hard drink vs John Barleycorn

hard drink and John Barleycorn both are nouns.

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

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

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

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

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