Types of Hard Liquor

Whiskey, also spelled whisky, is a type of hard liquor distilled from a variety of grains, including barley, rye and corn. Whiskey is typically distilled two to three times, then aged in oak barrels to add flavor, with longer aging periods associated with more complex flavors.

Renowned whiskey types include American bourbons such as Jack Daniels, Scotch single-malts like Laphroaig, and Irish blends such as Jameson.

Vodka, a hard liquor hailing from Eastern Europe and Russia, is one of the purest spirits. Vodka makers distill grain, sugar beets or potatoes several times to create almost pure ethanol, and then cut it with water to create a drinkable liquor. This ensures a smooth, uniform product.

While Eastern Europeans still usually drink vodka straight, Americans and Western Europeans often use it in cocktails due to its neutral taste.

Gin is a common type of hard liquor used in martinis and other classic cocktails, notably Negronis, gin and tonics and Singapore Slings. Gin is a neutral spirit flavored with juniper and various botanicals such as citrus peels. In recent decades, vodka has far surpassed gin in popularity for use in cocktails.

Officially, tequila can only be produced from the blue agave plant in certain areas of Mexico. Because of this, pure tequila made with 100 percent blue agave has a higher base price than that of other hard liquors. Cheap tequilas are actually blends, or “mixtos,” that use other sugar sources in addition to the blue agave plant, up to half of the blend.

Tequila drinkers commonly take a shot of tequila followed by a slice of citrus fruit or spicy tomato juice. Cocktails such as margaritas and Tequila Sunrises use the pairing of fruit juice and tequila to great success.

Rum is a type of hard liquor primarily made from sugarcane juice or from molasses, a by-product of the sugar refining process. It is traditionally a product of the Caribbean islands, but is now often produced in South American countries as well.

The main categories of rum are light, dark and spiced, used respectively for mixing, cooking and straight drinking, although there is a fair amount of overlap. Classic rum drinks include rum-and-colas, mojitos and pina coladas.

Brandy is generally distilled grape wine, but can also be made with a variety of fruit such as apples, pears and plums. Brandy lovers traditionally drank the liquor as a nightcap, but Cognac brandies such as Hennessy and Courvoisier have gained popularity as party drinks due to numerous mentions in mainstream hip-hop songs.

Cooks also use brandy in desserts and pan sauces, reducing it to its sweet, syrupy essence.