1 / 11We all consume them, but we rarely ask ourselves what they are made of. Most of us know for a fact that wine is made from grapes, but do you know what whiskey, beer, rum and vodka are made of? Read on to find out and you might be surprised to know that wine is made from rice, ginger, rose petals and many more fruits. Let’s take a look at these 10 alcohols and what they are made of.
2 / 11Whisky | This amber-colored spirit, sometimes spelled whiskey, is made from fermented grains, such as rye, wheat, barley or corn. Most of these whiskeys are aged and produced in wooden barrels before bottling and contain a minimum of 40 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). Fun fact | Whiskey is one of the few spirits that can be frozen, unlike some others. But don’t try to make it at home, it gets very cold.
3 / 11Geneva | Gin is a neutral spirit that is distilled from natural components, such as wheat, barley, grapes, and potatoes. Its flavors are derived from a host of botanical ingredients, such as seeds, flowers, plants, herbs, and spices, that are added during production. An essential botanical ingredient for gin is juniper, which originates from Europe, South America, and Asia. Fun fact | Gin was one of the alcohols originally used as medicine. It was known to relieve stomach aches, for example, and some were convinced that it could be a cure for the plague.
4 / 11Vodka | Here we have an all-time favourite. Vodka is typically made from two raw materials: ethanol, which is obtained from the fermentation of cereal grains such as wheat, sorghum or rye, and water. Many of the brands that sell vodka use additives such as botanicals or spices, along with other basic ingredients such as sugar beets or potatoes. This is known to create and maintain the unique character of the liquor. Fun fact | Since vodka is made from distilled potatoes or grains, it does not contain many heavy substances, making it lighter than water.
5 / 11brandy | Another distillate! Brandy is made from fruit wine, and the origin of the word “brandewijn” is the Dutch word meaning “burnt wine.” One interesting thing about brandy is that it can be produced from any fruit – pears, apples, and even cherries! But if it is made from a fruit other than grapes, the company must make sure that it is mentioned on the bottle. Fun fact | Brandy is actually made from wine! Who would have thought that turning wine into brandy would be the next step?
6 / 11Rum | Rum, the guilty pleasure of pirates, is produced from molasses, a substance derived from sugar cane. The quality of the liquor depends largely on the variety of sugar cane used to make it. Now, the quality of the sugar cane depends on the soil in which it was grown, and the climate also plays a role, so you can imagine the attention to detail that companies pay! In areas such as the Caribbean, most of this molasses comes from Brazil. Fun fact | Rum is known to help preserve fruit. People used to make it last longer, and all it did was improve the taste!
7 / 11Cider | Here’s a simple one: cider is a very tasty drink made from fermented apple juice. After apples are crushed and pressed, they are fermented with yeast so that the sugar turns into alcohol. Fun fact | People used to consider cider to be cleaner than water, which led to some babies being baptized in it.
8 / 11Beer | Ah, here’s a popular one, and as with most things popular, simplicity is key. Most beers are produced with the same four ingredients: water, hops, barley, and yeast. After all the sugar is extracted from the grain to convert the yeast into alcohol and carbon dioxide, your beer is fresh and ready with a side of peanuts and pretzels! Fun fact | If you weren’t interested in ancient history, now you are, because beer is older than written language. Who needs to communicate when you can have a drink?
9 / 11Wine | When we talk about a purely fundamental state, we all know that wine is basically grapes. All you have to do is crush them a little and leave them in a container for a sufficient amount of time. The best thing about wine is that natural yeasts are the ones that take the fructose and convert it into alcohol. This simple procedure dates back centuries! Fun fact | Did you know that wine contains diamonds? Sometimes, wine contains tiny crystals. They are completely harmless, of course, and are made of tartaric acid. They are an indicator that you are drinking a very good wine!
10 / 11Tequila | Its name suggests that tequila is made from the agave tequilana, also known as the Weber blue agave. Inside this plant is a bulb known as a piña. After being baked and squeezed, then fermented with yeast, your glass of tequila comes out of these barrels! Fun fact | Tequila Worms! Tequila worms, ironically, are not actually worms, but moth larvae that survive on agave plants. Beginning in 1940, distiller Jacobo Lozano Páe discovered that adding them to the drink enhanced the flavor, so he began adding them to bottles. It also apparently brings good luck and fortune if you find it in your glass, so check your tequila before taking a drink!
11 / 11Sake | Sake, originally from Japan, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice. Special varieties of sake rice, known as shuzo-kotekimai, are the only ones suitable for making sake. Fun fact | Many years ago, people used to chew rice to break it up before cooking. This was before the special, fancy molds we have now!
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