Drinks

A distilled spirit whose defining flavour is juniper. Botanicals give each style its own character.

The sweetened gin style between genever and London dry — the 19th-century bartender's default.

A distilled spirit made from fermented sugar-cane products, including molasses or cane juice.

Rum rested in oak — richer, rounder, made for stirred and long drinks alike.

Brazilian sugarcane spirit distilled from fresh cane juice — the engine of the Caipirinha.

Long-aged or caramel-darkened rum — molasses depth, toffee, smoke. Bermuda's Gosling's made it the signature float of the Dark 'n' Stormy.

Rum distilled in Guyana's Demerara county — dark, heavy and molasses-rich. The rum stack at the heart of Donn Beach's tiki originals (Navy Grog, Jet Pilot).

Rum given a brief sleep in wood — enough for vanilla and amber colour, not enough to lose the cane. Tiki recipes use it for body between the bright white and the brooding dark.

Funky, ester-driven pot-still rum — the punch behind tiki's golden era.

French-Caribbean rum distilled from fresh cane juice — grassy, vegetal, the martiniquan standard for tiki's funkier builds.

Distilled cane in its cleanest state — grassy, bright, fast. Cuba made it the base of the Daiquiri and Mojito; every tropical drink inherits its climate.

A Mexican agave spirit with a protected denomination of origin. Agave species and production methods create a wide range of flavours.

A Mexican spirit made from blue agave in designated regions. It has its own denomination and production rules.

Blue Weber agave distilled in Jalisco and bottled unaged — vegetal, peppery, direct. Blanco is the tequila the Margarita was written for.

A grain-based spirit whose character depends on grain, distillation, barrels and regional rules.

The workhorse of whisky — malts softened by grain whisky into a consistent, approachable frame. Smoky island malts may sit inside, but the blend aims for balance over thunder.

Corn-sweet, oak-rounded, and the default American pour. Bourbon softens whatever it touches — the reason the Old Fashioned and Whiskey Sour feel generous rather than austere.

Usually triple-distilled for a rounder, softer spirit than Scotch — honey, cereal, light pot-still spice. It sweetens naturally, which is exactly what Irish Coffee asks of it.

The original American cocktail whiskey — spicier and leaner than bourbon. The Manhattan was built for rye; its return is the measure of the classic revival.

A wine-based spirit. This guide also connects related fruit and pomace spirits, which have their own definitions.

Brandy distilled from apples — American applejack or French Calvados. Older than the cocktail itself and the base of the Jack Rose.

A wine spirit from Gascony, France, governed by the Armagnac appellation.

A Spanish wine brandy matured in the Jerez region under a protected geographical indication.

A Normandy cider or perry spirit with protected appellations; some styles include pears as well as apples.

Twice-distilled Ugni Blanc aged in Limousin oak — the brandy of record. The Sidecar exists because bartenders of the 1910s treated cognac as the luxury base spirit.

A Burgundy wine spirit, distinct from the region’s pomace-based marc.

Spirits distilled from fermented fruit. Distinguish these from sweet fruit liqueurs and spirits made by macerating fruit in alcohol.

An Italian grape-pomace spirit, available in unaged and wood-aged expressions.

A fruit spirit distilled from fermented cherries.

French grape-pomace spirit; regional appellations have their own production rules.

Peru and Chile's fiercely contested spirit — Muscat-family grapes distilled to proof and never touched by oak. Floral, grapey, and the sole correct base of a Pisco Sour.

A fruit spirit distilled from fermented williams pears.

Spirits distilled from fermented grape pomace. Marc and grappa are regional examples, distinct from wine brandy.

A fruit spirit distilled from fermented plums.

The blank canvas — grain or potato spirit rectified toward odourless neutrality. It carries other flavours rather than arguing with them, which is why the modern canon is full of it.

Sparkling wine from Champagne alone — chalky, brioche-tinged, high-acid. In cocktails it lifts shaken bases the way it lifted the French 75 into artillery range.

Veneto's easy sparkling wine — pear and white flowers, softer pressure than Champagne. The buoyant half of the Spritz that took over the world's aperitivo hour.

Sweetened spirits flavoured with herbs, roots, flowers or spices. This editorial grouping covers varied botanical recipes and levels of bitterness.

A broad Italian tradition of bitter herbal liqueurs; styles vary in sweetness, bitterness and botanical profile.

A bitter herbal style within amaro. Fernet-Branca is a brand, not the name of the entire category.

Bitter liqueurs flavoured with gentian root; Suze is a familiar brand example.

A wormwood- and anise-led botanical spirit. Traditional absinthe is not automatically a sweet herbal liqueur.