Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in combination with multivariate data analysis is introduced for the quality control and authenticity assessment of spirit drinks and beer in official food control. The spectra were measured using a FTIR interferometer, which is purpose-built for the analysis of alcoholic beverages and includes an injection unit for liquids with automatic thermostating of the sample. Only 2 min are required for FTIR measurement. For spirit drinks, no sample preparation is required at all. Carbon dioxide containing samples, such as beer were prepared by degassing. Using the partial least squares (PLS) method, FTIR spectra were correlated with results from reference methods. During validation with an independent set of samples, strong correlation with the reference values and great accuracy were demonstrated for the spirit parameters density, ethanol, methanol, ethyl acetate, propanol-1, isobutanol and 2-/3-methyl-1-butanol (R2= 0.90–0.98), as well as for the beer parameters ethanol, density, original gravity and lactic acid (R2= 0.97–0.98). Further beer parameters like pH, bitterness unit, and EBC colour (R2= 0.63–0.75) showed lower correlation and accuracy, but can be determined semi-quantitatively in the context of a screening analysis. In addition, principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the analysis results. A differentiation of deteriorated fruit spirits dis- tilled from microbiologically spoiled mashes was possible. The results obtained suggest that FTIR is a useful tool in the quality control of alcoholic beverages, since quantitative determination of essential compounds as well as chemometric classification are simultaneously possible. Through use of FTIR screening, the majority of all samples were classified as being in conformance with legal and quality requirements. Only conspicuous analysis results (approx. 12% of all samples), which exceeded the predefined limits, must be confirmed by complex and labour-intensive reference analyses. In comparison to conventional methods, FTIR spectroscopy is faster and only requires a simple sample preparation.