what are the various raw materials with which the drinks are made?

Question

Whisky
Beer
Rum
Tequila
Scotch
Wine-i guess grapes!!!

what are these made of? the various fruits/vegetables that are fermented

Answer 1

Whisky and Whiskies (Scotch, Irish, Candian, bourbon...) are made from grain; corn, wheat, rye, etc. American whiskey must contain 51% corn by law.
They are then aged in charred oak barrels which gives the whiskey it's color and taste.

Vodka and Gin are also made from grains (Vodka can be distilled from potatoes), Vodka is merely filtered and diluted with water to legal proof and gin is flavored with juniper berries, herbs, and fruits.

Tequila is made from agave, which look like cactus but are not.
Tequila can be clear, joven/"young" or colored: reposado/ "rested", añejo/"aged", & maduro/"mature" are aged in barrels. Oro/"gold" is merely colored.

Rum is usually distilled from molasses, and can be flavored with spices. It is also aged in barrels, giving it color and taste.

Wine is made from grapes. True wine is made from grapes and nothing else.

Brandy and cognac (conac is merely brandy from the Cognac region of France like Champagne is sparkling white wine from the Champagne region) are distlilled from wine.

Beer is mainly made from water, malted barley,& yeast and flavored with hops, a relative of marijuana. Some varieties have more ingredients. Most mass produced beers have large quantities of rice.

Answer 2

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.

Answer 3

Rum- usually sugar cane
Tequilia - agave cactus (looks like a big aloe plant)
wine - any fruit, really.

the other stuff, I don't know.

Answer 4

whiskey is usually corn
beer is malt, hops, barley, sometimesrice
scotch is malt and grains I believe
gin is juniper berries
vodka often is potatoes