A
Advokaat
A thick and creamy egg liqueur, similar to egg nog.

Anisette
A sweet liqueur with licorice-like aroma and flavor, made from aniseed.

Apricot flavored brandy
Pure grape brandy, flavored with apricot. A type of cordial or liqueur.

Apricot liqueur
A sweet apricot-flavored liqueur that has more body and is lower in proof than apricot-flavored brandy.

Armagnac
A grape brandy product of France. Armagnac is produced only in an area surrounding the city of Armagnac in southwest France. Related to Cognac, but less delicate.

B
Banana liqueur
A yellow banana-flavored liqueur.

Barbados rum
An amber-colored medium-bodied rum distilled in pot stills. More pungent than Puerto Rican rum, but less pungent than Jamaican rum.

Barley Malt
Barley kernels which have been soaked and which have begun to germinate. When used in beer production, the malt is dried to stop enzyme activity and prevent sprouting which would consume sugar intended for the yeast.

Bitters
An infusion of roots, barks, herbs and other botanicals mixed in special proportions. Bitters are classified for different uses as aromatic, flavoring, or laxative.

Blackberry liqueur
A blackberry liqueur that has more body and is lower in proof than blackberry-flavored brandy.

Blackberry-flavored brandy
A pure grape brandy flavored with blackberries. A type of cordial or liqueur.

Botanicals
Fruits, spices, and herbs used to flavor gin. Botanicals are either mixed into the wash prior to boiling or (usually for premium-brand gins) placed at the top of the still so that the alcohol can pass through in vapor form.

Bourbon
A notable American whiskey named after Bourbon County, Kentucky where the whiskey was first produced in the post-Revolutionary period. All Bourbons use the fermented mash of corns, rye and barley malts. Straight Bourbons have been aged at least two years; Bourbons without the designation "straight" are aged less than two years.

Brandy
A family of liquors distilled from the wines of grapes or other fruits.

C
Cherry liqueur
A sweet cherry-flavored liqueur.

Coffee liqueur
A distinctive coffee-flavored liqueur.

Cognac
A premium brandy produced only in a 150,000 acre area surrounding the city of Cognac in southwest France.

Column Still
Created in the early 1800s to avoid the process of draining and cleaning the pot still between batches, it is also known as the patent still or continuous still because it can be run constantly, without need for maintenance between batches. Column stills allow the distiller less control of the resulting flavor constituents and produce a characterless spirit relative to the pot still. It also allows the distiller to use cheaper ingredients since less of the original ingredients' flavor is preserved.

Continuous Still
See column still.

Cordial
Sweetened, flavored liquors, also called liqueurs, produced with fruits or plants in a brandy or neutral spirit base.

Crème de almond
A clear red cordial produced from the almond-like kernel within apricot seeds.

Crème de coffee
A coffee-flavored cordial produced from coffee and vanilla beans.

Crème de mandarine
An orange-flavored cordial produced from Mandarine oranges. More delicate than Curacao.

Curacao
An orange-flavored cordial produced from Curacao and sweet oranges. More delicate than Triple Sec.

D
Dutch gin
See Gin.

E
Edelkirsch liqueur
A German cherry liqueur produced from fresh cherry juice and Kirshwasser (a cherry brandy).

F
Flavored gin
Traditional Dry gin flavored with fruit or other flavors, plus sucrose or dextrose of at least two and one-half percent of the finished product.

Freeze Distillation
Like distillation by heating, the objective is to separate the various constituents of a liquid, but freeze distillation uses cooling, rather than heating, to exploit varying freezing, rather than boiling points. Since water freezes at zero degrees Celsius and ethyl alcohol at -114, a fermented beverage is cooled and solid chunks of ice removed. Freeze distillation is rarely used for distilled spirits (outside of applejack). The process is not as efficient as normal distillation and is illegal in many countries due to an increased risk of high concentrations of the poisonous fusel oils the pot distiller must carefully remove.

Fruit brandy
Brandy distilled from the wine of a particular fruit; since all brandy is fruit-based (most often grape), the term is somewhat redundant.

Fruit-flavored brandy
Brandy infused with fruit; the fruit is typically soaked in the brandy to impart flavor and color.

G
Geneva gin
See Gin.

Gin
A type of liquor produced by adding juniper and other aromatic herbs to a neutral spirit base. Dry gin, or London gin, tends to be lighter-bodied than Dutch, Geneva, or Holland's gin.

Goldwasser
A white, spicy, citrus-like cordial that contains nonpalatable flakes of gold leaf.

Grappa
A brandy distilled from the pulpy residue of the wine press. In France, this brandy is called Marc, or eau de vie (i.e., brandy) de Marc.

Green Beer
Beer in the stage of production immediately after the yeast has been removed. It has yet to be conditioned, clarified, pasteurized and packaged.

Grenadine
A red syrup used for flavoring, made from pomegranates, strawberries and raspberries.

H
Himbeer liqueur
A red raspberry liqueur from Germany.

Hollands gin
See Gin.

I
Irish whiskey
A notable whiskey from Ireland that may be prepared traditionally as a blend of straight pot still whiskies, or in the new style, as a blend of pot still and column still whiskies.

J
Jamaican rum
A full-bodied, dark rum of Jamaica that is produced in pot stills.

K
Kefir
Milk-based fermented beverage of the Balkans.

Kirschwasser
A clear brandy distilled from cherries.

Koumiss
Milk-based fermented beverage of the Tartars whose nomadic lifestyle did not allow them to cultivate grains.

Kummel
A white liqueur produced using caraway and other seeds, herbs, and spices.

L
Liqueur
Sweetened, flavored liquors, also called cordials.

London dry gin
See Gin.

M
Marc
Short for eau de vie de Marc, the French term for Grappa; see Grappa.

Martinique rum
An amber rum distilled in Martinique and shipped to Bordeaux for blending and distribution.

Mead
Honey-based fermented beverage from Europe. The name comes from the Sanskrit word for honey.

Mirabelle
A brandy distilled from plums; mirabelle is the French word for plum. Originated in Alsace, France. Also known as Quetsch, or Slivovitz.

Mocca
A type of coffee liqueur produced from mocca (coffee) and vanilla beans.

N
Neutral spirits
An alcoholic spirit purified in the still to a minimum of 95 percent of absolute alcoholic purity. The proof, which is calculated as twice the percent alcohol, is 190.

O
Ouzo
Sweet, Greek licorice-flavored liqueur produced from aniseed. Sweeter than mastic, and stronger than anisette.

P
Patent Still
See column still.

Peach-flavored brandy
A pure grape brandy flavored with peaches. A type of cordial or liqueur.

Peppermint schnapps
A peppermint-flavored liqueur that is less sweet than crème de menthe.

Pot Still
The first type of still and the only one used until the early 1800s, a pot still actually consists of two pots, the first of which contains the wash. When the first pot is heated to between 173 and 212 degree Fahrenheit (hot enough to boil alcohol but not water), alcohol vapor rises up and out, into a coiled tube where it is cooled, collected, then re-heated and further purified. (Moonshine is the term for alcohol which has forgone the second distillation and which is potentially deadly due to its high concentration of poisonous constituents.) Because the pot still allows for precise control (when wielded skillfully), it is the still of choice for any spirit without additives in which the pure flavor is important (e.g., any good whiskey or brandy).

Puerto Rican rum
Light rum of Puerto Rica. White Label is more delicate than Cold Label.

Q
Quetsch
A brandy distilled from plums. See Mirabelle.

R
Raspberry liqueur
Sweet raspberry-flavored liqueur.

Rum
A type of liquor distilled from the fermented juice of the sugar cane (i.e., molasses). Rum is produced in many Caribbean countries that also produce sugar, as well as in new England, from West Indies molasses.

S
Sake
Rice-based fermented beverage.

Scotch whisky
A notable whiskey from Scotland that is prepared as a blend of hearty pot-distilled barley malt whiskies and light column-distilled grain whiskies.

Sloe gin
A red liqueur with a cherry-like flavor produced from sloe berries and other fruits in a neutral spirit base.

Sour mash
A term describing a production process typical of straight whiskies, as opposed to sweet mash. The resulting whiskey itself is not sour in taste.

Spanish brandy
Brandy distilled from sherry wine; typically less dry than traditional brandy.

Straight Bourbon whiskey
See Bourbon.

Straight corn whiskey
A white or colorless whiskey distilled from a grain mash of which not less than 80% must be malted com, and aged in oak for a minimum of two years. Typically lighter than Bourbon.

Straight malt whiskey
Whiskey distilled from a mash of grain of which not less than 51% must be malted barley, and aged in oak containers for a minimum of two years.

Straight rye whiskey
A hearty, full-bodied whiskey, stronger in aroma and character than Straight Bourbon. This notable American whiskey is produced from fermented mash of rye, corn and malted barley and aged a minimum of two years

Straight whiskey
An alcoholic distillate of a fermented grain, bottled directly from the container in which it has matured, and with the addition of only pure water to reduce the proof.

Strawberry Liqueur
A sweet, strawberry-flavored liqueur.

T
Tequila
A type of liquor from Mexico distilled from the fermented juice of the Mescal plant, which resembles an oversized pineapple and takes years to grow.

Toddy
Fermented beverage made from rice with molasses or palm sap.

Tehoo
Fermented beverage made from rice and millet.

Triple Sec
A white, orange-flavored liqueur. Similar to Curacao, but more tangy and higher in proof.

V
Virgin Island rum
A light, dry rum of the Virgin islands, produced either as White Label, which is pale and light, or Gold label, which is stronger.

Vodka
A light, dry distilled type of liquor with very little aroma. Produced by passing highly-refined neutral spirits through charcoal, or a redistillation process.

W
Wash
The raw ingredient of distillation (in liquid form), usually fermented fruit or grains.

Whiskey
Distilled from a fermented mash of grain; many variations based on the type of grain, still, aging time, and blending used. Straight whiskies have been aged at least two years.