It was mentioned elsewhere in the thread, but alcohol is an amazing chemical for absorbing other potent flavors. It's why it's commonly used for herb extracts a

It was mentioned elsewhere in the thread, but alcohol is an amazing chemical for absorbing other potent flavors. It's why it's commonly used for herb extracts and medicines. Part of what I like about many alcoholic drinks is they have pungent flavors that are hard to find elsewhere. An herbal liquor is going to often have much stronger flavor of the herbs than you'd get from making a tea or a soda. There's also more diversity in the options because it's a natural preservative. Much easier for a store to stock niche-flavored spirits in small quantities when they functionally never go bad, which in turn helps keep a market for niche products that wouldn't exist if they needed steady high demand. Even something as popular as Fernet Branca doesn't really have a flavor equal in any other beverage class.