Alcoholic Spirits

Spirits are the most powerful of alcoholic beverages, with many boasting alcohol content of 30% to 40%. Some of the most popular drinks in the world are spirituous liquors, and cultures all over the world have developed their own from the materials at hand. There are so many different alcoholic spirits that it is difficult to list them all, but the following are some of the most prevalent.

Vodka

Vodka is by far the most massively consumed spirit in the world. Throughout the years it has been made from all sorts of fermented matter, but it is most famously made from potatoes. It is technically of Eastern European origin, though similar spirits have been produced in other areas, and many premixed drinks are based on vodka due to its taste being easily masked. Vodka purists would never dream of mixing vodka with soft drink, but flavored vodkas are another matter entirely. To minimize the harshness characteristic of some vodkas, it is advisable to chill vodka before serving.

Whisky

Whisky, or whiskey, is made from fermented grain mash. It has an amber color and very distinctive flavor. This spirit is best known as coming from Scotland and Ireland, but countries with histories of large immigrant populations from those countries, such as the USA and Canada, are also big producers of whisky. A particularly American form of whisky is bourbon, which is mostly based on corn mash. Many different kinds of whisky are produced worldwide, and the flavor of any particular whisky is influenced by factors such as the grain mash used in fermentation, the barrels it is aged in, and source of water.

Good whisky should be drunk neat, or with a minimal amount of water if it burns or tingles on the tongue. Mixing good whisky with cola or anything else is a tragedy, but poor whisky is to simply be tolerated or avoided, and masked with any other drink at hand if it is to be consumed at all. The optimum place for low quality whisky is the sink or rubbish tip, but a cocktail can occasionally be a good home for it.

Liqueurs

A terribly broad category, but it is a large area of spirits. Liqueurs are essentially highly alcoholic spirits with flavorings and a lot of sugar, but many famous spirits fall under this category. These include Cointreau, Baileys, Kahlua, Crème de Menthe, Crème de Cacao, Chambord, and many more. While it is true that some liqueurs have traditionally been drunk neat, they are now much more likely to be used in cocktails.

Schnapps and Eaux de Vie

Schnapps or Schnaps is an uncolored German spirit that is fruit flavored. Eaux de vie is a colorless fruit brandy. While these spirits are not one and the same, they tend to be used in a similar way and use very similar flavors.

Brandy

Made by distilling wine, brandy is an amber colored spirit normally serve as a digestif. Well known brandy variants are Cognac and Armagnac, which have specific aging and cask requirements. While brandies are mostly made from grape wines, brandies of other fruits also exist, such as applejack and coconut brandy.

Absinthe

Absinthe has built itself quite a reputation in recent years as the strongest of alcoholic spirits. It is also legendary for traditionally containing wormwood, a hallucinogenic herb. Green in color and tasting of aniseed, absinthe can be drunk with sugar and water, or else mixed into cocktails for a truly unique additional flavor. Many absinthes are made without wormwood, but it is usually quite easy to find true absinthe in countries that do not restrict it. Unfortunately, the general populace in some of those countries tends have the mistaken belief that true absinthe is restricted.

Humans have been drinking spirits for a very long time, and we have come up with a dazzling plethora of types in that time. There are just too many to mention, and so many variations. Trying new spirits is always an adventure, but you should be sure to drink responsibly, and only at the age that it is legal to consume alcohol in the country or territory in which you live.