•To reduce the
risk of spilling Champagne or turning the cork into a projectile:
•
•Remove the foil and pull down the wire loop;
•
•Place your hand over the cork;
•
•Loosen but don't remove the wire cage;
•
•Hold the bottle at a 45° angle
•
•Grasp the cork and the cage firmly with your hand, then
rotate the bottle (rather than the cork) by holding it at the base; this should
allow the cork to come out on its own.
It
takes just a quick glance, maybe three seconds, for someone to evaluate you
when you meet for the first time. In this short time, the other person forms an
opinion about you based on your appearance, your body language, your demeanor,
your mannerisms, and how you are dressed.
With
every new encounter, you are evaluated and yet another person's impression of
you is formed. These first impression can be nearly impossible to reverse or
undo, making those first encounters extremely important, for they set the tone
for all the relationships that follows.
So,
whether they are in your career or social life, it's important to know how to
create a good first impression. This article provides some useful tips to help
you do this.
Be on Time
Someone
you are meeting for the first time is not interested in your "good
excuse" for running late. Plan to arrive a few minutes early. And allow
flexibility for possible delays in traffic or taking a wrong turn. Arriving
early is much better that arriving late, hands down, and is the first step in
creating a great first impression.
Be Yourself, Be at Ease
If
you are feeling uncomfortable and on edge, this can make the other person ill
at ease and that's a sure way to create the wrong impression. If you are calm
and confident, so the other person will feel more at ease, and so have a solid
foundation for making that first impression a good one. See our section on relaxation techniques to find out how to calm that adrenaline!
Present Yourself Appropriately
Of
course physical appearance matters. The person you are meeting for the first
time does not know you and your appearance is usually the first clue he or she
has to go on.
But
it certainly does not mean you need to look like a model to create a strong and
positive first impression. (Unless you are interviewing with your local model
agency, of course!)
No.
The key to a good impression is to present yourself appropriately.
They
say a picture is worth a thousand words, and so the "picture" you
first present says much about you to the person you are meeting. Is your
appearance saying the right things to help create the right first impression?
Start
with the way you dress. What is the appropriate dress for the meeting or
occasion? In a business setting, what is the appropriate business attire? Suit,
blazer, casual? And ask yourself what the person you'll be meeting is likely to
wear – if your contact is in advertising or the music industry, a pinstripe
business suit may not strike the right note!
For
business and social meetings, appropriate dress also varies between countries
and cultures, so it's something that you should pay particular attention to
when in an unfamiliar setting or country. Make sure you know the traditions and
norms.
And
what about your grooming? Clean and tidy appearance is appropriate for most
business and social occasions. A good haircut or shave. Clean and tidy clothes.
Neat and tidy make up. Make sure your grooming is appropriate and helps make
you feel "the part".
Appropriate
dressing and grooming help make a good first impression and also help you feel
"the part," and so feel more calm and confident. Add all of this up
and you are well on your way to creating a good first impression.
A Word About Individuality
The
good news is you can usually create a good impression without total conformity
or losing your individuality. Yes, to make a good first impression you do need
to "fit in" to some degree. But it all goes back to being appropriate
for the situation. If in a business setting, wear appropriate business attire.
If at a formal evening social event, wear appropriate evening attire. And
express your individuality appropriately within that context.
A Winning Smile!
As
the saying goes, "Smile and the world smiles too." So there's nothing
like a smile to create a good first impression. A warm and confident smile will
put both you and the other person at ease. So smiling is a winner when it comes
to great first impressions. But don't go overboard with this – people who take
this too far can seem insincere and smarmy, or can be seen to be
"lightweights".
Be Open and Confident
When
it comes to making the first impression, body language as well as appearance
speaks much louder than words.
Use
your body language to project appropriate confidence and self-assurance. Stand
tall, smile (of course), make eye contact, greet with a firm handshake. All of
this will help you project confidence and encourage both you and the other
person to feel better at ease.
Almost
everyone gets a little nervous when meeting someone for the first time, which
can lead to nervous habits or sweaty palms. By being aware of your nervous
habits, you can try to keep them in check. And controlling a nervous jitter or
a nervous laugh will give you confidence and help the other person feel at
ease. Again, see our section on relaxation techniques for help with this.
Small Talk Goes a Long Way
Conversations
are based on verbal give and take. It may help you to prepare questions you
have for the person you are meeting for the first time beforehand. Or, take a
few minutes to learn something about the person you meet for the first time
before you get together. For instance, does he play golf? Does she work with a
local charitable foundation?
Is
there anything that you know of that you have in common with the person you are
meeting? If so, this can be a great way to open the conversation and to keep it
flowing.
Be Positive
Your
attitude shows through in everything you do. Project a positive attitude, even
in the face of criticism or in the case of nervousness. Strive to learn from
your meeting and to contribute appropriately, maintaining an upbeat manner and
a smile.
Be Courteous and Attentive
It
goes without saying that good manners and polite, attentive and courteous
behavior help make a good first impression. In fact, anything less can ruin the
one chance you have at making that first impression. So be on your best
behavior!
One
modern manner worth mentioning is "turn off your mobile phone." What
first impression will you create if you are already speaking to someone other
than the person you are meeting for the first time? Your new acquaintance
deserves 100 percent of your attention. Anything less and you'll create a less
than good first impression.
Key
Points
You
have just a few seconds to make a good first impression and it's almost
impossible ever to change it. So it's worth giving each new encounter your best
shot.
Much
of what you need to do to make a good impression is common sense. But with a
little extra thought and preparation, you can hone your intuitive style and
make every first impression not just good but great.
Rum comes from a grass (saccharum officinarum) we call sugarcane. It is the alcoholic distillate or a mixture of distillates fermented juice of sugarcane, sugarcane molasses, or
other sugarcane by-products distilled at less than 190 proof (whether or not such proof is further reduced before bottling to not less than 80 proof). The distillate must possess the taste, aroma and characteristics generally attributed to the libation.
Rum is produced all over the world, wherever sugarcane grows and gets its name from the Latin "saccharum" which means sugar.
PRODUCTION
The production of rum begins with harvesting the cane. The freshly cut cane is brought into the sugar mills, where it is passed through enormous, very heavy crushing rollers that express the juice. The juice is boiled to concentrate the sugar and evaporate the water. Then it is clarified. The result is a heavy, thick syrup. The sugar in the syrup is separated and removed. What remains is molasses. This molasses is then fermented and distilled into rum.
CLASSIFICATIONS
There are four main classifications of rum:
Very dry, light bodied rums; generally produced in the Spanish-speaking countries, of which Puerto Rico, Guatemala and Nicaragua are good examples.
Medium-bodied rums; Barbados and Demerana being two examples.
Rich, full-bodied, pungent rums; which are usually produced in the English speaking islands and countries such as Jamaica and a special rum out of the British Virgin Islands called Pussers Rum
Light-bodied but pungently aromatic; East Indian, Batavia, Arak rum as from Java.
All of these classifications of rum are not restricted to the examples used. Any country can produce more than one type, but some areas are more famous for one particu1ar type more than others
Rums are mainly produced in the region of the Caribbean Sea, including the West Indies and the surrounding countries of Northern and Central America.
Each Rum has it's own unique qualities and attributes. Like the wines of France, rums are labeled as to the area of origin and by law can not be classified by type. Also like wine, the subtle differences in rums can come from the growing area (weather, soil type, humidity, etc.) and the affects it has on the sugarcane plant. The molasses carries the characteristics of the plants and concentrates them. Like most spirits and wines, rums are blended to achieve taste and quality consistency.
Other factors affecting the final product are the distillation process itself (Aguardentes, coming from the middle distillate), the aging process (how long, what type of barrel, charred or not, etc.) and as in special rums, the flavoring additives.
The history of Vodka is unique and varied. Vodka is far and away the most popular spirit category in America,
accounting for more than 20% of all distilled spirits consumption. It is defined by government regulations as a spirit without any distinctive character, aroma, taste or color. Vodka is essentially an un-aged neutral spirit that can be distilled from just about anything fermentable. Although the legendary potato is used in the production of some vodkas, most brands' today, including the imported ones, are made from grain...any grain, including rye, wheat and barley, but principally corn. Vodka in most Slavic languages means "water". (Sometimes it's spelled "Woda", but the pronunciation is the same.) The word "Vodka" translates literally as "dear little water", an affectionate diminutive for this clean, tasteless spirit that blends with virtually any beverage.
Americans knew next to nothing about Vodka before the 1930's and what they did know consisted mainly of impressions gleaned from Russian novels and old movies about Czarist Russia. Consumers weren't really aware of Vodka until after World War II
The History of Vodka
Alcohol has always featured large in the lives of the Eastern Europeans. Its influence can be recorded as far back as 988! In that year the Grand Prince of Kiev was told by his ambassadors that Islam forbade strong drink. Consequently the Prince became a Christian and was sent plentiful supplies of communion wine from Byzantium, which was the seat of orthodox Christianity.
Fermented drink was not enough to satisfy the Eastern Europeans for long. They discovered that the extremes of temperature in that part of the world enabled them to produce a beverage with a higher alcoholic strength.
Russia
In the 1540s the Russian tsar Ivan 'the Terrible' established his own network of distilling taverns and ensured that the profits went straight into the imperial treasury. He outlawed taverns that were outside his control and put a ban on distilling by potential rivals. He kept his options open, however! He was always in need of the support of the nobility, so he allowed them to continue distilling Vodka.
From the beginning of the seventeenth century it had become customary for Vodka to be served at Russian imperial banquets. All formal meals began with bread and Vodka. Vodka was also drunk ceremonially at religious festivals and in church ritual, and to refuse to partake could be considered impious.
Peter the Great, tsar of Russia from 1689 to 1721, was renowned for his hospitality and love of drinking. He served large quantities of Vodka, his favorite drink, at his legendary banquets. On these occasions he would shock foreign guests by cutting open enormous pies out of which dwarfs would jump.
The Governor of Moscow trained a large bear to serve pepper Vodka to' his guests. If anyone showed reluctance in accepting the drink, the bear would remove the guest's clothes, an article at a time.
Poland
Making Vodka was a lot easier in Poland, as fewer official restrictions were imposed. Indeed, in 1546, King Jan Olbrecht issued a decree allowing every citizen the right to make Vodka. As a result many families distilled their own spirit, and as early as the sixteenth century there were forty-nine commercial distilleries in the town of Pozan alone.
Vodka-making and drinking became established at all levels of society in Poland over the next few centuries. Poznan continues to be a major center for the production of Vodka today.
Production
The key to distillation is the separation of alcohol from the water content of fermented liquid. Because water freezes at a higher temperature than alcohol, the Eastern Europeans were able to separate the alcohol by freezing fermented liquid during the winter months. As a result they were left with a drink with a higher strength than that produced by fermentation alone. This was the earliest method of producing stronger spirit in Eastern Europe. The techniques of distillation didn't spread from the west until the fifteenth century. From that time to the mid nineteenth century all Vodka was made in a pot-still using local natural resources such as wheat, barley, ryes, potatoes and rice.
A mash was created by heating the grain to release the starch for conversion into sugar. The sweet liquid was allowed to ferment naturally before distilling. Gradually Vodka-making in Eastern Europe was refined. In the beginning Vodka was the product of a single distillation to a relatively low proof, but distillers soon learned the benefits of two or more distillations on product quality.
Extra distillations mean the final spirit has a higher strength and greater purity. Next the Eastern Europeans introduced filtration to improve the purity of the spirit further. This was carried out initially with felt or river sand, but in the late eighteenth century charcoal began to be used. The filtration standards established at that time remain to this day.
With the invention or the continuous still in the last century, distillers were able to produce Vodka to a very high proof in a continuous operation.
Most Vodka has no color and carries only the clean aroma and character of pure spirit from the still. It has a characteristically light and very slightly oily texture. Different brands have their own characteristics and have been made over the centuries to a variety of styles.
There is a long heritage of making flavored Vodkas in Eastern Europe. This 'goes back to the days home distillation, when Vodka was flavored with herbs, spices and fruit. Nowadays natural flavorings such as cherry, lime, lemon, orange, mint, etc., are added in the final distillation.
We haven't found time to fill in further information in English.
Though we can recommend you to look in one of these fine books about whisky
Remark :
DID YOU KNOW - THAT :
Scotland : Glenmorangie is the biggest selling malt in Scotland. The Famous Grouse is the biggest selling whisky within Scotland. Bruichladdich is Scotland's most westerly distillery. Bladnoch is the most southerly of Scotland's distilleries. Highland Park is the most Northern Scotch Whisky Distillery in the World. Glenugie was the easternmost distillery in Scotland.
Pulteney is the most northern distillery in the Highlands. Strathisla is the oldest malt whisky distillery in the Highlands of Scotland. Founded : Est. 1786 / OBAN is also one of the oldest stills in Scotland. Founded : 1794 Glenturret is one of Scotland's oldest malt whisky distillery. Bowmore is reputed to be the oldest legal distillery on Islay. Tomatin Distillery Compagny's is one of the highest in Scotland and it is also the largest capacity distillery in Scotland. Edradour is the smallest distillery in Scotland - With three people to run the entire operation. Glenfarclas is in Guinness Book of Records for the strongest malt whisky available in a distillery's official bottling. Ireland :
Jameson's is the biggest selling Irish whiskey outside Ireland.
John Powers Irish Blend - The most popular brand in Ireland.
Coleraine is the oldest malt in Ireland and the only irish owned Irish distillery in the world. France :
Aberlour has been well marketed in France, where it is one of the most popular of Scotch whiskies. Europe :
Ballantine's Finest is the number one brand in Europe and the third largest in the world.
U S A :
Aberfeldy the most popular Scotch in the U.S.A
Jack Daniels is America's oldest registered distillery.
World Wide :
The Pinch is the fourth largest blended Deluxe Scotch whisky in the world.
Glenlivet is one of the most popular malts in the world.
Glenfiddich is the largest selling single malt in the world.
Jack Daniels is the most popular American spirit in the world.
Ballantine's 30 years old considered to be one of the oldest and also one of the most expensive blends available. Ballantine's is the leading super-premium scotch in the world.
Old Bushmill's can glory with the title 'The oldest licensed distillery in the world'. License to distill in 1608. Locke's Distillery claimes to be one of the oldest distilleries in the world.
Dá Mhile is the first official organic whisky in the world.
Suntory have the largest still in the world.
J & B is the second most popular blended whisky in the world.
The most expensive bottle of spirit ever sold in the world, is a bottle of aged single malt Scotch whisky sold at a charity action in Italy for 47.000£ (Pnd.) Johnnie Walker Red label is the world's largest selling Scotch Whisky.
Johnnie Walker Black label is the world's best selling de luxe whisky.
The Worlds highest Distillery is placed in Bolivia !
Highland Park is the most Northern Scotch Whisky Distillery in the World.
Coleraine is the only irish owned Irish distillery in the world.
Bourbon :
Early Times the second biggest selling bourbon.
J.S. Pemberton(left) Asa G. Candler(middle) Frank Robinson(right)
Coca-Cola began it's existance in a three-legged brass pot in the backyard of John S. Pemberton on May 8, 1886. Pemberton was a pharmacist trying to create a new headache tonic. Pemberton took his creation to the now famous Jacob's Pharmacy (pictured below), about 2 blocks from his home. There the syrup was mixed with cold tap water and sold to ailing customers for 5 cents. As the story goes, a customer in great pain came in and ordered the syrup and the soda jerk accidentally mixed it with carbonated water instead of regular tap water. The customer loved the new drink, declaring it "Delicious and Refreshing!"
Frank Robinson, Pemberton's partner and bookkeeper, suggested the name "Coca-Cola", taking each part of the name from a key ingredient in the product and proclaiming that the two C's would look good in advertising. Mr. Robinson penned "Coca-Cola" in the unique flowing script that is now famous worldwide!
In 1886, sales of Coca-Cola averaged 9 drinks per day. That first year, Pemberton sold only 25 gallons of syrup. For his efforts, Pemberton grossed $50.00 and spent $73.96 on advertising!
As John Pemberton's health grew worse, he sold the company off. Asa Candler took sole ownership of the company by 1891 for a mere $2,300.00!!! (that included all rights, including his initial investment!)
In 1894, Coca-Cola was first bottled by Joseph Biedenharn, owner of the Biedenharn Candy Company of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Candler believed that the bottling idea was crazy and that people would never go for it! As the popularity of Coca-Cola increased, many imitators came onto the scene, offering products such as "Koca-Kola", so the company decided that they needed a bottle that would be easily recognizable so as not to be confused with any other. The Root Glass Company of Terre Haute, Indiana designed the now famous "contour bottle" or "hobbleskirt". This bottle design was first patented in 1915 and then again December 25, 1923. In the year 1928, bottle sales first surpassed fountain sales, proving that the bottling idea had been a great success!
Asa Candler's merchandising flair helped expand the company to every state and territory by 1919. In that year, Candler (who then went on to become mayor of Atlanta, Georgia!) sold the company to Ernest Woodruff and a group of investors for $25 million and in 1923 Robert Woodruff (Ernest's eldest son) became president of the company. Robert Woodruff's more than six decades of leadership took the business to unrivaled heights of commercial success, making Coca-Cola an institution the world over!
At the beginning of WWII, Robert Woodruff issued an order to "see to it that every man in uniform gets a bottle of Coca-Cola for 5 cents wherever he is and whatever it costs the company!" In 1943, during World War II, Eisenhower sent a telegram requesting 10 additional Coca-Cola bottling plants overseas for our troops. At the beginning of the war, Coke was bottled in 44 countries. At the close of the war, 64 additional bottling plants had been established abroad. The presence of Coca-Cola did more than lift the morale of the troops...it gave many local people in those countries their first taste of Coca-Cola, paving the way for unprecedented worldwide sales after the war!
The cover page of the May 15, 1950 issue of Time magazine features a Coca-Cola advertisement. It was the first time that a consumer product had been featured on their cover. That same issue also contained a detailed story about Coca-Cola's extensive distribution and franchising system.
In 1981, Robert Goizueta became president of Coca-Cola and soon became one of the most successful businessmen in the world. Mr. Goizueta had come to America from Cuba with little more than a suitcase.
In 1985, the Coca-Cola Company introduced its new formula for Coke, calling the product "New Coke" and then "Coke II". The public demanded their original formula back and the company soon began producing "Coca-Cola Classic".
Today, Coca-Cola is available in nearly 200 countries around the globe and its trademark is written in approximately 80 languages! It is one of the most recognizable logos in the world!
WHISKY - THE HISTORY.: 
