The Garnished Palate

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VODKA: How it's made 

              I had the urge  to rent four books from the food filled library at my school last week. I am intrigued with each book, and what it has to offer an avid reader. The one that I decided to read first, is all about Vodka; history, different brands, recipes for disaster, and so on. Many people believe that this delectable spirit comes from potato, and although this is true, it does not only originate from this starch in nature. Vodka, like the famous Ciroc from France, is made with grape. Other labels such as Signature Vodka from Canada, are made with grains and herbs, and Romanoff Vodka from South Africa is made from Molasses. What's more interesting, are the countries where Vodka were first sought, like Russia, Poland, Ukraine, and Finland whom only believed to process the famous spirit from potato, grain, and molasses. Whereas in the western and southern parts of Europe- Italy, France, and England- they insist on creating Vodka from corn and fruits, like apple.

How it's made: Vodka is made by crushing the main starch, adding water, and heating it up to allow the starch to convert into sugar. Once this is done, a "Mash" is formed with the addition of yeast and thereafter, excess water and chemicals are removed from the ethanol, through distillation. During the distillation of the "Mash", alcohol vapor is caught in long tubes and then cooled down, so that it's compressed to alcohol.