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An anise-flavored spirit banned in the United States in 1912 in part because its namesake ingredient, Artemisia absinthium, or wormwood, is known to be toxic in large doses. Absinthe containing acceptable amounts of wormwood is now available in the United States.

A sweet syrup made from the core of the cactus-like agave plant. It’s thinner and dissolves more easily than honey.

A bittersweet Italian herbal liqueur often served as an after-dinner drink. Montenegro amaro has a spicy orange flavor. Nonino Quintessentia amaro is infused with herbs and aged in oak barrels for five years. Meletti amaro is also herb-infused; it has a floral aroma and a saffron flavor.

A brand of concentrated aromatic bitters created in Angostura, Venezuela, in 1824 from a secret combination of herbs and spices.

A bitter orange Italian aperitif flavored with rhubarb and gentian.

A low-proof apple schnapps made by blending a wheat-based spirit with sugar and fresh apples.

A distilled fermented apple cider that is aged in oak barrels and usually 80 to 90 proof in strength. Bonded apple brandy, which is preferable in cocktails because of its strong green-apple flavor, is 100 proof.

An American apple brandy often blended with neutral spirits.

A sweet brandy-based amber liqueur flavored with apricots.

A grain- or potato-based spirit flavored with caraway seeds and other botanicals, such as fennel, anise and citrus peel.

A bitter Italian liqueur flavored with herbs and citrus peel.

An intensely honey-flavored proprietary German liqueur.

A clear spirit from Java that is made from fermented sugarcane and red rice.

A bittersweet liqueur produced in the Czech Republic from the recipe that pharmacist Josef Becher used to formulate his apothecary bitters in 1807.

A French liqueur made by infusing Cognac with macerated ripe Alsatian pears.

A brandy-based herbal liqueur derived from a recipe that was developed by French monks in 1510.

An aromatic, sweet Italian white vermouth traditionally served on the rocks as an aperitif.

A superconcentrated solution of bitter and often aromatic plants that adds flavor and complexity to drinks. Varieties include orange, lemon, peach and aromatic bitters, the best known of which is Angostura. (See also Fee Brothers bitters and Peychaud’s bitters.)

A potent Brazilian spirit distilled from fresh sugarcane juice; some of the best versions are made in copper pot stills and aged in wooden casks.

A cask-aged brandy made in France’s Normandy region from apples and sometimes pears.

A bright red bitter Italian aperitif made from herbs and fruit.

A rich and complex, crimson-colored sweet Italian vermouth.

A spicy French liqueur made from 130 botanicals; green Chartreuse is more potent than the honey-sweetened yellow one.

A brandy-based Danish cherry liqueur.

A sweet Danish cherry wine that’s fortified with brandy.

An oak-aged distilled brandy made in the Cognac region of France. It’s frequently served as an after-dinner drink.

A distilled proprietary French triple sec that is flavored with the essential oils of sun-dried sweet and bitter orange peels.

A sweet, black currant–flavored liqueur.

A sweet, violet-flavored and -colored liqueur.

A potent liqueur made by infusing a blend of Martinican rums with bitter orange peel and pulp and Caribbean spices.

A general term for orange-flavored liqueurs produced in the Dutch West Indies.

A pleasantly bitter Italian liqueur made from 13 herbs and plants, including artichokes.

A whiskey-based Scottish liqueur flavored with honey.

rouge A bittersweet red wine–based aperitif containing spices and quinine; the recipe dates to 1846.

A clear, unaged fruit brandy. Varieties include kirsch (cherry), framboise (raspberry), poire (pear) and mirabelle (plum).

A bitter Italian digestif made from 27 herbs.

A brand of bitters made in Rochester, New York, for more than 60 years. Classic flavors include orange and peach; grapefruit is a newer flavor.

A yellow Italian liqueur made with up to 30 herbs, berries and flowers, including licorice, anise and vanilla.

A sweet syrup made from pomegranate juice and sugar (recipe).

An anise-flavored absinthe substitute produced in New Orleans.

Short for kirschwasser; an unaged brandy or eau-de-vie produced by pot-distilling crushed cherries and their pits.

A northern European grain-based liqueur flavored with caraway, cumin and fennel.

A citrus-and-vanilla-flavored Spanish liqueur made from a combination of 43 herbs and spices.

A wine-based French aperitif flavored with orange peel and quinine. The rare rouge (red) variety is sweeter than the more widely available blanc (white).

An intensely flavored Italian liqueur made from lemon peels soaked in neutral spirits, then sweetened with sugar.

A fortified wine from the island of Madeira, usually named for one of four grape varieties: Sercial (the driest), Verdelho, Bual or Malmsey, which are progressively sweeter.

A clear Italian liqueur, the best of which is made from bittersweet marasca cherries and their pits, aged in ash barrels, then sweetened with sugar.

A Sicilian fortified wine; styles include secco (dry), which is often served as an aperitif, and semisecco (semisweet) and dolce (sweet), which are commonly served as dessert wines.

A fermented honey-based beverage that is often flavored with herbs, spices or flowers.

A greek brandy sweetened with Muscat wine; aged up to 30 years.

An agave-based spirit with a smoky flavor that comes from roasting the agave hearts in pits before fermentation. The best mezcal is made in Mexico’s Oaxaca region.

A Cognac infused with black Madagascar vanilla.

An Italian or Swiss liqueur traditionally made from brandy or grappa, unripe walnuts, sugar and spices.

A concentrated infusion of neutral alcohol, orange peel, herbs and spices such as cardamom

A lightly sweet, nonalcoholic, almond-flavored syrup that is accented with orange flower water.

Also known as 151-proof rum, a high-octane spirit that’s often used for flaming drinks.

A purple French liqueur flavored with orange, violets and vanilla.

A licorice-flavored French spirit that turns cloudy when mixed with water. It’s similar to absinthe but sweeter and lower in alcohol.

A French pastis produced by extracting the essential oils from star anise and fennel, then combining them with a blend of herbs, spices, water, sugar and a neutral spirit.

A brand of bitters with bright anise and cranberry flavors; the recipe dates to 19th-century New Orleans.

A gin-based English aperitif often served with citrus-flavored soda or ginger beer.

A low-proof French spirit made by combining unfermented grape juice and young Cognac, then briefly aging in oak.

A clear spirit distilled from grapes in the wine-producing regions of Peru and Chile. Acholado pisco is made from the juice and pulp of multiple grape varieties.

A pear eau-de-vie, usually made in Switzerland or the Alsace region of France.

A French aperitif spirit made by adding fresh-pressed apple juice to young Calvados, then aging it in oak.

A fortified wine from the Douro region of Portugal. Styles include fruity, young ruby ports; richer, nuttier tawnies; thick-textured, oak-aged late bottled vintage (LBV) versions; and decadent vintage ports, made from the best grapes in the best vintages.

A spicy, orange-accented sweet vermouth fortified with bitters.

An aromatic rum made in the French West Indies from sugarcane juice. When aged from one to six months, it is bottled as white rhum agricole, or rhum blanc; aged for a minimum of three years, it can be sold as aged rhum agricole, or rhum vieux.

A primarily rye-based distilled spirit, often blended with corn mash and barley. American straight rye whiskey is produced from a mash of at least 51 percent rye, aged in new charred oak barrels for at least two years and diluted with nothing but water.

A fortified wine from Spain’s Jerez region. Varieties include dry styles like fino and manzanilla; nuttier, richer amontillados and olorosos; and viscous sweet versions such as cream sherry. Sweet, nutty East India sherry falls somewhere between an oloroso and a cream sherry in style.

An unaged or lightly aged, clear East Asian spirit distilled most commonly from rice, barley, buckwheat and/or a variety of sweet potato.

A bittersweet red liqueur with a nutty finish that comes from infusing a neutral spirit or gin with sloe berries and sugar.

A brand of rum-based liqueur from Austria made with dried Jamaican allspice berries.

St-Germain elderflower liqueur

A French brand of lightly floral liqueur with hints of pear, peach and grapefruit zest. It’s made from macerated elderflower blossoms and eau-de-vie (grape spirit).

An Italian liqueur infused with more than 70 herbs and spices, including saffron, which gives it a golden yellow color.

An orange-flavored distilled neutral spirit that is similar to curaçao but not as sweet. Cointreau is the most famous brand of triple sec, created in France in 1875.

A brandy-based Italian liqueur flavored with vanilla and citrus.

A low-alcohol, sugarcane-based liqueur from Barbados that’s flavored with clove, almond and lime.

An aromatic fortified wine. It can be white or red, and ranges from dry (used in martinis) to very sweet (often served as an aperitif). Bianco vermouth is an aromatic, sweet Italian white vermouth traditionally served on the rocks.