John Barleycorn vs hard drink

John Barleycorn and hard drink both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
John Barleycorn	Yes	No	No	No
hard drink	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, John Barleycorn and hard drink are synonyms defined as:

John Barleycorn and hard drink: an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented

Other synonyms of John Barleycorn include booze, hard liquor, liquor, spirits, strong drink.

John Barleycorn (noun)	hard drink (noun)
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented	an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented