ardent spirits

American  

plural noun

1. strong alcoholic liquors made by distillation, as brandy, whiskey, or gin.

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ardent spirits British  

plural noun

1. spirits, such as rum, whisky, etc

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Etymology

Origin of ardent spirits

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

Yet the nation's most famous glutton spurned ardent spirits for orange juice and lemon pop.

From Time Magazine Archive

Let us next attend to the chronic effects of ardent spirits upon the body and mind.

From Select Temperance Tracts by American Tract Society

The undersigned, physicians of Cincinnati, feel it their duty to express their decided opinion in opposition to the habitual, as well as occasional use of ardent spirits.

From Select Temperance Tracts by American Tract Society

On the night after the action upon the Thames, thirty-five British officers supped with him upon fresh beef roasted before the fire, without either salt or bread, and without ardent spirits of any kind.

From The Land of the Miamis An Account of the Struggle to Secure Possession of the North-West from the End of the Revolution until 1812 by Barce, Elmore

I searched every suspicious place thoroughly, aided by the citizens, but found no ardent spirits or wine in the colony.

From A History of Oregon, 1792-1849 Drawn From Personal Observation and Authentic Information by Gray, William Henry