Mixed drink supplies drinks, distilled beverages (e.g., vodka, gin, and whiskey and fermented beverages (e.g., beer, wine, and sake) form the base of the drink. Alcoholic or not, mixed drinks incorporate some type of drink mixer, which adds sweet or sour tones (e.g., simple syrup, sour mix, and grenadine), carbonation (e.g., soda or seltzer water), or a combination of both (e.g., sodapop and tonic water). Fruit juices, dairy products, coffee, tea, and several other beverages are used, too. While certainly not required, a cocktail garnish adds a festive touch to any mixed drink. Generally, the more fruit flavors in a drink, the more
Alcoholic drinks in China liquor, the seed mash described above can also be made to be eaten or drunk as a sweet dessert. Traditional Chinese medicine frequently employed alcoholic drinks (associated with yin) and alcoholic drinks were likewise used as medicine. Alcohol including extracts of plants, herbs, animal parts, or minerals are not as common as they once were but may still be encountered. One example of such a medicinal alcoholic drink is realgar wine: consumed during the Dragon Boat Festival, realgar wine consisted of "huangjiu" mixed with realgar, an arsenic sulfide also used as an insecticide. It appears in the Chinese legend of