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Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of , , , or sugar that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. While the word liquor ordinarily 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, 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 include vodka, rum, gin and tequila. Liquors are often aged in , such as for the production of brandy and whiskey, or are infused with flavorings to form , such as absinthe.
Like other alcoholic drinks, liquor is typically consumed for the psychoactive effects of alcohol. Liquor may be consumed on its own (i.e. "neat"), typically in amounts of around per served drink; or frequently mixed with other ingredients to form a cocktail. In an undiluted form, distilled beverages are often slightly sweet and bitter and typically impart a burning mouthfeel with an odor derived from the alcohol and the production and aging processes; the exact flavor varies between different varieties of liquor and the different impurities they impart.
Rapid consumption of a large amount of liquor can cause severe alcohol intoxication or alcohol poisoning, which can be fatal either due to acute biochemical damage to vital organs (e.g. alcoholic hepatitis and pancreatitis), or due to Major trauma (e.g. falls or motor vehicle accidents) caused by alcohol-induced delirium. Consistent consumption of liquor over time correlates with higher mortality and other harmful health effects, even when compared to other alcoholic beverages.
Liquor bottled with added sugar and flavorings, such as Grand Marnier, amaretto, and United States schnapps, are known instead as .
Liquor generally has an alcohol concentration higher than 30% when bottled, and before being diluted for bottling, it typically has a concentration over 50%. Beer and wine, which are not distilled, typically have a maximum alcohol content of about 15% ABV, as most cannot metabolize when the concentration of alcohol is above this level; as a consequence, fermentation ceases at that point.
Spirit drinks must contain at least 15% ABV (except in the case of egg liqueur such as Advocaat, which must contain a minimum of 14% ABV).
Some spirit drinks can fall into more than one category. Specific production requirements distinguish one category from another (London gin falls into the Gin category but any gin cannot be considered as London gin).
Spirit drinks that are not produced within the EU, such as tequila or baijiu, are not listed in the 44 categories.
Distillation was known in the ancient Indian subcontinent, evident from baked clay and receivers found at Taxila and Charsadda in Pakistan and Rang Mahal in India dating to the early centuries of the Common Era.Frank Raymond Allchin, "India: the ancient home of distillation?" Man, New Series 14:1:55-63 (1979) full text Javed Husain, "The So-Called 'Distillery' at Shaikhan Dheri - A Case Study", Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society 41:3:289-314 (July 1, 1993) Frank Raymond Allchin says these terracotta distill tubes were "made to imitate bamboo". These "Gandhara stills" were capable of producing only very weak liquor, as there was no efficient means of collecting the vapors at low heat.
Distillation in China could have begun during the Eastern Han dynasty (1st–2nd centuries), but the distillation of beverages began in the Jin (12th–13th centuries) and Southern Song (10th–13th centuries) dynasties according to archaeological evidence.
Freeze distillation involves freezing the alcoholic beverage and then removing the ice. The freezing technique had limitations in geography and implementation limiting how widely this method was put to use.
In China, archaeological evidence indicates that the true distillation of alcohol began during the 12th century Jin or Southern Song dynasties.
A still has been found at an archaeological site in Qinglong, Hebei, dating to the 12th century.
In India, the true distillation of alcohol was introduced from the Middle East and was in wide use in the Delhi Sultanate by the 14th century.
The works of Taddeo Alderotti (1223–1296) describe a method for concentrating alcohol involving repeated fractional distillation through a water-cooled still, by which an alcohol purity of 90% could be obtained. pp. 51–52.
In 1437, "burned water" (brandy) was mentioned in the records of the County of Katzenelnbogen in Germany.
The flammability of liquor is applied in the cooking technique flambé.
The flash points of alcohol concentrations from 10% to 96% by weight are:
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The World Health Organization (WHO) measures and publishes alcohol consumption patterns in different countries. The WHO measures alcohol consumed by persons 15 years of age or older and reports it on the basis of liters of pure alcohol consumed per capita in a given year in a country.
In Europe, spirits (especially vodka) are more popular in the north and east of the continent. distillery in Estonia]]
In many others including the United States, it is illegal to distill beverage alcohol without a license, and the licensing process is too arduous for hobbyist-scale production. In some parts of the U.S., it is also illegal to sell a still without a license. Nonetheless, all states allow unlicensed individuals to Homebrewing, and some also allow unlicensed individuals to make their own wine (although making beer and wine is also prohibited in some local jurisdictions).
The short-term effects of alcohol consumption range from a decrease in anxiety and motor skills and euphoria at lower doses to intoxication (drunkenness), to stupor, unconsciousness, anterograde amnesia (memory "blackouts"), and central nervous system depression at higher doses. Cell membrane are highly permeable to alcohol, so once it is in the bloodstream, it can diffuse into nearly every cell in the body. Alcohol can greatly exacerbate sleep problems. During abstinence, residual disruptions in sleep regularity and sleep patterns are the greatest predictors of relapse.
Drinking more than 1–2 drinks a day increases the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, and stroke. The risk is greater in younger people due to binge drinking, which may result in violence or accidents. About 3.3 million deaths (5.9% of all deaths) are due to alcohol each year.
Unlike wine and perhaps beer, there is no evidence for a J curve health effect for the consumption of distilled alcohol. Long-term use can lead to an Alcoholism, an increased risk of developing physical dependence. cardiovascular disease and several types of cancer.
Alcoholism, also known as "alcohol use disorder", is a broad term for any drinking of alcohol that results in problems. Alcoholism reduces a person's life expectancy by around ten years and alcohol use is the third-leading cause of early death in the United States.
Consumption of alcohol in any quantity can cause cancer. Alcohol causes breast cancer, colorectal cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, and head-and-neck cancers. The more alcohol is consumed, the higher the cancer risk.
Distillation of wine
The flammable nature of the exhalations of wine was already known to ancient natural philosophers such as Aristotle (384–322 BCE), Theophrastus (), and Pliny the Elder (23/24–79 CE). vol. I, p. 137. This did not immediately lead to the isolation of alcohol, however, despite the development of more advanced distillation techniques in second- and third-century Roman Egypt.. An important recognition, first found in one of the writings attributed to Jābir ibn Ḥayyān (ninth century CE), was that by adding salt to boiling wine, which increases the wine's relative volatility, the flammability of the resulting vapors may be enhanced. (same content also available on the author's website ). The distillation of wine is attested in Arabic works attributed to Al-Kindi (c. 801–873 CE) and to Al-Farabi (c. 872–950), and in the 28th book of Al-Zahrawi's (Latin: Abulcasis, 936–1013) Kitāb al-Taṣrīf (later translated into Latin as Liber servatoris). (same content also available on the author's website ); cf. . Sometimes, sulfur was also added to the wine (see ). In the twelfth century, recipes for the production of aqua ardens ("burning water", i.e., alcohol) by distilling wine with salt started to appear in a number of Latin works, and by the end of the thirteenth century, it had become a widely known substance among Western European chemists. pp. 204–206. Its medicinal properties were studied by Arnald of Villanova (1240–1311 CE) and John of Rupescissa (c. 1310–1366), the latter of whom regarded it as a life-preserving substance able to prevent all diseases (the aqua vitae or "water of life", also called by John the quintessence of wine). pp. 69–71.
Microdistilling
Microdistillery (also known as craft distilling) began to re-emerge as a trend in the United States following the microbrewing and craft beer movement in the last decades of the 20th century.
Flammability
Liquor that contains 40% ABV (80 Alcohol proof) will catch fire if heated to about and if an ignition source is applied to it. This temperature is called its flash point. The flash point of Ethanol is , less than average room temperature.
Serving
Liquor can be served:
Alcohol consumption by country
[[File:Alcohol belts of Europe (actual consumption in 2016).svg|thumb|upright=1.5|alt=European countries grouped by preferred type of alcoholic drink, based on recorded alcohol consumption per capita (age 15+) (in liters of pure alcohol) in 2016|Map 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.
Government regulation
Production
It is legal to distill beverage alcohol as a hobby for personal use in some countries, including New Zealand and the Netherlands.
Sale
Some countries and sub-national jurisdictions limit or prohibit the sale of certain high-percentage alcohol, commonly known as neutral spirit. Due to its flammability (see below) alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content above 70% by volume are not permitted to be transported in aircraft.
Health effects of alcohol
Distilled spirits contain ethyl alcohol, the same chemical that is present in beer and wine, and as such, spirit consumption has short-term psychological and physiological effects on the user. Different concentrations of alcohol in the human body have different effects on a person. The effects of alcohol depend on the amount an individual has drunk, the percentage of alcohol in the spirits and the timespan over which the consumption took place.
Home-made liquor
A survey of high school students in Alstahaug, Nordland county, revealed that adolescents consume alcohol at rates above the national average, with home-made liquor being prevalent and easily accessible, highlighting an urgent need for preventive measures.
See also
Notes
Bibliography
External links
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