What is the water of life

A. Eau de vie, aquavit, uisce beathadh or uisge beatha, all are synonymous with the water of life - an English translation of the medieval Latin aqua vitae, and a rather poetic way of referring to distilled alcohol or spirits.

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Q. Life on the one hand and spirits on the other

A. Distilled alcohol is known as spirit alcohol - perhaps because the distilled liquid is the spirit or essence of the original fermented beverage - and, in a metaphorical sense, its consumption can led to spirited or lively behaviour.

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Q. How long have people been distilling alcohol

A. Civilizations in almost every part of the world developed some form of alcoholic drink very early in their history and distillation of fruit- or grain-based fermented drinks was the next step.

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The Chinese were distilling a beverage from rice beer by 800 BC and strong liquor was being made in the East Indies from sugarcane and rice at a similar period. The Arabs developed a method that was used to distill wine and Greek philosophers reported a crude distillation method. The Romans apparently produced distilled beverages, although no references concerning them are found in writings before AD 100.

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Production of distilled spirits was reported in Britain before the Roman conquest and other parts of Europe probably produced distilled spirits at an even earlier date.

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Q. How is it done

A. In order to produce spirit alcohol, the original fermented drink - fruit-, vegetable- or grain-based - has to have the ethyl alcohol content percentage increased by boiling off - distilling - some of the non-alcoholic liquid, thus concentrating the alchohol. The principle of alcoholic distillation is based upon the different boiling points of alcohol (78.5�C or 173.3�F) and water (100�C or 212�F). If a liquid containing ethyl alcohol is heated to a temperature above between these two points and the vapour coming off the liquid is condensed, the condensate will have a higher alcohol concentration than the original liquid.

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Q. Is there any connection with alchemy

A. The name aqua vitae is alchemical in origin, and referred to the distilled, flavoured liquors or elixirs that alchemists used for their medicinal - and metaphysical - properties.

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Q. What are the main types of spirit

A. The internationally known ones are brandy, gin, vodka, tequila, rum and, of course, whisky, but nearly every region has its own country liquor, legally produced or otherwise. Poit�n in Ireland, moonshine in the USA and arrack in South-East Asia are examples, and they can be made from almost any solution that ferments, from boiled-up potato peel to cacti.

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Q. What's the most widely consumed water of life

A. Without doubt, whisky (in Scotland and Canada) or whiskey (in Ireland and the USA), in its many forms, is the world's favourite distilled tipple. Ranging from several-decade-old single Scottish malts - via some very passable Japanese efforts - to industrial-grade firewater, such as Gold Top in Nigeria, whisky is made and drunk all over the world.

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The earliest direct account of whisky making is found in Scottish records dating from 1494, while the oldest extant distillery -�the licence was granted in 1608 -�is at Bushmills in Northern Ireland. The drink began to make a real splash internationally in the 19th century, and as the Scots and Irish moved across the globe they took their spirit-making techniques with them.

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For more on Phrases & Sayings click here

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By Simon Smith