ALCOHOLIC BEVBBAGES 83 



grain, such as barley, is moistened and kept in a warm place 

 it develops a substance called diastase, which changes the 

 grain starch into glucose. Such moistened grain may be 

 heated after the change in the starch has gone on to a 

 certain point and the action stopped. When this is done, 

 the dried product with its diastase is called malt. If a 

 little of this malt is added to ground grain and the whole 

 mixture moistened, the action begins again and the starch 

 of the groimd grain is in turn transformed into sugar. If 

 yeast is added, its action causes the mixture to ferment, 

 and the sugar becomes partly changed to alcohol. In 

 this manner grains, potatoes, and other starch-contain- 

 ing substances may be used to make alcoholic beverages, 

 and the liquids thus produced are called malt liquors. 

 Beers, ales, and porter belong in this class of alcoholic 

 beverages. 



Finally, if we add yeast to the malted mixture of starch- 

 containing cereals, pota^toes, etc., until all the starch and 

 sugar are turned to alcohol, and then distil this liquid to 

 remove some of the water, we get liquors of much higher 

 proportion of alcohol. Grain mixtures treated in this 

 way and distilled until they contain nearly 40% of alcohol 

 produce whiskey. Distillation of wine produces brandy. 

 Gin is produced by flavoring the distilled liquid of malted 

 gfains with juniper berries, while rum is produced by 

 distilling fermented molasses. All these liquors are rich 

 in alcohol, and are grouped together as distilled liquors. 

 The kind of grain or juice used and the flavors developed 

 determine the brands. 



We may distil these liquors still further, and remove all 

 or nearly all the water and flavoring materials, and thus 

 obtain the alcohol in the free state or with only a small 



