Aqua vitae (L. "water of life"), is an archaic name for a concentrated aqueous solution of ethanol. Drinking water This article focuses on water as we experience it every day. ... Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol, is a flammable, colorless chemical compound, one of the alcohols that is most often found in alcoholic beverages. ...

Not to be confused with the beverage aquavit, aqua vitae was typically prepared by distilling wine, and was sometimes known as Spirit of Wine in English-language texts. Spirit of Wine is a specific name for brandy that has been repeatedly distilled. Akvavit, also known as aquavit, is a Scandinavian distilled beverage of typically about 40% alcohol by volume. ... Distillation is a means of separating liquids through differences in their boiling points. ... Wine is an alcoholic beverage produced by the fermentation of grapes and grape juice. ...

The name was familiarly applied to the leading native distilled spirits of a region. Thus, it was "usquebaugh" or whisky in Scotland and Ireland, "geneva" or gin in Holland; and "eau de vie" (Fr. "water of life") or brandy in France. When the term is employed in England, it usually refers to French brandy. Various distilled beverages in a Spanish bar A distilled beverage, also called spirits or liquor, is a preparation for consumption containing ethyl alcohol purified by distillation from a fermented substance such as wine, malt, or grain. ... Scotch whisky Whisky (or whiskey) (from Irish uisce beatha and/or Scottish Gaelic uisge baugh, both meaning water of life, and ultimately a calque derived from Latin Aqua Vitae (see below)) is an alcoholic beverage distilled from grain, often including malt, which has then been aged in wooden barrels. ... Scotch whisky Whisky (or whiskey) (from Irish uisce beatha and/or Scottish Gaelic uisge beatha, both meaning water of life) is an alcoholic beverage distilled from grain, often including malt, which has then been aged in wooden barrels. ... Gin and tonic This article concerns the beverage. ... Brandy pot stills at the Van Ryn Brandy Cellar near Stellenbosch, South Africa Brandy (short for brandywine, from Dutch brandewijn—fire wine) is a general term for distilled wine, usually 40–60% ethyl alcohol by volume. ...

See also

• alchemy
• aqua fortis
• aqua regia

For other uses, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ... The chemical compound nitric acid (HNO3), otherwise known as aqua fortis, is a colorless, corrosive liquid, a toxic acid which can cause severe burns. ... Aqua regia (Latin for royal water) is a highly corrosive, fuming yellow liquid, formed by a fresh mixture of concentrated nitric acid (otherwise known as aqua fortis) and concentrated hydrochloric acid, usually in the ratio of one to three. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 edition of The Grocer's Encyclopedia.