Why Do we Call Liquor “Spirits”? Pick one: 1. A listener asked why we call some kinds of alcohol "hard drinks" and "spirits," so we found the answer! [28], Consumption of distilled alcohol is the most important single factor behind variation on mortality rates and life expectancy for men in Europe. Most liquors have close to 100 calories per shot. (5), In fact, some historians believe that the reason our primate ancestors came down from the trees in the first place was to eat fermenting fruit lying on the forest floor. What are Tannins, Really? Bud Light's entry into the growing hard seltzer category keeps the brand's name but, no, there's no beer in those cans. If not mistaken the word ESPIRITOS is Greek translated to Breath of life or breathe life into. 231. It's hard to know how many calories you're consuming in a cocktail (or straight shots) since liquor brands don't list nutrition information on their bottle. That usage appeared in the mid-1800s, in an advertisement for an establishment offering “hot mutton, … custards, and soft drinks.” Sounds yummy! (1) Orchard, Andy. Quick & Dirty Tips™ and related trademarks appearing on this website are the property of Mignon Fogarty, Inc. and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC. [28] About 3.3 million deaths (5.9% of all deaths) are believed to be due to alcohol each year. But I believe the British don’t put a period after the abbreviation for “doctor.” But Dr Pepper wasn’t owned by a British company at the time. However, all states allow unlicensed individuals to make their own beer, and some also allow unlicensed individuals to make their own wine (although making beer and wine is also prohibited in some local jurisdictions). Aren’t all liquids soft, not hard? (6). The flavor depends on the ingredients and the way the liquor is stored. Liquor is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, or vegetables that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. The effects of alcohol depend on the amount an individual has drunk, the percentage of alcohol in the spirits and the timespan that the consumption took place, the amount of food eaten and whether an individual has taken other prescription, over-the-counter or street drugs, among other factors. Distillation was known in the ancient Indian subcontinent, evident from baked clay retorts and receivers found at Taxila and Charsadda in modern Pakistan, dating back to the early centuries of the Christian era. [1] As liquors contain significantly more alcohol (ethanol) than other alcoholic drinks, they are considered "harder" – in North America, the term hard liquor is used to distinguish distilled alcoholic drinks from non-distilled ones, whereas the term spirits is used in the UK. The vapor given off and collected during an alchemical process (as … This temperature is called its flash point. The term comes from times when the English and French came to North America. Source(s): https://owly.im/a8oSs. In 1993, Coors introduced a drink called Zima , … (subscription required, accessed July 9, 2019). [16] 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). Here’s what we found. [7] Early evidence of distillation also comes from alchemists working in Alexandria, Roman Egypt, in the 1st century. And we’ll end with a final synonym for alcohol: “aqua vitae,” which is “water of life” in Latin. That's why most people shoot it versus sipping. The History of Liquor. The distillation process purifies the liquid and removes... History of Distilling. Though it is made from alcoholic fermentation, it is quite distinct from other fermented alcoholic beverages such as wine and beer as hard alcohol goes through distillation. Another sense of “hard” that developed over time was “powerful and potent.” That’s the sense we use today when we refer to drinks with a high alcohol content, like vodka—in contrast to ones with a lower alcohol content, like beer. In the same way, alcohol has long been considered essential to life, whether for palliative, medicinal, or recreational reasons. Not usually the best combination. As with all alcoholic beverages, driving under the influence, operating an aircraft or heavy machinery increases the risk of an accident; as such many countries have penalties for drunk driving. Liquor. It can mean firm and unyielding, rough and abrasive, or stubborn and obstinate. What does hard liquor expression mean? Drunk Catholic History: Spirits and the Holy Spirit. (2) A treatise on good manners written in the 1500s notes that “Neither hard wine is pleasant to the taste, neither haughty behavior acceptable in company.” (3) Indeed! National Geographic, February 2017 (accessed July 9, 2019). The Distillation Process and How It Impacts Alcohol Content. These spirits would have had a much lower alcohol content (about 40% ABV) than the alchemists' pure distillations, and they were likely first thought of as medicinal elixirs. One other fact about “hard drinks.” You might think of them as the opposite of “soft drinks.” Today, when we use that phrase, we think of sugary, carbonated beverages like Coke, Pepsi, or Dr Pepper. As liquors contain significantly more alcohol than other alcoholic drinks, they are considered "harder" – in North America, the term hard liquor is used to distinguish distilled alcoholic drinks from non-distilled ones… Liquor generally has an alcohol concentration higher than 30%. Another possible explanation for why we call alcoholic drinks “spirits" is that a person’s spirit is considered the most essential part of their being. The proof measurement harks back to 16th-century England, when the government would put an extra tax on “proof spirits”—that is, liquor that contained a certain higher amount of alcohol. Back in the day, Middle Eastern alchemists were more concerned with medical elixirs than with turning lead into gold. Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. It's no secret that there are so many different kinds of liquor that it can be tough to know what you're getting — even after you've spent way too much time stressing over the decision. Why alcohol and hard liquor are called spirits Related Videos. Sam is the vice president of ACES, The Society for Editing, and is the managing editor of Tracking Changes, ACES' quarterly journal. Why Is Liquor Called Spirits. Due to its flammability (see below) alcoholic beverage with alcohol content above 70% by volume is not permitted to be transported in aircraft. [30] Alcoholism reduces a person's life expectancy by around ten years[31] and alcohol use is the third-leading cause of early death in the United States. [12] However, this did not immediately lead to the isolation of alcohol, even despite the development of more advanced distillation techniques in second- and third-century Roman Egypt. To our surprise, there was an overwhelming majority in favor of the latter type of alcohol, with 66% of the 1,198 respondents voting for hard liquor over wine and beer. If you can imagine having little to no understanding of the … As an Amazon Associate and a Bookshop.org Affiliate, QDT earns from qualifying purchases. [28] The risk is greater in younger people due to binge drinking which may result in violence or accidents. to figure out how many calories are in one shot of popular liquors. The inflammable nature of the exhalations of wine was already known to ancient natural philosophers such as Aristotle (384–322 BCE), Theophrastus (c. 371–287 BCE), and Pliny the Elder (23/24–79 CE). [19] It was served in a tall, narrow glass called a Goderulffe. If you would like to listen to the audio, please use Google Chrome or Firefox. Past . They believed the breath was the in presence of that which leaves the body at time of death. That’s because alcohol is produced by fermentation. Liquor that contains 40% ABV (80 US proof) will catch fire if heated to about 26 °C (79 °F) and if an ignition source is applied to it. Consumption of liquor correlates with higher mortality rates, with the rate of mortality increasing with consumption. Due to its high ethanol content, drinking a large amount of undiluted liquor within a short period of time causes serious and acute health problems associated with alcohol poisoning. Whiskey business. These drinks—brandy, gin, whisky, rum, tequila, and vodka—are created by distillation. We know that studies have shown that over time, drinking hard liquor excessively can cause a number of very serious health problems, and in no way are we denying, or making light of these facts but, we like to find the silver lining in every cloud. Liquor or spirit (also distilled alcohol) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, or vegetables that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Fractional distillation was developed by Taddeo Alderotti in the 13th century. (3) Oxford English Dictionary, online edition. If you have a problem with that, talk to the ad executives who decided in the 1950s to take it out because they thought it would be easier to read the name on the bottle without the period. The freezing technique had limitations in geography and implementation limiting how widely this method was put to use. She runs Dragonfly Editorial, an agency that provides copywriting, editing, and design for scientific, medical, technical, and corporate materials. 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.[27]. The first use the OED mentions of its meaning "a liquid for drinking" occurred in the 14th century. Hard alcohol, oftentimes called hard liquor, is a type of beverage that has a high alcoholic content – typically 30% by volume or higher. Around 1400, methods to distill spirits from wheat, barley, and rye beers, a cheaper option than grapes, were discovered. May people stand in your gap to cover and … The main active ingredient of distilled spirits is alcohol, and therefore, the health effects of alcohol apply to spirits. [13] 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. The distillation process purifies the liquid to increase its alcohol by volume. [2][32], For the sweetened and flavored alcoholic beverages, see, alcoholic beverage that is produced by distillation, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Short-term effects of alcohol consumption, "Distilled Spirits Overconsumption as the Most Important Factor of Excessive Adult Male Mortality in Europe", "Distilling your own spirits: A drop of the easier stuff", "Flash points of ethanol-based water solutions", "Alcohol and cardiovascular health: the dose makes the poison...or the remedy", "Recognition and management of withdrawal delirium (delirium tremens)", "Alcoholism and mortality in Eastern Europe", History and Taxonomy of Distilled Spirits, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Liquor&oldid=1007476584, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2017, Articles needing additional references from October 2020, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2014, Articles needing additional references from January 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 60% – 22 °C (72 °F) – strong baijiu, normal, Neat — at room temperature without any additional ingredient(s), Up — shaken or stirred with ice, strained, and served in a, Down — shaken or stirred with ice, strained, and served in a, With water poured over sugar (as with absinthe), This page was last edited on 18 February 2021, at 09:40. Surprised, the man, who went to that church, asked why he was … There is considerable variation in the meaning of the term ‘liquor.’ And its meaning has changed over time. Distilled spirit, Distillation, Why is Alcohol Measured by Proof? [2][3], The term "spirit" refers to liquor that contains no added sugar and has at least 20% alcohol by volume (ABV). We looked into this question, which led us to exploring some other interesting words for alcohol. Wine Enthusiast, Sept. 11, 2018 (accessed July 9, 2019). In undiluted form, distilled beverages are often slightly sweet, bitter, and typically impart a burning mouthfeel, with a strong odor from the alcohol; the exact flavor varies between different varieties of liquor and the different impurities they impart. Freeze distillation involves freezing the alcoholic beverage and then removing the ice. The … What’s it called when a financial manager invests all their money in hard liquor? Claims upon the origin of specific beverages are controversial, often invoking national pride, but they are plausible after the 12th century AD, when Irish whiskey and German brandy became available. (1) Maybe because it’s so old, the word has come to have many shades of meaning. [9] Alchemists in Roman Egypt were using a distillation alembic or still device in the 3rd century. Drinking more than 1-2 drinks a day increases the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, and stroke. Its use as a term for "an intoxicating alcoholic drink" appeared in the 16th century. One of our listeners recently wrote in to ask why some types of alcohol are known as “hard” alcohol. The word proof is used in the sense of showing that something is true or correct. There are craft distilleries cranking out newer, smaller brands, flavorings that make hard liquor taste like anything from jalapeño to marshmallow, … Synonyms for hard liquor include ardent spirits, alcohol, liquor, spirits, booze, grog, drink, tipple, intoxicant and inebriant. A BAC of 0.09% to 0.25% causes lethargy, sedation, balance problems and blurred vision. Because alcohol has a lower boiling point than water (78.5 °C / 173.3 °F versus 100 °C / 212 °F), the alcohol in the beverage will evaporate before the water does. Another word for hard liquor. And that early humans began to plant and domesticate grains not so they could make bread—but so they could make beer. Yeah, vodka might not taste the greatest. Truly defining hard seltzer is harder than it initially sounds, because hard seltzers probably aren’t quite what you assume them to be. But it's also why it tends to contain fewer allergens. You are supposed to be having fun with your disposable income when you consume liquor. The production method was written in code, suggesting that it was being kept secret. Samantha Enslen runs Dragonfly Editorial. Look it up now! The distillation process purifies the liquid to increase its alcohol by volume. Drinking enough to cause a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.03%-0.12% typically causes an overall improvement in mood and possible euphoria, increased self-confidence, and sociability, decreased anxiety, a flushed, red appearance in the face and impaired judgment and fine muscle coordination. Different concentrations of alcohol in the human body have different effects on a person. Another meaning that developed early on was “harsh and unpleasant.” It makes sense, then, that in the 1500s, it started being used to describe alcohol that had a sharp, acidic flavor. A “hard wine” was one that contained a lot of tannins—compounds that come from grape skins and seeds and have an astringent flavor. Some countries and sub-national jurisdictions limit or prohibit the sale of certain very high-percentage alcohol, commonly known as neutral spirit. These include whiskey, rum, vodka, gin, tequila and other beverages that are distilled. Like other alcoholic drinks, liquor is typically consumed for the psychoactive effects of ethanol. Examples of liquors include brandy, vodka, baijiu, shōchū, soju, gin, rum, tequila, mezcal, and whisky. First of all, let’s look at the word “hard.” It’s an old Germanic word—so old that one of its first recorded uses is in “Beowulf,” the epic poem written around 700 AD. Early evidence of distillation comes from Akkadian tablets dated c. 1200 BC describing perfumery operations, providing textual evidence that an early, primitive form of distillation was known to the Babylonians of ancient Mesopotamia. A Critical Companion to Beowulf, pp. And when grains and fruits ferment, they produce not just ethanol—which can kill bacteria—but also many other vital nutrients, including B vitamins like folic acid, niacin, and riboflavin. Aristotle felt possessed by spirits. All cocktail recipes include a source of alcohol and some other ingredients meant for … Our Stories May 24, 2011 9 Comments. So, if you collect the vapors rising from the still, and let them cool and condense back into a liquid, you’ll get a beverage with a higher alcohol content than the one you started with.