Liquor (/ˈlɪkər/LIK-ər, sometimes hard liquor), spirit, distilled spirit, or spirituous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. While the word liquor usually refers to distilled alcoholic spirits rather than drinks produced by fermentation alone, it can sometimes be used more broadly to refer to any alcoholic beverage (or even non-alcoholic ones produced by distillation or some other practices, such as the brewed liquor of a tea).
The distillation process concentrates the alcohol, so the resulting condensate has an increased alcohol by volume. As liquors contain significantly more alcohol (ethanol) than other alcoholic drinks, they are considered "harder". In North America, the term hard liquor is sometimes used to distinguish distilled alcoholic drinks from non-distilled ones, whereas the term spirits is more commonly used in the United Kingdom. Some examples of liquors are vodka, rum, gin and tequila. Liquors are often aged in barrels, such as for the production of brandy, tequila, and whiskey, or are infused with flavorings to form flavored liquors, such as absinthe. (Full article...)
In mid-2005, SWC's spirits business was acquired by the United Breweries Group (UB Group) and its breweries and beer business was acquired by SABMiller. On 1 April 2008, Shaw Wallace was merged with United Spirits Ltd, a subsidiary of the UB Group. (Full article...)
Dale DeGroff (born September 21, 1948), also known as "the King of Cocktails" or "King Cocktail", is an American bartender and author. The New York Times in 2015 called DeGroff "one of the world's foremost cocktail experts", and wrote that his book The Craft of the Cocktail is considered an essential bartending reference. (Full article...)
White lady (also known as a Delilah, or Chelsea sidecar) is a classic cocktail that is made with gin, Cointreau or triple sec, fresh lemon juice and an optional egg white. It belongs to the sidecar family, made with gin in place of brandy. The cocktail sometimes also includes additional ingredients, for example egg white, sugar, cream, or creme de menthe.
The classic concoction is most commonly served in a martini cocktail glass. When an egg white is added a champagne coupe is preferable; the silky foam clings more pleasingly to the curved glass. (Full article...)
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A rượu đế still Rượu đế is a distilled liquor from Vietnam, made of either glutinous or non-glutinous rice. It was formerly made illegally and is thus similar to moonshine. It is popular in the Mekong Delta region of southwestern Vietnam (its equivalent in northern Vietnam is called rượu quốc lủi). Its strength varies, but is typically 40 percent alcohol by volume. It is usually clear, and a bit cloudy in appearance. (Full article...)
The cocktail, named for the crust of sugar on the rim, was invented by Joseph Santini, a bartender in New Orleans at his bar, Jewel of the South. (Full article...)
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French 75 is a cocktail made from gin, champagne, lemon juice, and sugar. It is also called a 75 cocktail, or in French simply a soixante quinze ('seventy five').
Caipirinha (/ˌkaɪpɪˈriːnjə/KY-pi-REEN-yə; Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation:[kajpiˈɾĩɲɐ]) is a Brazilian cocktail made with cachaça, sugar, lime, and ice. Originating in the state of São Paulo, the drink is prepared by mixing the fruit and the sugar together, then adding the liquor. Known and consumed nationally and internationally, caipirinha is one of the most famous components of Brazilian cuisine, being the most popular national recipe worldwide and often considered the best drink in the country and one of the best cocktails/drinks in the world, having reached third place in 2024, according to the specialized website TasteAtlas.
A dark 'n' stormy is a highball cocktail made with dark rum (the "dark") and ginger beer (the "stormy") served over ice and garnished with a slice of lime. Lime juice and simple syrup are also frequently added. This drink is very similar to the Moscow mule except that the Dark 'n' Stormy has dark rum instead of vodka. The original Dark 'n' Stormy was made with Gosling Black Seal rum and Barritt's Ginger Beer, but after the partnership between the two failed and the companies parted ways, Gosling Brothers created its own ginger beer.
A lemon drop is a vodka-based cocktail that has a lemony, sweet and sour flavor, prepared using vodka, triple sec, and fresh lemon juice. It has been described as a variant of, or as "a take on", the vodka martini, but is in fact closer to a daisy or a white lady variant. It is typically prepared and served straight up – chilled with ice and strained.
The drink was invented sometime in the 1970s by Norman Jay Hobday, the founder and proprietor of Henry Africa's bar in San Francisco, California. Variations of the drink exist, such as blueberry and raspberry lemon drops, and some recipes that call for simple syrup. It is served at some bars and restaurants in the United States, and in such establishments in other areas of the world. (Full article...)
Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from fermentedgrainmash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, commonly of charred white oak. Uncharred white oak casks previously used for the aging of port, rum, or sherry may be employed during storage to impart a unique flavour and colour.
Whisky is a strictly regulated spirit worldwide with many classes and types. The typical unifying characteristics of the different classes and types are the fermentation of grains, distillation, and aging in wooden barrels. (Full article...)
Poitín (Irish pronunciation:[ˈpˠʊtʲiːnʲ]), anglicized as poteen (/pəˈt(ʃ)iːn,pɒˈtiːn/) or potcheen, is a traditional Irishdistilled beverage (40–90% ABV). Former common names for Poitín were "Irish moonshine" and "mountain dew". It was traditionally distilled in a small pot still, and the term is a diminutive of the Irish word pota, meaning 'pot'. In accordance with the Irish Poteen/Irish Poitín technical file, it can be made only from cereals, grain, whey, sugar beet, molasses and potatoes. (Full article...)
Rabo-de-galo, which means 'cock tail' (in Brazilian Portuguese "cocktail" is called coquetel), is a Brazilian drink made of cachaça and red Vermouth. The history of the Rabo de Galo dates back to 1950s and the inauguration of the Cinzano factory in São Paulo, Brazil. (Full article...)
When preparing a mojito, fresh lime juice is added to sugar (or to simple syrup) and mint leaves. The mixture is then gently mashed with a muddler. The mint leaves should only be bruised to release the essential oils and should not be shredded. Then rum is added and the mixture is briefly stirred to dissolve the sugar and to lift the mint leaves up from the bottom for better presentation. Finally, the drink is topped with crushed ice and sparkling soda water. Mint sprigs or lime wedges are used to garnish the glass. (Full article...)
The Porto Flip was first recorded by Jerry Thomas in his 1862 book The Bartender’s Guide: How to Mix Drinks; A Bon Vivant’s Companion. albeit under the name "Coffee Cocktail", named for its appearance rather than its ingredients. (Full article...)
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Rakı, Türk Rakısı or Turkish Raki (/rɑːˈkiː/, Turkish pronunciation: [ɾaˈkɯ]) is an alcoholic beverage made of twice-distilled grape pomace and flavored with aniseed. It is a national drink of Turkey, and it is especially popular in the coastal regions. Among drinkers of alcoholic beverages, it is popular in Turkic countries and Caucasian countries as an apéritif. It is often served with seafood or meze. It is comparable to several other anise-flavored liqueurs such as pastis, ouzo, sambuca and arak. The alcoholic content of rakı must be at least 40% according to Turkish standard. The largest producer of raki is Diageo, which operates in Turkey through its subsidiary Mey İçki (acquired in 2011); Yeni Rakı is the largest brand. Rakı has been a registered geographical indication in Turkey since 2009, granting it legal protection as a spirit produced exclusively from Turkish-grown grapes and anise.
In many East Mediterranean and Balkan countries, the term raki is widely used to describe similar distilled alcoholic beverages. This shared terminology dates back to the Ottoman Empire, where "raki" became a generic term for distilled spirits. During Ottoman rule, the word spread across the empire's territories. In many of these regions, the term raki or rakia is still used to describe grape-based pomace brandies or other spirits, often with regional variations in production methods and flavour profiles. For example, in Turkey, rakı is flavoured with anise and is distinctively served diluted with water, creating a milky-white appearance. Similarly, in the Balkans, rakija (or its linguistic variants such as ракия in Bulgarian, ракија in Serbian, and rakija in Croatian) is a general term for fruit-based brandies, with local variations like plum, pear, or apricot based liquors. (Full article...)
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The Martinez is a classic cocktail that is widely regarded as the direct precursor to the Martini. It serves as the basis for many modern cocktails, and several different versions of the original exist. These are generally distinguished by the accompaniment of either maraschino or curaçao, as well as differences in gin or bitters. (Full article...)
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A typical fernet con coca from Argentina, and also spread to adjacent areas in Southern South America
The cocktail first became popular among the youth of the college town of Córdoba, in the 1980s and—impulsed by an advertising campaign led by Fratelli Branca—its consumption grew in popularity during the following decades to become widespread throughout the country, surpassed only by that of beer and wine. It is now considered a cultural icon of Argentina and is especially associated with its home province Córdoba, where the drink is most consumed. The drink is so popular in Argentina that the nation consumes more than 75% of all fernet produced. The cocktail can also be found in some of its bordering countries, such as Uruguay. (Full article...)
... that instead of drinking liquor with prospective clients, Arthur Harrison Motley sent them notes written in red pencil crayon, 10,000 times a year?
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Caesar made with 2 shots of vodka, a pinch of horseradish, a little spicy with 5 dashes of tabasco, made muddy with about 10 dashes of Worcestershire sauce, all over ice, and filled to the top of a celery salt and spice rimmed glass with Clamato juice.
Image 20Map of Europe with individual countries grouped by preferred type of alcoholic drink, based on recorded alcohol consumption per capita (age 15+) (in liters of pure alcohol) in 2016.
Image 4A whiskey sour, served in a coupe glass, is garnished with a spiral of lemon peel and two maraschino cherries on a cocktail pick, along with drops of bitters swirled into the foam (from egg white) atop the drink. (from Cocktail garnish)