Types of Liquor | Bartending School

Welcome to a Nightlife Bartender's Bartending School tutorial. In this video, I introduce you to the types of liquor and give you a basic explanation on what they are and how they're used to make drinks. There are nine types of liquors commonly sold at bars, and they are vodka, rum, gin, tequila, whiskey, bourbon, scotch, cognac, and brandy. Vodka is traditionally made from potatoes, but these days it's more common to see vodka made from a variety of grains such as corn, rice, rye, or wheat. Because of vodka's lack of flavor, you can easily disguise its alcoholic taste in mixed drinks, and that makes it a common choice for people who, although like the effects of alcohol, don't particularly enjoy how it tastes. Rum is made from sugar cane. It is the sweetest liquor of the bunch, which makes it mix well with tropical or fruity type drinks such as pina coladas and strawberry daiquiris. Gin is made from june nipper berries. It has a piney taste and is commonly mixed with tonic water. Cocktails that use gin include the tom collins and classic martini. Tequila originates from Mexico and is made from the blue agave plant. Cocktails that use tequila are the tequila sunrise and margarita. Whiskey is made from a variety of grains such as barley, corn, rye, and wheat. It is aged in partially burned oak barrels which give it its distinct brown color and wood-like taste. It is commonly served as a shot, in a glass by itself or with ice, or mixed with coke, ginger ale, or sour mix. Bourbon can be considered the premium version of whiskey but with one essential requirement. In addition to other whiskey making grains, it has to be made with 51% corn. Scotch originates from Scotland and must be aged in oak barrels for at least 3 years. It is well known for its pronounced smoky flavor and is commonly enjoyed by experienced drinkers. Cognac and Brandy Cognac is simply the premium version of brandy and comes from Cognac France whereas brandy is made from distilleries from around the world. They are commonly taken as shots, in a glass with or without ice, mixed with coke, or used to craft champagne cocktails. And those are the liquor types regularly sold at bars and the ones you'll be using quite often as a bartender. I hope you learned something new and just to give you the heads up we have just begun to scratch the surface of liquor and how it pertains to bartending so join me in the next video where I show you how liquor is served. I'll see you then. Bye guys.