What are these alcoholic drinks derived from?...?

Question

I quit drinking years ago, but I'm curious lately what the different forms of alcohol are derived from.
I know that
Wine comes from grapes
Beer is from barley
Vodka is from potatoes
Rum is from sugarcane

However, I've been curious about the others such as whiskey, burbon, scotch, brandy, martini as well as others you can think of that I may have missed.
The most informative answer will recieve my vote.

O.K. we'll leave out the martinis. Tony Sinclair confused me (LOL).

Answer 1

Whiskey is essentially beer without hops that's been distilled. The ingredients can range from barley, wheat, rye, corn, millet, oats...virtually any starchy cereal grain you can think of can be made into beer and thus whiskey.
Single malt whiskey (whisky for the Scots) is purely barley and distilled at a single distillery.
Bourbon is an American whiskey that has by law >51% corn in its list of ingredients...many will tell you it must be made in Kentucky, but this isn't true, though the vast majority of Bourbon distilleries *are* in Kentucky, there a few exceptions. Time in the barrels also is a factor.
Scotch is simply short for "Scotch Whisky" (with no 'e' in the spelling...they like it this way) and simply refers to whisky made exclusively in Scotland and by law has to be aged 3 or more years in wood casks to be called "Scotch."

Brandy is merely distilled wine. Specialty brandies such as Cognac and Armagnac are made in specific geographic regions and of certain wines to be called such by French Law. This is the same with "Champagne" being exclusively from the Champagne region and all others are "sparkling wine."

Vodka isn't exclusively from potatoes. In fact, it's increasingly rare that it is made from potatoes in that they are more expensive as an ingredient for the whole distilling cycle. You'll find that most vodkas are distilled from grain...the same as whiskey, but more and more thoroughly so that there is minimal/no flavor left in the distillate. It's also not aged or barreled and therefore remains crystal clear and colorless.

Actually all brown spirits (whiskey, brandy, rum) derive the majority of their color and flavor from the wooden casks that they are aged in. When distilled, they all...yes, *ALL* come out crystal clear and colorless. Caramel color may be added in the cheaper varieties, and dark rums will frequently have molasses added back for a richer flavor (which is not necessarily characteristic of the cheaper varieties).

Tequila is fermented agave juice which is then distilled. The different colors/grades relate to the amount of aging. Like Cognac etc. "Tequila" only comes from a certain region of Mexico, and is exclusively Blue Agave...all others are "Mezcal"

Gin is neutral spirits (like vodka) which are flavored via various methods with primarly juniper berries and also other botanicals.

Ouzo, Pernod, and Absinthe belong to a group of spirits called "Pastis" (I forget the meaning exactly). These are all primarily flavored with anise and liquorice and when water is added, the oils from the infused botanicals un-dissolve and turn the drink milky. Absinthe is unique in that it contanise wormwood as one of its botanicals. Wormwood contains thujone which is a controversial substance which renders it illegal in a majority of countries. It is said to make the drinker hallucinate...often called "seeing the green fairie" as Absinthe is colored green. The truth is that Absinthe is *extremely* alcoholic relative to other spirits (65% alcohol and up) and is traditionally drunk with water poured through a sugar cube (lighting the sugar cube on fire is optional) which reduces the strength for drinking.

When you start asking about martinis, then you're asking about mixed drinks and that's a whole other can of worms I'm not going to open.

Answer 2

Ok here's what I know...

Bourbon and Scotch are both types of whiskey and are made with a combination of grains mostly corn I think....(I'm from Kentucky, I'm more familiar with Bourbon production) Sour mash whiskey (Jack Daniels) is made with similar ingredients. Brandy is made from grapes... Martini is a mixed drink that can be made with vodka or gin as the main ingredient... Your pure grains (everclear or golden grain) are made from corn... Tequila is made from the agave plant as is Mescal (which are commonly considered to be the same but aren't)

Answer 3

brand is from grapes
burbon is whiskey from corn
scotch is whiskey from barley
Rye Whiskey is whiskey from rye
martini is a type of a drink containing vodka and vermouth
REAL wine is made from grapes, but people make "wine" from everything by adding the sugar.
Good rum is made from cane, crap rum is made from sugar or malasses
Vodka can be made from popatoes, but it is very hard to find, and better tasting vodkas are made from grain
Gin is made from white grain spirit and juniper berries
mead is made from honey
tequila is agave
mezcal is also from agave
Soju is korean liquor from rice
sake is jap wine from rice
Ouzo is also from grapes
araka is fermented milk

Answer 4

Gin is from Juniper berries
Tequila from agave plants
Whiskeys from molasses and barley (similar to beer)
You can also use corn, wheat or any other form of plant that has glucose in it (basically all).
That is how they make ethanol and methanol. Just highly refined alchol.

Answer 5

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbourbon.html
This will help clarigy the Bouron/Whisky thing.
http://www.tasteoftx.com/spirits/scotch.html
This will explain Scotch.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandy
This will help with Brandy
I wish I could remember it all but I watched on the Discovery channel (I think) a few months ago an explanation of it all, how it was made and what it was made of.
Its really interesting.

Answer 6

Whiskey- barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and maize or corn

Bourbon is a whiskey, and so is scotch

Brandy is a wine, thus made from grapes/ fermented fruit juice