Distilled alcoholic spirits, as distinguished from
wine,
beer, and other less potent
alcoholic beverages. Most popular varieties of
hard liquor, such as
whiskey,
vodka, and
rum, average around
80 proof, or 40% alcohol by volume -- though
overproof varieties also exist.
Many people think that hard liquor is more intoxicating than beer or wine, but in fact there's about the same amount of ethanol in a shot of 80-proof liquor as in a glass of wine or in an average beer.