Fine liquor is enjoyed best as an after dessert drink. Liquors have been in existence since centuries. Initially used as herbal medicine the term originated from the Latin word “liquifacere” meaning “to dissolve”. A liquor is called so because all the flavors used to make a liquor are dissolved together. It is a sweet alcoholic drink which can have a number of flavors such as that of fruit, seeds, flowers, roots, plants, spices and even alcohol itself.

Most fine liquors are known to contain 15% to 30% of alcohol. But in some liquors the alcohol content can go up to as high as 55%. While it is easy to confuse a fine liquor with a fine spirit the primal difference between the two lies in the fact that liquors are loaded with added sugar. So just because your alcohol is flavored such as flavored vodka or flavored gin, it cannot be classified as a liquor. Some people do try and make a difference between liquors and cordials but the two are essentially the same.

A fine liquor can be divided into two main and broad categories namely, generics and proprietaries. Generics are liquors that can be made by a number of manufacturers. Crème de menthe is the best example of this category. This is a cream based liquor but can be made by a number of manufacturers. A proprietary on the other hand, is a liquor that can be made by brand names alone.

The Grand Mariner and Kahlua are classic examples of this liquor type. It is between these two categories that the different flavors of liquors exist. The flavors of these liquors mainly depend on the amount of time they are allowed to mellow and also upon the ingredients that are used to make these liquors.

The distillation and the redistillation process are very important in making a fine liquor. There are four basic flavor types of fine liquors. These are seed, herbal, plant and fruit. A very small minority also makes liquors using whisky and brandy as the base spirit giving the liquor an extended sweet alcoholic flavor.

Herbal liquor was first made in 1510. In fact Benedictine and Chartreuse are one the most famous French ‘monastery liquors’. It was made by the Benedictine monks to fight malaria bouts. This is a proprietary liquor. The production of this liquor dispersed because of the French Revolution. It was in 1860 that production of this fabulous liquor was started once again by Philippe La Grande who accidentally found the recipe of Benedictine. He built an extraordinary distillery and resumed production of the drink.

The other fine liquor that was meant to be used as a medicine but was converted to a liquor was Chartreuse. Though it is still produced by the monks they had been expelled from France during the French Revolution. This order of monks called the Carthrusian order was once again allowed to come back to France once Napoleon was defeated. But this order was ousted from the country once again and moved to Spain where they continued production till 1991. It was then that the order was restored back to France.

You can enjoy your favorite fine liquor in many different ways. You can drink it neat or pour it over ice, use it for cooking or in desserts or as a cocktail and enjoy it the way you like it best.

Brandy liquor is produced from skins, fruit pulp and juice. The word “brandy” is derived from “brandewign” which is a Dutch word that means burnt wine. Most people enjoy a drink of brandy after they have had their dinner. Brandy liquor is drunk in “snifters” that are held in one’s hands just under the cup so that the liquor is gently warmed. This helps to enhance the aromas and scents.

Way back in the 7th century Arab Alchemists tried to make all sorts of medical concoctions by burning and boiling fruits etc. The result was brandy. Later on Dutch traders in the 16th century used similar methods to develop a concentrate of wine so that it could be carried in small quantities. This is how the production of brandy started.

Grape brandy liquor is well known and is available in different forms like Armagnac, cognac and American. This liquor is made from grapes and is twice distilled. It is then aged in casks of wood and sold as Martell and Hennessey brands. There are plenty of grape brandy liquors all over the world especially in places like Mexico, South Africa and France. It is best when drunk at room temperature.

A pomace brandy liquor is made from skin, stems and grape pulp. This type of brandy liquor is not aged as much or stored in wooden barrels as the other liquors, therefore it has a crisp and pungent flavor that stems from the fruit it is made of. However one is supposed to acquire a taste for it. This liquor is available in liquor stores as the Italian grappa and the French Marc.

The fruit brandy liquor is got from apricots, cherries and other fruit. It is one of the top liquors and is a clear liquid. Normandy in France produces an apple brandy liquor that is twice distilled and fermented with yeast. It is best when consumed chilled or with crushed ice.

Most fruit brandies are distilled from wines, except those that are produced from berries. This is because berries do not have enough sugar content to make wine with enough alcohol for distillation and have to be soaked or macerated in spirit in order to extract the aroma and flavor. The resulting extract is distilled at low proof. Once of the best and most popular fruit brandy liquor is an apple brandy which is also known as Eau-de-vie.

Cognac is probably one of the most popular and best brandy liquors in the world. It is a mixture of various brandies that differ in age and growing regions. Armagnac is France’s oldest brandy liquor which is said to have been produced way back in the early 15th century.

The main types of grapes used in its production are the Folle Blanche, Ugni Blanc and Colombard. This liquor is aged in wooden casks that are made of Monlezun Oak which is rare. The brandy has an assertive and rustic character and flavor.

French brandy liquor is found in many liquor stores and these are available intop liquor brands. Similarly, Spanish brandy liquors and Italian brandy liquors are also famous for their taste and aromas. Aged in oak and produced in pot and column stills, these brandies are pretty famous all over the world.

ABC Fine Wine &Spirits formerly known as ABC Liquor was born in 1936. It was founded by Jack Holloway in Orlando in Florida. Holloway was a cigar store manager and believed that the end of the Prohibition was an excellent opportunity to expand the cigar business and incorporate it with the spirits business.

However, his employer did not share his foresight. This compelled Jack Holloway to go into the business by himself. His first store was Jacks Friendly Neighborhood Bar. This bar was located in downtown Orlando at the corner of Wall Street and North Orange Avenue and saw a great deal of traffic.

With the coming decade the company grew at a steady pace and managed to open up six more stores. Finally in 1950, ABC Liquor was established. Jack Holloway chose the name so because he not only wanted to have top recall value of his clients but also wanted to be listed first in the phone book!

As the years progressed the company increased its number of retail stores. In 1970 along with the stores, ABC Liquor also invested in building different styles of lounges which ranged from the friendly neighborhood bar, to a country tavern to the raving discotheques.

It was in 1980 that ABC Liquor took another gigantic leap. They executed their expansion plan and grew from central Florida right into the northern peninsula when they purchased Jax Liquors. ABC was declared one of the largest privately owned wine and spirits merchant with 200 stores stretching from Boca Raton, Tallahassee to Naples.

ABC Liquors then decided that it was time for them to go through a slight image makeover so that they could expand their market reach. It was in 1993 that ABC liquor changed its name to ABC Fine Wine & Spirits. This move was made so that they would be able to highlight their comprehensive fine wine selections to the people in the larger locations.

ABC Liquor, now known as ABC Fine Wine & Spirits has put a great deal of focus on managing their growth in the market. They have held a pragmatic approach and have selected new locations. But at the same time they have also kept their older stores under the scanner and have worked on keeping them in line with changing times by constant remodeling and innovations.

They have also been stoic enough to close down stores that were not doing well and have filled up the gap with choosing to open newer stores. Because of this marketing and growth strategy ABC today has stores spanning from Tallahassee to Jacksonville in the Florida peninsula from Naples to South Miami.

The success of ABC Liquor lies in their constant drive and innovation and the understanding of the changing needs of a dynamic market. They constantly assess how their services and stores meet the customer needs and demands. They also have placed a great deal of emphasis on trying to provide the best shopping experience to their customers by making sure that their stores are well lit and shopper friendly.