Why is Alcohol called Spirits?

Question

I have heard that Alcohol is sometimes Called Spirits. Does this Only refer to Whiskey and other Hard Alcohol or Does it Refer to Beer as Well?
Why is Alcohol called Spirits?

Please no more Wiki!

Answer 1

Generally spirits refer to drinks with a high alcohol level, like at least over 30% so it generally refers to hard liquor. Beer and wine typically don't have such a high level.

Considering that in latin "spirit" has to do with one's breath, or the breathing of life into someone or something to animate it, (one's spirit) the association with the word has to do with the livelyhood that alcohol elicits. Back in the dark ages (in europe mind you, where the word spirits is used to this day, not so much in the us) when alchemists were trying to find the elixir of life and stuff like that, they would note the considerable effects alcohol would have on living creatures, experiment with it and associated the term then.

Answer 2

Might want to read this link. Such a refreshing article. See http://www.cocktailcrush.co.uk/Cocktail-Guide/History-Of-Spirits

Answer 3

There are people who can "see" the other side. When people drink alcohol those people see spirits hang around and get into your body just for the effect of the alcohol.

In other words, they get to enjoy your body when you're not.

I've heard first hand some of them and for that reason, I never have more than one or one and a half drinks a day. I never have gotten drunk since I heard about it. I would not want another spirit in my body who doesn't want to leave.

Answer 4

The term comes from times when the English and French came to North America. They traded furs for whiskey and other forms of hard alcohol. They referred to the substance as "spirit water" since, in the native belief, being drunk allows you to see the spirits of your ancestors and the gods.

Answer 5

The word "alcohol" almost certainly comes from the Arabic language, however, the precise etymology is unclear. "Al-" is the Arabic definite article, but the second part may be derived from the al-kuḥl, the name of an early distilled substance, or perhaps from al-ġawl, meaning "spirit" or "demon" and akin to liquors being called "spirits" in English.

Answer 6

Good question. I heard the name arose when George Clooney was a young boy. At the time he didn't know what the effects of alcohol were, so when he heard his parents clanging around the house late at night and moaning, he assumed they were spirits. Of course, being a celebrity caused the general population to accept the term, so there you have it.

Answer 7

WHAT ARE SPIRITS?
Alcohol, in its basic meaning, is a hydroxyl compound such as ethanol or methanol. Fermentation is the process by which an organic substance (usually a sugar) is converted by a single-celled microorganism such as yeast into alcohol. A spirit is distilled alcohol. Spirits distillation is the process of heating a fermented liquid, evaporating off the alcohol as vapor, and thencondensing it back into liquid form.

How Are Spirits Made?
Spirits can be made from any organic substance that can be fermented to create alcohol. Most alcoholic beverages are made by fermenting fruit or grain-based solutions. A still extracts alcohol from a fermented liquid by boiling it and then condensing the alcohol vapors, which evaporate from the boiling liquid at a lower temperature than water. For example, an 8% alcohol by volume (ABV) wine or beer distills into a 20% ABV distillate when it is run through a typical simple pot still. The alcohol content can be further increased by additional redistillations that further concentrate the alcohol and reduce the total volume of liquid.

The first and most basic type of still is the pot still, which is an enclosed vessel (the kettle or "pot") that narrows into a tube at the top to collect alcohol vapor that evaporates when the fermented contents are boiled. The tube bends downward off the top of the pot and runs through a bath of cold water. This causes the alcohol vapor to condense back into liquid and drain into a container at the end of the tube. Most pot stills are made from copper. They are considered "inefficient" in that they carry over a percentage of water and chemical compound vapors along with the alcohol vapor. This "inefficiency" can be considered an advantage when producing spirits such as brandy and whiskey that have distinctive flavors.

The column or continuous still has two enclosed copper or stainless steel columns. The fermented liquid is slowly fed down into the top of the first column while steam is sent up from the bottom. The rising steam strips the alcohol from the descending liquid and carries it over into the second column where it is recirculated and concentrated to the desired percentage of alcohol. Column stills are more "efficient" than pot stills in that they extract a higher concentration of alcohol. They are favored for neutral-flavored spirits such as vodka and white rum and also for industrial alcohol.

How Are Spirits Measured?
Spirits are measured by alcohol content. Different scales are used in different countries. Most countries use alcohol by volume (ABV), also known as the Gay-Lussac system, which expresses alcohol content as a percentage of the total liquid volume of the beverage. A 40% ABV spirit contains 40% alcohol. In the United States, the proof scale of measurement is used, with the proof of a spirit being double the ABV. Thus a 40% ABV spirit is 80 proof. A degree symbol is customarily used when expressing proof.

How Are Spirits Classified?
Generally speaking, spirits are classified by the fermented material that they are distilled from. Whiskies, Vodka, Gin and most types of Schnapps are made by distilling a kind of beer made from grain. Brandy is made from fermented grape juice, and Fruit Brandy is made from other fruits. Rum and Cane Spirits derive from fermented sugar cane juice or molasses. Tequila and Mezcal come from the fermented pulp of the agave plant. Fortified wines are hybrid beverages in that they are a blend of fermented wine and distilled spirits (usually Brandy).

Answer 8

when the settlers landed and they gave the aboriginalnd natives booze thus the natives began talking to [SPIRITS} HENCE HARD LIQUOR WAS CALLED

Answer 9

just refers to liqour and other hard alcohol.

Answer 10

distilled spirits others are just fermented