Distilled beverages

Akvavit, also known as aquavit, is a Scandinavian distilled beverage of typically about 40% alcohol by volume. Its name comes from aqua vitae, the Latin for "water of life". Akvavit"

Applejack is a strong alcoholic beverage produced from apples, originating from the American colonial period. It is made by concentrating hard cider (as British cider, i.e., fermented alcoholic apple juice, is called in American usage), either by the traditional method of freeze distillation (see fractional freezing), or by true evaporative distillation. The term "applejack" derives from "jacking", a term for freeze distillation. Applejack"

Ardent spirits ( ethyl alcohol), in alchemy, are those liquors obtained after repeated distillations from fermented vegetables. They are thus called because they will take fire and burn. Examples include brandy, spirits of wine, etc. Ardent spirit"

Arrack refers to the strong spirits distilled mainly in South East Asia from fermented fruits, grains, sugarcane, or the sap of coconuts or other palm trees. The word itself originated from the Arabic word 'araq', which means "sweat" or "juice". The name is said to signify, in the East, any spirituous liquor; but that which usually bears this name is toddy. Generally fermented from coconut sap today, it is then distilled to produce an alcoholic beverage that tastes like whiskey. Originally from India, where it is distilled from Kallu, Arrack is now popularly seen in Sri Lanka and Indonesia also. Arrack"

Austin, Nichols & Company, Inc. dba Pernod Ricard USA, is a distilling company producing several brands of beverages, including the Wild Turkey whiskeys. Austin, Nichols"

Awamori (泡盛, "bubble top") is an alcoholic beverage indigenous to and unique to Okinawa, Japan. It is distilled from rice, not brewed. Prior to April, 1983, Awamori was mistakenly labelled as Shochu, Second Class, but is now properly labelled as "Authentic Awamori," somewhat distinct from Shochu. Awamori, while also a distilled rice liquor, differs from Shochu as it is made from Thai-style, long-grained Indica crushed rice, not the short-grained Japonica usually used in Shochu production. Additionally, instead of using white koji mold for fermentation, as in Shochu production, the fermentation process for Awamori uses black koji mold, which is indigenous to Okinawa. Awamori"

Balzam, Riga Balzam, Melnais Balzam or Black Balsam is a traditional Latvian liqueur made with many (some say 99) different ingredients mixed in pure vodka, giving a 45% abv (90 proof) drink. It can be had as it is, on the rocks or mixed with schnapps, aquavit or vodka, or warm, in tea, or mixed with soda water or a soft drink. It is traditionally considered to be good for almost anything, especially the digestion. The drink itself is black and very bitter, but with a distinct sweetness. Balzam"

Borovička (Boh-roh-witch-kah; ) also known as Juniper brandy is a Slovak national alcoholic beverage. It is distilled from Juniperus communis. Slovaks say that when you drink pure borovička you have the smallest hangover you can imagine. But mostly it is consumed with beer. In its home country, borovička is the most consumed distillate. Borovička"

Brandy (short for brandywine, from Dutch brandewijn—fire wine) is a general term for distilled wine, usually 40–60% ethyl alcohol by volume. In addition to wine, this spirit can also be made from grape pomace or fermented fruit juice. Unless specified otherwise, brandy is made from grape wine. It is normally consumed as an after-dinner drink. Brandy"

Brennivín is an Icelandic schnapps, considered the country's signature alcoholic beverage. It is made from fermented potato pulp, and flavoured with cumin, caraway seeds or angelica. It is sometimes called “black death”. Also at times it is drunk as a "chaser" after sampling "hákarl", which consists of putrified shark meat, to mask the meat's taste. The word brennivín literally translates into English as 'burning wine'. Despite its unofficial status as national beverage, many Icelanders do not actually drink it, and a majority of the ones who do, drink it only when feeling patriotic or when trying to impress foreign visitors. Brennivín"

Calvados is an apple brandy from the French région of Lower Normandy. Calvados (spirit)"

Cognac ( IPA: [k*n'j æk] where * is ɒ, oʊ, ɑ:, or ɔ:), named after the town of Cognac in France, is a kind of brandy, which must be produced in the region surrounding the town. The wine to be distilled must be made from Folle Blanche, Ugni Blanc or Colombard grapes. It must be distilled twice in copper pot stills and aged at least 2 1/2 years in oak barrels in order to be called "cognac". Cognac (drink)"

The drink hardaliye is a lactic acid fermented beverage produced from grapes, crushed mustard seeds and benzoic acid. Hardaliye"

Horilka ( Ukrainian: горілка, from hority, "to burn") is essentially Ukrainian vodka. The word is also used in the generic sense to mean whisky, or other strong spirits. Horilka"

Kaoliang ( ; Taiwanese POJ: kau-liâng-chiú) is a strong distilled liquor, made from fermented sorghum (the name is Chinese for “sorghum”). It is made in the and primarily sold in Taiwan. Kaoliang is an important product of the Taiwanese islands of Kinmen and Matsu. Kaoliang"

Kirschwasser (pronounced with the w as a vee sound, like kirschvasser), often known simply as Kirsch, is a clear alcoholic spirit made from double distillation of the fermented juice of a small black cherry. It is colorless because it is not aged in wood. The cherries used recently can be either sweet or sour, but in the past the sour morello cherry was used with the pit crushed down. The morello cherry was originally grown all around the Black Forest so that is believed to be where the drink originated from. Kirschwasser"

Mezcal is a Mexican distilled spirit made from the agave plant. There are many different types of agaves, and each produces a slightly different mezcal. Agave is part of the Agavaceae family, also called maguey. While Tequila is a mezcal made only from the blue agave plant in the region around Tequila, Jalisco, spirits labeled "Mezcal" are made from other agave plants and are not part of the Tequila family. Mezcal"

"Moonshining" is the making of whiskey, typically surreptitiously and illegally. The literal meaning of moonshine is the light of the moon, but because the activity of distilling whiskey unlawfully was usually done at night with as little light as possible, the word became both a verb, meaning making the liquor, and a noun, meaning the liquor that was made. The reason it is done at night, and usually somewhere away from houses and buildings, is that the distillation process requires heat to boil the alcoholic liquor from the "mash," so it produces a considerable amount of smoke and steam, which can be visible for a great distance if it is done outdoors in the daytime. The fire can be seen at night if the still is not set up inside a building or somewhere hidden by rocks and/or trees, but buildings (and caves) are not considered as safe as outdoor locations, in case of a raid by the law enforcement authorities (or competition). Moonshine"

Neutral grain spirits (a.k.a. pure grain alcohol or grain neutral spirits) refers to a clear liquid distilled at a high ethyl alcohol content. The term neutral refers to the substance's neutral odor. The grain from which it is derived can be any of the common cereal grains, though corn may be most common. Many distilled spirits (such as whisky) are distilled at lower alcohol percentages to preserve the flavor of the mash. Essentially, the mash medium used to make neutral grain spirits is irrelevant to the character of the final product. Neutral grain spirit"

Okolehao is a Hawaiian liquor made from the roots of the ti plant at 80 proof. It is available in white and golden versions. Okolehao is known as oke for short. Okolehao"

Orujo is a liquor obtained from the distillation of the pomace of the grape. Orujo"

Poitin is an Irish whisky- (IPA , anglicized as poteen or potcheen) or formerly potheen (IPA but in Ireland ). The term is a diminutive of the word pota 'a pot'; Poitin was traditionally distilled in small pot. Poitin"

A proprietary bottling of liquor is one made by the organization that produced the spirit. The concept applies primarily to high-end Scotch whisky. Proprietary bottling"

Raki (in its actual spelling: Rakı) is a Turkish anise-flavored liqueur that is similar to several kinds of alcoholic beverages available in the Mediterranean and parts of the Balkans, including pastis, sambuca, arak, ouzo, tsikoudia, tsipouro, and mastica. Raki (alcoholic beverage)"

Raki was brought to Albania through the Ottoman conquest of the country in the late 14th century. Made from fermented and distilled fruit, usually grapes but sometimes plums. Though far less common, it is said that wild berry raki is by far the best variety. Raki in Albania"