Each of these is a big subject in itself, so for the sake of brevity I will be providing an overview you can hopefully use as a basis for further study. Obviously this is a cocktail-centric view of things, passing over the nuances of drinking these straight, but I am not writing for experienced spirit connoisseurs. What follows is a list and simple description of the most common spirits available worldwide today.
Vodka
A colourless spirit produced from...well, potentially just about anything that can be fermented, but usually grain or potatoes. Since by volume it's largely just a mixture of ethanol and water, it's the nature of the remaining impurities that dictates the flavour (and any subsequent infusions or flavouring agents). A better quality vodka will be filtered and/or distilled more carefully and thoroughly in order to remove any harshness from the taste of the product. Vodka is generally bottled at 40% ABV but overproof vodkas are available up to as high as 95% ABV.
In cocktails, vodka's neutral flavour means it's often used to add alcohol content when a strong-tasting spirit isn't appropriate or desirable. Some people consider this lack of character makes vodka an inferior spirit, but there are many cocktails that would not be at all the same without it.
Consider the Black Russian...no spirit could be substituted for vodka without radically altering the flavour, but drinking coffee liqueur on its own would be a much sweeter drink without the bittersweet after-dinner flavour of the original. The vodka extends the drink and gives it a more mature quality.
Other classic vodka cocktails include the Bloody Mary, the Moscow Mule, the Cosmopolitan (which uses lemon-infused vodka, originally Absolut Citron), the Kamikaze, the Godmother, the Screwdriver and the Sea Breeze among others. There's also the famous favourite of James Bond, the 'Vodka Martini', more properly called by its original name, the Kangaroo or Kangaroo Kicker (although post-Bond it's likely the Vodka Martini name is with us for the long haul). A classic Martini is, of course, made with gin.
Gin
Gin is a neutral spirit with juniper as the dominant flavouring. It starts off in much the same way as vodka, although gins are most often made with grain alcohol (one notable exception I can think of is Chase distillery's excellent Williams gin, which is made from organic cider apples). After the neutral spirit is produced, it's then re-distilled with ingredients referred to as 'botanicals' to give the gin its distinctive flavour. Each brand of gin has its own selection of specially chosen botanicals (always including juniper), which means that gins made at different distilleries often have very different characters. Alcohol content is usually somewhere between 37.5% (e.g. Gordon's) and 57% (Plymouth Navy Strength) by volume.
Gin has a long and rich history as a cocktail ingredient, stemming no doubt from its popularity in 18th-century Britain. The classic Martini, the Gin Fizz, the Tom Collins, White Lady and many others owe their character to the unique herbal flavour of gin. Gin is often paired either with citrus fruits or with herbal-flavoured products such as vermouth. Of course, there's also the classic pairing of gin with tonic water, which is flavoured with quinine and so has a bittersweet quality that complements the flavour of gin extremely well.
Gin has a long and rich history as a cocktail ingredient, stemming no doubt from its popularity in 18th-century Britain. The classic Martini, the Gin Fizz, the Tom Collins, White Lady and many others owe their character to the unique herbal flavour of gin. Gin is often paired either with citrus fruits or with herbal-flavoured products such as vermouth. Of course, there's also the classic pairing of gin with tonic water, which is flavoured with quinine and so has a bittersweet quality that complements the flavour of gin extremely well.
Rum
Rum is usually produced from molasses, or sometimes from sugarcane juice. Unlike the two spirits I've mentioned so far, rum is typically aged after distillation (often in used bourbon barrels). After aging it's then blended and sometimes filtered to produce the final product. Rums are a diverse bunch, with no clear categories, but for mixological purposes they're best divided into the following subtypes: white rum, gold rum, and dark rum. White rums are clear in colour and have the lightest flavour, while dark rums have a stronger flavour (gold is somewhere in the middle). Gold and dark rums are also often sold with added spices. The differences come from the fact that white rum is aged in stainless steel barrels, while dark rum is usually aged in oak.
When spirits are aged in oak, temperature changes cause the spirit to be partially absorbed into the oak of the barrel and discharged again, imparting some of the flavour of the wood and anything previously stored in it to the spirit as it ages.
When spirits are aged in oak, temperature changes cause the spirit to be partially absorbed into the oak of the barrel and discharged again, imparting some of the flavour of the wood and anything previously stored in it to the spirit as it ages.
As I've mentioned before, rum has a long history as an ingredient in mixed drinks. Cocktails made using rum include the Mojito, the Cuba Libre, the Planter's Punch, the Mai Tai, the Daiquiri and the Piña Colada. It's often paired with either sour ingredients or creamy ones (or both), either one providing a contrast to the rum's natural richness.
Whisky
A vast topic that does not really lend itself to a brief discussion, whisky is essentially an oak-aged grain spirit made from barley, corn, rye, and/or wheat depending on the type.
Again, keeping things brief, the most important types of whisky are as follows:
Bourbon Whiskey - Made mostly from corn. The natural sugar in the corn gives it an almost caramel flavour, which will be complemented both by other whichever other grains are used, and also from the distinctive woody taste imparted to it by being aged in new (not previously used) white oak barrels. This woody quality is probably bourbon's most distinctive attribute.
Rye Whiskey - Made predominantly from rye, as you might expect. In some ways a more subtle flavour than bourbon, rye whiskey has a very distinctive slightly sour flavour with spicy notes. It's helpful when comparing the differences between whiskey types to think of what bread made with these different grains tastes like; if you can imagine the gently sweet 'n' sour but robust and earthy flavour of rye bread, you're a good part of the way to imagining how a rye whiskey might taste compared to a corn, wheat or barley one.
Scotch Whisky - The flavour of scotch is derived predominantly from malted barley, often with a smokey quality imparted by burning peat and letting the smoke pass over the malt (though not all distilleries do this), and then the choice of cask for ageing makes a further difference (bourbon or sherry barrels are the usual choice). It can range from intensely smokey, with a tar-like taste, to smooth with a hint of spice. Whiskies that are blends of the products of different distilleries ('blended malts') are usually smoother-tasting and better for use in cocktails, where the nuance of a single malt might be missed.
Irish Whiskey - A slightly looser category than scotch or bourbon, Irish whiskey is somewhere between scotch and rye in flavour. Generally a little lighter than scotch, often without the peatiness (although at least one Irish distillery does use peat smoke), and most often triple-distilled, unlike the usually double-distilled scotch (although neither is an absolute rule), it's a slightly more accessible drink than scotch to those new to spirits.
In cocktails, any of these could be used to make a Whiskey Sour; Irish whiskey is the base of an Irish Coffee; scotch can be used to make a Rusty Nail, or Godfather; rye is the traditional main ingredient of the classic Manhattan; bourbon is the base of the Mint Julep, and first choice for an Old Fashioned. Whiskies are very particular drinks that have to be carefully matched and balanced with other ingredients, but when you get it right it's extremely rewarding.
Bourbon Whiskey - Made mostly from corn. The natural sugar in the corn gives it an almost caramel flavour, which will be complemented both by other whichever other grains are used, and also from the distinctive woody taste imparted to it by being aged in new (not previously used) white oak barrels. This woody quality is probably bourbon's most distinctive attribute.
Rye Whiskey - Made predominantly from rye, as you might expect. In some ways a more subtle flavour than bourbon, rye whiskey has a very distinctive slightly sour flavour with spicy notes. It's helpful when comparing the differences between whiskey types to think of what bread made with these different grains tastes like; if you can imagine the gently sweet 'n' sour but robust and earthy flavour of rye bread, you're a good part of the way to imagining how a rye whiskey might taste compared to a corn, wheat or barley one.
Scotch Whisky - The flavour of scotch is derived predominantly from malted barley, often with a smokey quality imparted by burning peat and letting the smoke pass over the malt (though not all distilleries do this), and then the choice of cask for ageing makes a further difference (bourbon or sherry barrels are the usual choice). It can range from intensely smokey, with a tar-like taste, to smooth with a hint of spice. Whiskies that are blends of the products of different distilleries ('blended malts') are usually smoother-tasting and better for use in cocktails, where the nuance of a single malt might be missed.
Irish Whiskey - A slightly looser category than scotch or bourbon, Irish whiskey is somewhere between scotch and rye in flavour. Generally a little lighter than scotch, often without the peatiness (although at least one Irish distillery does use peat smoke), and most often triple-distilled, unlike the usually double-distilled scotch (although neither is an absolute rule), it's a slightly more accessible drink than scotch to those new to spirits.
In cocktails, any of these could be used to make a Whiskey Sour; Irish whiskey is the base of an Irish Coffee; scotch can be used to make a Rusty Nail, or Godfather; rye is the traditional main ingredient of the classic Manhattan; bourbon is the base of the Mint Julep, and first choice for an Old Fashioned. Whiskies are very particular drinks that have to be carefully matched and balanced with other ingredients, but when you get it right it's extremely rewarding.
Brandy/Cognac
Brandy is a spirit made from distilling wine that's then aged in oak. Cognac is a popular variety of brandy made in the region of the same name in France. Its production is very tightly regulated to maintain a premium-grade product.
Brandy is a common ingredient in cocktails of 19th-mid 20th century origin, and is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, along with gin, after a lull in the latter portion of the 20th century. It's a very rich-tasting spirit with a raisin-like quality to its flavour.
Brandy-based cocktails include the Sidecar, the Between the Sheets, the Stinger, the Sazerac (originally, before the change to rye), the Horse's Neck, and the Alexander to name but a few. It's often used as the base for after-dinner drinks due to its rich, sweet flavour.
Tequila
Made from the blue agave plant, this is the quintessential Mexican spirit. Tequilas can be bought either un-aged (Blanco) or oak-aged to varying degrees. The ageing imparts an oaky quality much like with other aged spirits, while the un-aged variety has a unique sweet/savoury flavour, almost like barbeque sauce.
Tequila is principle ingredient in the classic Margarita, arguably the greatest tequila cocktail. The Tommy's Margarita variant is also excellent. The Tequila Sunrise should also not escape mention.
Not all drinks are made with one dominant spirit; the Long Island Iced Tea is a good example of a multi-spirit drink, featuring as it does vodka, gin, tequila, and white rum!
Lovely writing!
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