Distilled beverage
A distilled beverage is a liquid preparation meant for consumption containing ethyl alcohol (ethanol) purified by distillation from a fermented substance such as fruit, vegetables, or grain. The word spirits generally refers to distilled beverages low in sugars and containing at least 35% alcohol by volume. Gin, vodka, rum, whiskey, brandy, absinthe, and tequila are types of spirits. Beverages high in alcohol and with added flavourings such as Grand Marnier, Frangelico and schnapps are generally referred to as liqueurs. The term liquor may mean spirits; spirits and liqueurs; or all alcoholic beverages, including wine, sake, beer, and mead. The source of this word is its close relative, “liquid.” Both came from Latin verb liquere, meaning “to be fluid.” The word liquor was first used in English to mean “a fluid” in the late 1200s; in the 1700s, the term was first applied to alcoholic beverages.
Distillation history
Beer and wine were historically limited to a maximum alcohol content of about 15% by volume, beyond which yeast is adversely affected and cannot ferment. Alcohol levels higher than 15 percent have historically been obtained in a number of ways.
The first evidence of true distillation comes from Babylonia and dates from the fourth millennium BC. Specially shaped clay pots were used to extract small amounts of distilled alcohol through natural cooling for use in perfumes, however it is unlikely this device ever played a meaningful role in the history of the development of the still. By the 3rd century AD there is evidence that alchemists in Alexandria, Egypt, used distillation to produce alcohol for sublimation and for colouring metal.
Modern distillation
The actual process of distillation itself has not changed since the 8th century. There have, however, been many changes in both the methods by which organic material is prepared for the still and in the ways the distilled beverage is finished and marketed. Knowledge of the principles of sanitation and access to standardised yeast strains have improved the quality of the base ingredient; larger, more efficient stills produce more product per square foot and reduce waste; ingredients such as corn, rice, and potatoes have been called into service as inexpensive replacements for traditional grains and fruit. Microdistilling is a trend that began to develop in the United States following the emergence and immense popularity of microbrewing and craft beer in the last decades of the 20th century. It is specifically differentiated from megadistilleries in the quantity, and arguably quality, of output.
Serving
Spirits may be served in a variety of ways, some of which include:
On the rocks - spirits are to be served and drunk over ice.
Straight up - the spirit is to be shaken or stirred with ice, but drunk by itself, with the ice filtered out.
Neat - the spirit is served and consumed by itself, with nothing added.
As ingredients in cocktails
