Vodka

Vodka is an European clear distilled alcoholic drink that has been one of the most popular drinks across the world .

You'll find it to be the most popular spirit in drink making because of it's neutral taste and absence of flavour and colour.

Vodka often replaces Gin in many traditional cocktails

Vodka is known to be good for the heart, and if consumed in moderation, can prove to be good for cardiovascular health

Note that these days there are flavoured Vodka available in the market too, and some cocktails do make use of them.

Bacardi

Bacardi 151 is a discontinued brand of highly alcoholic Rum made by Bacardi Limited of Bermuda. It is has alcohol concentration level of 151 US Proof or has 75.5% alcohol by volume. Way higher than a regular 35% - 40% ABV of a standard Rum. Bacardi discontinued the 151 in 2016.

Because of it's high alcohol concentration a 151 Proof Rum is highly inflammable and is thus used in making stunning flaming shots. Bacardi probably discontinued the Bacardi 151 after a few lawsuits, but there are other brands of 151 Proof or overproof Rum available in the market

Bacardi Limon Rum is a Citrus Rum, Bacardi introduced it in 1995 and Bacardi Limon Original Citrus Rum is their first ever flavoured Rum. Bacardi Limon is a blend of Bacardi White Rum infused with a delectable combination of natural lemon, lime and grapefruit, the name Limon is the French for Lemon.

People often confuse it with a flavoured Vodka, but it's pure Rum.

Bacardi O is an orange flavoured Rum, created by infusing Bacardi White Rum with the essence of Mandarin Oranges from Sicily, Valencia Oranges from Florida and Dancy Tangerines from Brazil, Florida and Israel.

Bacardi O is 35% ABV.

Breezer is an alcoholic fruit flavoured beverage made by Bacardi. Breezer comes in a variety of fruit flavours and are available in lemon, peach, apple, pineapple, lime, orange, ruby grapefruit, blackberry, watermelon, cranberry, coconut, raspberry, blueberry, pomegranate, mango and strawberry flavours. Breezer is popular in India, Europe, Israel, Australia and Canada and is available in China too. A Breezer in reality is not a real fruit leverage, it is a wine cooler, which is an alcoholic beverage made from wine and fruit juice, often carbonated beverage and sugar is added to it.

Gin

Gin is a distilled alcoholic beverage that has it's origin in medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The historical Gin producing regions are Southern France, Flanders and Netherlands. Gin was originally created to provide aqua vitae from grape and grain distillates.

During the Middle ages, the newly found substance Ethanol was considered by Alchemists to be the water of life, and an aqueous solution of ethanol was in use all over Europe and had different names and is literally the origin of many spirits like Whisky ( from the Gaelic uisce beatha for water of life ). Today Gin is produces from a wide range of ingredients, which gave rise to numerous distinct styles and brands. The predominant flavour of Gin is from the Juniper berries and then each different distillery flavours it further with an assortment of botanicas or herbs, spices, floral and fruit flavours, in different combinations. Gin is commonly drank mixed with Tonic water but it is also often used as a base spirit for many gin based flavoured liqueurs like Sloe Gin.

Tequila

Tequila is a distilled beverage, made only from a specific cultivar of Agave Tequilana called 'Weber Azul' or Blue Agave, native to the states of Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Aguascalientes in Mexico. The Blue Agave grows above an altitude of 1500 m and are juicy succulents with spiky fleshy leaves.

Tequila is made around the city of Tequila 40 miles northwest of Guadaljara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands of Central Western Mexico. Mexican laws state that Tequila can only be produces in the state of Jalisco and a few limited municipalities in the other Blue Agave growing regions.

Tequila is 35% to 55% Alcohol by Volume (70 and 110 U.S. proof), it must be at least 40% ABV to be sold as Tequila in the USA.

Tequila is a distilled derivative of the pre-Columbian fermented beverage called pulque, made from the Agave plant. When the Spanish conquistadors ran out of their brandy, they started distilling Agave to produce a distilled spirit. This by 1600s was what Don Pedro Sánchez de Tagle, the Marquis of Altamira, began mass-producing in his distillery near modern day Jalisco and came to be known as Tequila.

Cointreau

Cointreau is a brand of Triple-Sec, a Triple-Sec is an Orange flavoured liqueur made by macerating sun-dried orange peels in alcohol for at least a day before passing through a three step distillation process.

Cointreau Distillery was set up by Adolphe Cointreau, a confectioner, and his brother Edouard-Jean Cointreau, in 1849.

The distillery found success in blending sweet and bitter orange skin and macerating them in alcohol from sugar beets, and the first bottle of Cointreau came out in 1875.

Cointreau is an 80 proof liqueur, 40% ABV.

Lemon Juice

Lemon Juice being rich in Vitamin C is an excellent remedy for sore throat and aids in digestion and controls blood sugar, and also promoted weight loss. It is used for various culinary and non-culinary purposes all over the world. Lemon juice is known to reduce or even reverse the effects of excessive alcohol consumption and intoxication.
In drink mixing, fresh lemon juice brings a tangy zing to so many classic drinks and in fact, it's the most used ingredient in drink mixing other than the liquors of course.

Lemon slice

Ice is so obvious in most drinks, be it a straight drink or a mixed drink, that we often forget it's importance or even reason behind using a crystal clear good quality ice in a glass of whisky, or crushed ice in a tall glass to enjoy a cocktail.

Ice tempers a hard liquor, and as is in the case of whisky for example, if you prefer the flavours of whisky reach your nose without the hard note of spirit lingering around, or want to avoid the mild sting of a neat whisky, a cube of ice mellows the strength down a little and as it melts slowly, the aroma and flavour is released from the whisky slowly and makes whisky progressively weak, lingering and palatable.

Ice in Vodka helps release the little flavour a Vodka has, slowly, instead of letting the Vodka hit your nose all at once,

In mixed drinks, ice plays an important role in creating the perfect temperature a certain drink requires and bartenders use ice in several different ways, crushed ice for long drinks that will allow the cocktail to slowly water down like a Mint Julep, Moscow Mule, Rum Swizzle, Sherry Cobbler and other Tiki drinks, a large block or cubes of ice for drinks that are spirit heavy, such as the Old Fashioned, Negroni, and Manhattan

Cola

Cola in general is a carbonated soft drink flavoured with vanilla,cinnamon, nutmeg, citrus oils and other flavourings and has been popular ever since it's invention by Pharmacist John Pemberton in 1886.

Cola gets it's name from the Kola Nut from which a Cola gets it's caffeine, the original recipe of Pemberton contained cocaine from coca leaves too, and was an non-alcoholic wine. Since it's invention the recipe has been closely guarded and yet replicated by many other brands of which, Pepsi Cola remain to be the major competition of Coca Cola invented and trade marked by Pemberton.

Cola being sweet and having a refreshing flavour profile that includes vanilla on top to a citrus taste with complex flavours of nutmeg, cinnamon and other very oriental herbs, it in itself is a great mixer for so many spirits. Best of course is the neutral Vodka but who doesn't want a Rom and Coca Cola? and have not heard the Andrew Sister's Song Rum and Coca Cola

Note: If you are one of those that are clinically dependent on Coca Cola or Cola in general and drink litres of Cola per day, the SodaStream Diet Cola will be a great alternative for you. It has less sugar and uses sucralose instead of aspartame used in Diet Cola. Each bottle makes 9 litres of Cola. Note that you need the Sodastream Sparkling Water Maker for this. But it's worth the money.