to correct for that, consider adding 1 tablespoon flour or 2 teaspoons cornstarch to the sauce for every cup of evaporated milk substituted. Stir the thickener into a paste first to prevent lumps.

This is an expensive and light French apéritif made with wine and brandy. There are two versions: Lillet Blonde (white) and Lillet Rouge (red).

This excellent lemon-flavored Italian liqueur is often stored in freezers so that it can be served ice cold. It's hard to find in stores, but easy to make at home.

Liqueurs are mixtures of spirits, sweeteners, and flavorings like herbs, fruits, nuts, and flowers. They're sometimes served as after-dinner drinks, but they're more often poured on desserts or mixed into cocktails, milk, or coffee. Some cooks buy miniature bottles of liqueurs to conserve on money and cabinet space.

Liquor refers to distilled alcoholic beverages like whiskey, gin, rum, vodka, tequila, and brandy. These are almost always more potent than fermented alcoholic beverages like beer and wine. It's best to store liquor in a cool, dark place, and to drink it within a year after opening the bottle. Unlike wine, liquor stops aging once it's bottled. Don't confuse liquors with liqueurs, which are made with liquor but sweetened and flavored with herbs, fruit, spices, flowers, nuts, or roots.

This liqueur is made with Scotch and flavored with honey and herbs.

This fortified wine is named for its birthplace, an island off the coast of Africa. Madeira wines first became popular back in the days of cross-Atlantic sailing ships, because they were able to survive long, hot trips in rolling ships. And they didn't just survive, they actually improved, so much so that sending them off on long round-trip sea voyages eventually became an integral part of their production, though the practice has since been abandoned. Madeiras are used both for cooking, and as after-dinner drinks. Varieties of Madeira (in order from driest to sweetest) include the Sercial Madeira, Rainwater Madeira, Verdelho Madeira, Bual Madeira = Boal Madeira, and Malvasia Madeira = Malmsey Madeira. "Reserve" Madeiras are aged at least five years, "special reserve" for at least ten, and "extra reserve" for at least fifteen. Madeiras from Portugal are considered to be far superior to domestic brands. Once opened, Madeira should be consumed within a week or so and stored in the refrigerator.

This red wine is similar to Merlot. It's a good choice if you want a decent but inexpensive red wine to serve with red meat and pasta.

This is similar to lager beer, only it's higher in alcohol.

Most of us know malt vinegar as the condiment that's always put on the table wherever British fish and chips are served. It's made from malted barley, and has a pungent, lemony flavor. It's a good choice for pickling (assuming it contains at least 5% acetic acid), though it will darken light-colored fruits and vegetables. It's also the vinegar of choice for making chutneys. Since it's so assertive, it's not a good choice for vinaigrettes or delicate sauces. Varieties include brown malt vinegar and distilled malt vinegar, which is clear.

This cognac-based liquor is flavored with the peels of mandarin oranges. Mandarine Napoléon is a well-regarded brand.

Made from the sap of sugar maples, maple syrup is a traditional topping for pancakes, waffles, and French toast. It's also used to make candies, frostings, candied yams, meat glazes, and baked beans. Lighter syrups usually have a more delicate flavor. Refrigerate after opening. Don't confuse authentic maple syrup with the cheaper and more commonly used pancake syrup, which are based on corn syrup.

This is an excellent semi-dry clear liqueur that's made with sour cherries. It's made from marasca cherries, which are native to Croatia. Unrest there has made good Maraschino liqueurs hard to find in recent years. Luxardo Maraschino and Stock Maraschino are well-respected brands.

Marc is a French brandy made from the leftovers of wine making.

This popular Sicilian fortified wine is Italy's answer to sherry and Madeira. It's mostly used as a cooking wine and is a key ingredient in many Italian dishes, including zabaglione, tiramisu, and veal scaloppini. Marsalas are graded according to their sweetness and age. The sweetest Marsalas are called "dolce," followed by "demisecco," and then "secco," which are the driest. Ranked from youngest to oldest, the age grades are "fine," "superiore," "superiore riserva," "vergine," and "stravecchio."

This brandy-based Greek liqueur is flavored with gum mastic.

This is powdered green tea is especially grown and processed. It can be used an an additive to many foods and drinks. It is believed to have many healthy properties.

Made from fermented honey, mead is one of mankind's oldest alcoholic beverages.

This is a hearty red wine that's similar to a Cabernet Sauvignon, but softer and less tannic. It goes especially well with pork, turkey, and pasta dishes.

This is a sweet Greek brandy with a strong resin flavor.

This somewhat harsh Mexican liquor is similar to tequila, except that the agave plant is fire-roasted before the sap is extracted, fermented, and distilled. This gives mezcal a distinctive smoky flavor. Some brands have an agave worm (actually a caterpillar) in the bottle, which you're supposed to eat.

This green Japanese liqueur has a very sweet, melon flavor.

Nonfat milk (0.5% fat). You can buy it fresh, or as powdered milk, canned evaporated milk, or UHT milk packed in aseptic containers. Fresh is best for drinking and delicate desserts, the other kinds pick up an unpleasant caramelized flavor when they're heated for packaging. Acidophilus milk tastes much the same as ordinary milk, but it includes the beneficial acidophilus bacteria that are destroyed during pasteurization.

Low-fat milk (2% fat). You can buy it fresh, or as powdered milk, canned evaporated milk, or UHT milk packed in aseptic containers. Fresh is best for drinking and delicate desserts, the other kinds pick up an unpleasant caramelized flavor when they're heated for packaging. Acidophilus milk tastes much the same as ordinary milk, but it includes the beneficial acidophilus bacteria that are destroyed during pasteurization.

Varieties: skim milk = nonfat milk (0.5% fat), low-fat milk (2% fat), and whole milk (3.5% fat). You can buy it fresh, or as powdered milk, canned evaporated milk, or UHT milk packed in aseptic containers. Fresh is best for drinking and delicate desserts, the other kinds pick up an unpleasant caramelized flavor when they're heated for packaging. Acidophilus milk tastes much the same as ordinary milk, but it includes the beneficial acidophilus bacteria that are destroyed during pasteurization.

Visit the Illinois Cooperative Extension Service's Sweetened Condensed Milk--Homemade page.

This is easier to find in Great Britain than in the United States.