Ardent spirit

Ardent spirits (ethyl alcohol), in alchemy, are those liquors obtained after repeated distillations from fermented vegetables. They are thus called because they will take fire and burn. Examples include brandy, spirits of wine, etc.

References

• This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain. [1]
• Ardent spirit. The Incompleat Chymist. Retrieved on 2006-01-22.