Generally, it is the distillation step that distinguishes spirits from alcoholic beverages produced solely by fermentation, such as beer, wine, or cider. Distillation is a process of separating mixtures of liquid substances with different boiling points.
In the case of alcohols, this operation is made possible by the difference in evaporation temperature between water (100°C at normal atmospheric pressure) and alcohol (78.3°C). At this intermediate temperature, the alcohol evaporates and then condenses to form a liquid distillate, the basis of the future alcoholic beverage.
Distillation is carried out using a still. This is a device consisting of a slowly heated boiler from which vapors are released. These vapors are collected in a free space located above the boiler and called the capital. The alcohol vapors then pass through a swan neck to reach a coil cooled by fresh water where the vapors condense, producing the liquid distillate.
The term "spirits" is often used to refer to hard liquor. You'll see why in the background below...
| Amareto (View) Infused almonds |
Brandy/Cognac (View) Grape spirit |
Calvados (View) Apple spirit |
| Gin (View) Aromatised by Juniper |
Rum (View) Sugarcane spirit |
Tequila/Mezcal (View) Agave spirit |
| Vodka (View) Grains or Patatoes spirit |
Whisky (View) Grains spirit |
Distillation is an ancient process that dates back to 2000 BC. It is believed that the first distillations were carried out in China, Egypt and Mesopotamia for medicinal purposes and also for the purpose of creating balms, essences and perfumes.
In the 4th century BC, Aristotle suggested the possibility of distillation and wrote: "We can make sea water drinkable by distillation, and wine and other liquids can undergo the same process."
Historians claim that the still was most likely invented around 200 or 300 AD by Zosimus of Panoplia and his sister Theosebeia, Egyptian alchemists.
'Ambix' is a Greek word used to refer to a vessel with a small opening. This vessel is part of the distillation equipment. Initially, the Arabs changed the word 'Ambix' to 'Ambic' and named the distillation equipment 'Al Ambic'. Later, in Europe, the word was changed to 'Alambic'.
Ibn Yasid is credited with using the still to produce alcohol. This discovery was made after the 10th century. Initially, alcohol was used medicinally and to prolong life expectancy ('Aqua vitae', water of life or miraculous water). Indeed, pharmaceutical observations, made very early on, attributed curative powers to spirituous beverages, as they provoked a feeling of relaxation and well-being and the antiseptic effect of alcohol was observed, although it could not be explained at the time.
Until the end of the 15th century, distilled alcohol was a valuable remedy and sold only in apothecaries. It was purchased by wealthy townspeople who recognized its fortifying properties. After this, the consumption of spirituous alcoholic beverages became commonplace at social occasions, giving rise to the infinite variety of beverages currently available on the market.
The problem of drunkenness quickly arose. The nobility and the Church encouraged the people to consume alcohol in moderation or to become abstinent. At this time, the Church considered drunkenness a pagan vice, which it sometimes punished severely.
But with the onset of the industrial revolution, populations most exposed to precariousness increasingly turned to alcohol to cope with their difficult working or living conditions. In 1849, Magnus Huss, a Swedish physician, introduced the term alcoholism, describing the multiple visceral or mental alcoholopathies in his work "Alcoholismus Chronicus."
