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

The great charm of the Mess is to those young, ardent spirits fresh from Sandhurst or Eton, sick of mathematics and bored with false quantities.

From Arthur O'Leary His Wanderings And Ponderings In Many Lands by Lever, Charles James

Though never a strict abstainer, I have wrought as an operative mason for whole twelvemonths together, in which I did not consume half-a-dozen glasses of ardent spirits, or partake of half-a-dozen draughts of fermented liquor.

From My Schools and Schoolmasters or The Story of my Education. by Miller, Hugh

Mother," he said in a feeble tone, "God bless you for having taught me to avoid ardent spirits.

From Olive Leaves Or, Sketches of Character by Sigourney, L. H. (Lydia Howard)

He lived no longer among ardent spirits who would brave everything and do anything for human perfectibility.

From Shelley, Godwin and Their Circle by Brailsford, Henry Noel