neutral spirits

pl.n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb)

Ethyl alcohol distilled at or above 190 proof, often used in blended alcoholic beverages.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

neutral spirits

(Brewing) (functioning as singular or plural) US ethanol of more than 190° proof

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

neu′tral spir′its

nonflavored alcohol of 190 proof, used for blending with straight whiskeys and in the making of gin, cordials, etc.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

neutral spirits - nonflavored alcohol of 95 percent or 190 proof used for blending with straight whiskies and in making gin and liqueurs

ethyl alcohol

alcohol, alcoholic beverage, alcoholic drink, inebriant, intoxicant - a liquor or brew containing alcohol as the active agent; "alcohol (or drink) ruined him"

ethanol, ethyl alcohol, fermentation alcohol, grain alcohol - the intoxicating agent in fermented and distilled liquors; used pure or denatured as a solvent or in medicines and colognes and cleaning solutions and rocket fuel; proposed as a renewable clean-burning additive to gasoline

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References in periodicals archive

"It's very crisp; the dill stands out along the background of those neutral spirits, and the gin has the botanicals that play nicely with the dill," he says.

Culinary cocktails

Both Madeira and port are fortified wines, meaning the sweet versions have had neutral spirits added to the wine in mid-fermentation, which stops the process before all the sugar in the grape juice has been converted into alcohol.

Wine-chocolate pairings for Valentine's Day

Vice is a fortified white wine with neutral spirits added.

Making a 'Vice' out of ice wine: how Ontario's Vineland Estates Winery invented a Vidal-vodka martini

Potable bitters, sometimes called amari or digestivi, also contain herbs, flowers and roots steeped in neutral spirits, but are diluted with water so that they may be consumed straight or mixed with sodas and the like.

Bitters' (new) harvest

Infusing neutral spirits with whole and ground green tea leaves, Zen Green Tea Liqueur is then blended with several herbs, such as lemongrass, along with other natural flavors.

Green Tea Liqueur

Because of Cure's reputation as a craft cocktail bar, Buehler says guests don't expect to see clear neutral spirits on the menu.

A wine and cocktail revolution in the steel city: A look at some of Pittsburgh's hot spots