Whether you’re expanding the drinks in your home bar or getting into distilled spirits for the first time, you should know what types of liquor are out there. Learning the different types of liquor creates a foundation for moving onto cocktails and mixed drinks, and it allows you to understand the best way to drink each spirit, either by itself or in a beverage. But what exactly is liquor?
As the base of countless cocktails, liquor serves as an essential addition to almost every mixed drink. There are many kinds of liquor made of all different ingredients, giving them complex flavors and unique uses. We’ve gathered a list below that explains all types of liquor, along with signature drinks made with each so you can get an idea of what you can use each hard alcohol in when making mixed drinks.
If you’re new to the world of spirits and cocktails, the list below may seem overwhelming. Before diving in, you may find these terms helpful.
The ingredients and techniques above don’t appear in every cocktail, but they are helpful to add to your base of knowledge as you learn about the types of liquor. Now that you know some of the basics, let’s explore the world of spirits! Before we talk about the different types of liquor, we will first explain what liquor is.
Liquor comes in many forms and flavors. In general, liquor starts as fermented ingredients that go through distillation. Fermentation turns sugars into alcohol. Then distillation removes excess water to create a higher alcohol concentration. Aging in wooden barrels can develop a liquor’s color and flavor over time, though not every spirit goes through this process.
For a drink to be a liquor, it must be alcoholic and distilled. Because of the distillation — and minimal to no added sugar — hard alcohol unsurprisingly has a high alcohol content. Bottles of spirits will tell you on the the alcohol content in percentages and proof. The percentage refers to the liquor’s alcohol by volume (ABV), and the proof is that percentage doubled. So a spirit with 40% ABV would be 80 proof.
Beer and wine are not hard alcohol because they are not distilled beverages. If you’ve previously only been a beer or wine drinker and you’re nervous about the higher alcohol content in liquor, don’t worry. When using hard alcohol in a mixed drink, the other ingredients help dilute the overall percentage of alcohol. You can adjust the nonalcoholic ingredients to your preference if you prefer a weaker or stronger drink.
While there are flavored types of hard alcohol out there, we will focus on the standard kinds of liquor. Feel free to explore flavor-infused options as you begin trying out different spirits! For now, let’s see what types of liquor are out there.
Call these forms of distilled alcohol either liquor, hard liquor, spirits or hard alcohol. Any of these names will suffice for the six general types of liquor.
There are a variety of liquors made from fruit, sugar or grains for you to try. Each of the six types of liquors has a unique flavor profile that pairs well with different nonalcoholic ingredients and other kinds of alcohol. We’ve gathered some classic cocktails you might’ve heard of and tasted before, but perhaps you did not know what spirit was the main ingredient. Read on to learn more about these hard alcohols and their uses.
As one of the more complex categories of liquor, whiskey includes a variety of spirits. Scotch, bourbon and whisky all fall under the umbrella of whiskey. Location of the spirit’s creation is part of what determines the different names. Scotch and whisky come from Scotland, while bourbon is American-made. The ingredients and other rules also play a role in naming.
A variety of hard alcohol like bourbon has many regulations. The restrictions that dictate what can be bourbon include the following.
The rules for bourbon help distinguish it from scotch and whiskey, but whichever you choose to drink comes down to preference. When using whiskey in cocktails, select a variety that suits your tastes and the flavor profile of the overall drink. Below is a list of some classic mixed drinks that feature whiskey.
You may choose to use bourbon or rye whiskey — whiskey whose mash is 51% rye grain — as these recipes suggest, but feel free to play around with different whiskeys once you get the hang of those classic cocktails. Despite the wide variety of whiskeys, the alcohol contents remain consistently around 40 to 50%.
Like whiskey, brandy’s category includes another related spirit — cognac. Unlike other hard liquors, brandy is made with fermented fruit instead of grain. Most of the time, the fruits in brandy include:
Because of the fruit-based ingredients, brandy has a similar taste to wine. The liquor ages in wood barrels, typically oak, and develops an almost burnt taste in addition to the wine-like profile. Brandy also has a higher alcohol content than wine — usually between 35 and 60%.
Brandy is a sophisticated liquor, often used with a limited number of ingredients in a mixed drink. Some popular concoctions include:
The classic liquor comes from all over the world, but only the Cognac region in France can create brandy’s counterpart. No matter which you use, you are sure to create a classic cocktail with a complex and fruity flavor profile.
Unlike brandy, vodka does not typically age, and the color remains clear. You will find vodkas with alcohol contents ranging from 40 to 50%.
As one of the most popular types of hard liquor today, vodka can be a key ingredient in almost any drink. Thanks to vodka’s neutral flavor, its uses range from simple to complex, pairing with one ingredient to multiple other liquors. While vodka comes in various flavors, these mixed drinks use the standard form and add other flavorings.
Play around with different vodka flavors to suit your tastes and add dimension to these and other cocktails. Since vodka is such a versatile and neutral hard liquor, it is one you’ll want to keep in your cabinet.
Like brandy and unlike other liquors, the process of making rum does not involve fermenting grains. Sugarcane or molasses ferment to create rum. The sweeter spirit comes in many types, including:
Different aging processes create different types of rum. Light rum does not age, while dark rum ages in oak barrels. The typical alcohol content sits at 40%, though over-proof varieties can get as high as 75%. Use those different types of rum to create cocktails such as the ones below.
You will find rum distilleries worldwide, but the liquor originates in the Caribbean. The spirit’s roots make it an appropriate choice for tropical and summertime drinks. Once you get into creating rum cocktails, you will want to consider having multiple varieties of rum on hand.
Made from neutral grains such as rye, barley, wheat and corn, gin remains unaged, and is clear, like vodka. The herbal and pine-like aroma of gin comes from the inclusion of botanical ingredients like juniper berries.
Gin has a dry — meaning not sweet — taste that pairs with cocktails that also are not sweet. Here are some favorite gin mixed drinks.
Cocktails made with gin usually do not have many other components since the spirit already has more flavor than the other types of liquors out there. Despite its herbal flavor, most people do not consume gin straight, as you may with other spirits. This clear liquor is a worldwide favorite and usually ranges from 35 to 40% alcohol content.
Another liquor made from something other than grains, tequila comes from the heart of an agave plant once distilleries bake and juice it. Like other spirits, tequila comes in many varieties depending on its aging process.
The longer a tequila ages, the more likely it will be to have a higher price. While any variety of tequila can stand on its own in a shot, blanco or reposado variations usually appear in cocktails such as the following.
Unlike other spirits made in distilleries worldwide, tequila must come from specific locations in Mexico to have the “tequila.” The hard liquor is also among the most potent spirits, with an average alcohol percentage of 55. Use caution when creating the above cocktails and others, adjusting the nonalcoholic ingredients if necessary.
Now that you know more about the different kinds of liquor, you’ll want to understand the difference between liquor and liqueur. We mentioned recipes above that include a splash of various liqueurs, but what is the ingredient?
In the most straightforward terms, liqueur is liquor with added sweeteners and flavors. Anything from herbs to fruits can flavor liqueurs, which also have a lower alcohol content than liquor. Expect to find a range between 15 and 30%, though some liqueurs’ ABV can be higher. Because of the added sweetener, liqueurs have a more syrup-like consistency, as well.
Some common types of liqueurs include:
Liqueurs can enhance the flavor in a mixed drink or take away from the sometimes strong alcohol taste hard liquors add to cocktails. Since liqueurs already contain sweeteners, lower the amount of simple syrup or sugar used in a recipe to maintain a balance. Recipes often account for this adjustment, but if you are playing around with your home bartending, it is something to keep in mind.
You may also see the term “cordial” in cocktail recipes. Cordials are generally the same as liqueurs, being a sweetened spirit. Sometimes, cordials are even sweeter and used in dessert drinks, and sometimes they contain no alcohol. No matter what you call them, liqueurs make a great addition to your at-home bar and homemade cocktails.
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