Alcohol vs. Liquor
What is the difference between alcohol and liquor? In modern terminology, the word “alcohol” is always used to refer to alcoholic beverages; it is good to know that this concept is not limited to that.
Alcohol is an organic chemical that encompasses more than just-drinks. Below this post is all about the difference between alcohol and liquor.
Difference between Alcohol and Liquor
To clarify any doubts that you can have in this respect, here is the difference between alcohol and liquor.
Alcohol
Alcohol is a substance having a chemical composition in which the hydroxyl functional group (-OH) is bonded to a carbon atom.
Is liquor and alcohol the same?
There are several types of alcohol, including acyclic alcohols, ethanol, methanol, isopropyl alcohol.
At room temperature, alcohol is a clear liquid that is less dense in nature and evaporates easily. It dissolves easily in water and is highly flammable.
In the context of beverages, alcohol cannot be ingested in its pure form; as it can be highly dangerous and poisonous. I could even induce a coma or cause death in humans.
Alcohol prepration
Alcohol can be created by three different methods:
- fermentation of fruits or grains;
- chemical modification of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, or coal;
- or by a combination of hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
This substance has several uses; can be used as antifreeze, antiseptic, fuel, preservative, and solvent.
Liquor
An alcoholic beverage is a beverage that contains ethyl alcohol (ethanol).
Ethanol acts as a psychoactive drug and is one of the oldest recreational drugs known to man.
It is responsible for the state of alcoholic intoxication in humans.
Alcoholic beverages are made by a method of fermenting grains, fruits, or vegetables.
There are four main types of these beverages:
- beer,
- wine,
- cider,
- and liquor.
Liquor is a distilled alcoholic beverage. Generally, it is sweet and is produced by distillation or infusion of fermented cereals, fruits, woods, flowers…
Liquor Types
There are several types of liquors, among which we can mention: rum, gin, vodka, whiskey, brandy.
The term ‘liquor’ comes from the Latin word ‘liquere‘ which means ‘to be liquid.’
Liquors, mainly brandy and whiskey, were developed around the 12th and 13th centuries in parts of Europe and Asia; for medicinal purposes.
Generally, liquors have the highest concentration of ethanol among different types of alcoholic beverages.
The concentration of ethanol (by volume) in various types of alcoholic beverages:
- Beer = 4% to 6% (average of 4.5%).
- Wine = 7% to 15% (average of 11%).
- Champagne = 8% to 14% (average of 12%).
- Spirits (e.g., rum, gin, vodka, whiskey) = 40% to 95%.
- Most typical examples purchased at liquor stores have 40% alcohol. Some highly concentrated forms of rum and whiskey (which can range from 75% to 90% alcohol) can be purchased in special liquor stores.
A high degree of alcohol (g / L = grams per liters of blood) may be responsible for the following effects:
- Euphoria (0.30% at 0.59%).
- Emotion (0, 60% to 0, 99%).
- Confusion (1.00% to 1, 99%).
- Stupor (0.25% to 0.4%).
- Eat (3.00% at 3.99%).
- Death (5.00% or more).
The key differences between alcohol and liquor are:
Alcohol is a chemical substance that results from the combination of hydroxyl (-OH) and carbon, while liquor is a type of distilled alcohol that is generally sweet and contains high levels of alcohol.
