Alcohol Category

This is a dark beer with a heavy foam and a bitter flavor

Irish moonshine or vodka. Made from potatoes like vodka.

This is an area in the Burgundy region of France that's renown for its exquisite white wines. Made with Chardonnay grapes, these wines are great with seafood and hors d'oeuvres.

This is a highly regarded dry white wine.

Like tequila, this is made from the sap of the agave plant. It's popular in Mexico, though it's a bit harsher and heavier than tequila.

This is a bitter form of red vermouth. It's often mixed with soda.

This is great in champagne or on ice cream.Chambord is a popular brand. Don't confuse this with framboise, a raspberry brandy.

Red wines are heavier and more strongly flavored than white wines, and they go best with heavier, more strongly flavored foods, like red meat, pasta, and ripe cheeses. They should always be served at room temperature.

This is a white Greek wine that's flavored with pine resin. It's popular with Greeks, but hasn't caught on elsewhere. It should be served at room temperature.

Riesling grapes are used to make white Rhine wine.

Vineyards along the Rhône River in Southeastern France produce red, white, and blush wines, but they're best known for their excellent red wines. Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the region's most famous appellation, while Côtes-du-Rhône is the catch-all name given to lesser Rhône wines.

This is a popular brand of pastis, or licorice-flavored liqueur.

Technically, this should be called "rice beer," since it's fermented from a grain rather than a fruit. The Japanese produce two kinds of rice wines: sake, a dry wine that is used for drinking and cooking, and mirin, a sweet wine which is used just for cooking. Chinese cooks use a product similar to sake, called Shaoxing wine.

If made in Germany or Alsace, a Riesling is a very good, somewhat sweet white wine. If made in America, it's usually a so-so white wine that's usually made from Sylvaner = Franken Riesling, Gray Riesling and Emerald Riesling grapes, mediocre varieties which coast on the reputation of their superior relative, Johanissberg Riesling.

This is a region in Northern Spain that's known for its economical and fairly good red wines.

This is a citrus-flavored liqueur that's based on rye whiskey. There's a piece of rock candy in every bottle.

Rum is a key ingredient in many chilled drinks, like daiquiris, piña coladas, and Planter's punch. It's used in the kitchen, too, especially in cakes or fruit-based desserts. Rum is distilled from sugar cane, and most of it comes from cane-producing Caribbean countries. Its character varies according to its color. White rums are relatively dry and light, and commonly used in mixed drinks. The amber rums from Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and the Virgin Islands are heavier and more flavorful. The dark rums from Jamaica and Haiti are heavier still, and have a pronounced molasses flavor. Demerara rums are the darkest and heaviest of all. There also are aromatic rums that are flavored with fruits and spices.

This category includes coconut rum and spiced rum.

This American whiskey is made mostly with rye. It's similar to Bourbon, but not quite as elegant. Wild Turkey and Jim Beam are well-regarded brands. Whiskey should be served at room temperature.

This is an orange liqueur with a hint of chocolate. It's produced in Israel.

This is a Japanese rice wine, or more correctly, beer. It's usually served warm in tiny porcelain cups, but some trendy American restaurants served it chilled like white wine. Sake doesn't age well in the bottle and should be consumed within a year of bottling.

This is a semi-dry Italian liqueur that's flavored with anise, berries, herbs, and spices. It's traditional to float three coffee beans in each drink. Molinari and Romana are well-known brands.

This is the red grape variety that's often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to make Italian Chianti. California Sangiovesi are hearty and good with Italian food. The quality of this wine varies tremendously, but a good Sangiovese is sublime.

Sauternes is a district in France that produces exquisite and expensive white dessert wines. The district includes the commune Barsac, which produces some of the best Sauternes. Sauternes are sweet and are delicious with blue cheese, pâté de foie gras, and light desserts, though they should never be served with chocolate. Don't confuse Sauternes with Sauterne, which is a cheap domestic imitation.

This light white wine is often described as having a "grassy" flavor. It's terrific with seafood, poultry, and other delicately flavored dishes.

In the United States, schnapps are flavored liqueurs based on neutral spirits. The flavorings vary widely, and include peppermint schnapps, root beer schnapps, peach schnapps, and cinnamon schnapps. These flavored schnapps can be sweet or dry, but most are sweeter and lighter than a typical liqueur. In Germany and Scandinavia, schnapps refers to any spirit that's dry and potent, like kirsch and aquavit.

The king of whiskies, Scotch has a very distinctive, smoky flavor. Single-malt Scotch whisky is considered the best--it has a stronger, more complex flavor than blended Scotch, which is a mixture of malt whiskies and grain whiskies. Connoisseurs of single-malt Scotch consider Macallan to be one of the finest brands. Of the blended Scotch whiskies, the more highly-esteemed brands include Chivas Regal and Johnnie Walker Black Label. Use the cheaper blended Scotch for mixed drinks. Whiskey should be served at room temperature.

This is a grape variety that's sometimes developed into a dry white wine, sometimes into a excellent dessert wine.

Chinese rice wine varies in quality, so cookbooks often specify Shaoxing rice wine, which is quite good. The Chinese drink it from small porcelain cups, in the same way that the Japanese drink their sake. Shaoxing cooking wine may be salted.

This fortified Spanish wine is typically served in small glasses before dinner, but many cooks also keep a bottle handy in the kitchen to perk up sauces, soups, and desserts. There are two categories of sherry: fino and oloroso. Fino sherry = Palma sherry is dry, fruity, and expensive. Examples of fino include the exquisite Manzanilla and the potent and nutty Amontillado. Oloroso sherry is more heavily fortified than fino. Examples include Amoroso and cream sherry, both of which are sweetened and especially popular in Britain. Once bottled, sherry doesn't age well, so you should plan to use it no more than a year or two after you buy it. Once opened, fino sherries should be consumed within a few days and stored in the refrigerator. Oloroso sherries can be stored a bit longer, say a week. Cooking sherry usually has added salt, and is shunned by more experienced cooks.

has silver, not gold, flakes in it

This liqueur is made by steeping sloe berries in gin. Gordon's is a well-regarded brand.

This resembles Bourbon, but the mash is soured during the fermenting process, giving the whiskey a distinctive flavor. It's produced in Tennessee by George Dickel and Jack Daniels. Whiskey should be served at room temperature.

This potent peach-flavored liqueur is made with Bourbon.

This sweet and heavy brandy is based on sherry.

When first opened, sparkling wine becomes effervescent as bubbles of carbon dioxide gas escape from the liquid. It was first produced by Dom Pérignon in the 17th century, who cried out after sampling it, "Come quickly. I am drinking stars!" Champagne is perhaps the finest example of sparkling wine, and is named for the region in France where it's produced. The brand Dom Pérignon is considered to be the finest champagne. Sparkling wine and champagne are rated by their relative sweetness. The driest is brut, followed by extra dry, sec, and the sweetest of all, demi-sec. Sparkling wines are used to toast special occasions like weddings and the New Year, but they're also served before meals. They're especially nice with caviar.

This category includes spiced rum, Goldschläger and kümmel.

This is white or dark rum that's been sweetened and flavored with vanilla and spices.

This is Italian sparkling wine. Asti spumante is a well-known sparkling wine produced in Asti, Italy.

This dark beer tastes strongly of malt and hops. Guinness is a popular brand.