the bartender recommended a drink made with the local firewater, a potent gin
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Nonalcoholic Alternatives Maybe the best route to avoid a hangover is to steer clear of firewater in the first place—easier said than done given the many social pressures around drinking.—Emily Peck, WIRED, 31 Dec. 2024 The response from a manager and a bartender toward dinner’s end was to introduce my posse to a Chinese spirit poised to make an appearance on the menu: clear firewater, potent as grappa, poured from a red-and-gold flask into thimble-size shot glasses.—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2023 This cocktail is a tribute to Madonna, Queen of Pop, and features mezcal, passionfruit, firewater bitter, Amarena cheery, and a smoking cinnamon stick.—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 12 Sep. 2022 Poitín is often called Irish moonshine, but that implies the crude firewater associated with American Prohibition-era bootleggers.—Liza Weisstuch, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Feb. 2021 The share price of Kweichow Moutai, China’s most exclusive brand of baijiu firewater, continues to soar, hinting at a thirst for luxury tipples among the super-rich.—The Economist, 23 May 2020 The adult beverages are also pure Colombia, from the top-selling Aguila beer to the country’s official spirit, aguardiente (firewater!), to the sweetest-ever tropical margaritas.—Allyson Reedy, The Know, 5 Sep. 2019 This version incorporates pineapple, allspice, falernum, spicy firewater, and a pinch of the superfood powder known as Blue Majik.—Brittany Martin, Los Angeles Magazine, 19 Feb. 2018 In January, Arcadia Publishing released North Carolina Moonshine, a book about the Tar Heel State’s role in firewater history, covering everything from the NASCAR connection to local moonshining celebrities.—Jennifer Billock, Smithsonian, 10 Feb. 2017
Word History
Etymology
fire entry 1 + water entry 1, after Ojibwa iškote·wa·po· "distilled liquor, whiskey" (from iškote·w-, form in combination of iškote· "fire" + -a·po· "liquid") or a cognate word in another Algonquian language
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