Different Types of Distilled Spirits

There are six types of liquor you can play with to make your marvellous drinks. They are usually known as the “base distilled spirits” because they are often the starting point of many mixed drinks, as well as the foundations for several liqueurs. These are:

• Gin , distilled from grains.
• Brandy , distilled from grapes or, less often, other fruits.
• Tequila , distilled from the agave plant, directly from Mexico.
• Rum , made by distilling molasses or sugar, which gave it a distinctive, sweet taste.
• Whisky , distilled from fermented grains.
• Vodka , distilled from potatoes.

Additional Useful Spirits and Alcoholic Beverages

Mixing a good cocktail is not all about using the six basic liquors. In fact, there are several other spirits and liqueurs which do not go through any distillation process but are still essential for your bartending career.

• Absinthe, an unsweetened spirit, often misclassified as a liqueur.
• Vermouth and other fortified wines. Usually, they are served with a small amount of distilled spirit, to highlight their taste.
• Beers
• Wines

You do not need to have all these spirits and beverages at home. Based on the recipe you are following, some of these ingredients can be replaced. Besides, you are more than encouraged to explore different tastes to change standard recipes a little bit to make them more suitable for your tastes and the ingredients you have access to.

We do not recommend investing in buying all these spirits, especially because some of them can be particularly expensive. You should start by the one you really like and you believe are more versatile, based on the types of cocktails you are going to mix more often.