A still is a tool used to distill miscible liquids by heating and then cooling. It has been used to produce perfume and medicine and, most famously, to produce distilled beverages containing alcohol.

History: see distilled beverages

Since alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water, the result is a strong alcoholic drink. Usually a still is made of copper, as it does not give taste to the drink, resists acid, and conducts heat.

Distillation was developed circa 800 A.D. by the Islamic alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan, who also invented numerous other now-basic chemical apparatus and processes which are still in use today.

See also: Distillation, alembic, Pot still