Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage (also called an adult beverage, alcoholic drink, strong drink, or simply a drink) is a
Most countries have
Alcohol is a
History
Prehistory
Discovery of late Stone Age jugs suggests that intentionally fermented drinks existed at least as early as the Neolithic period.[9]
The oldest verifiable brewery has been found in a prehistoric burial site in a cave near Haifa in modern-day Israel. Researchers have found residue of 13,000-year-old beer that they think might have been used for ritual feasts to honor the dead. The traces of a wheat-and-barley-based alcohol were found in stone mortars carved into the cave floor.[10]
Ancient period
Beer was likely brewed from barley as early as the 13,000 years ago in the Middle East.[11] Pliny the Elder wrote about the golden age of winemaking in Rome, the 2nd century BCE (200–100 BCE), when vineyards were planted.[12]
Examination and analysis of ancient pottery jars from the neolithic village of Jiahu in the Henan province of northern China revealed residue left behind by the alcoholic drinks they had once contained. According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, chemical analysis of the residue confirmed that a fermented drink made of grape and hawthorn fruit wine, honey mead and rice beer was being produced in 7000–5600 BC (McGovern et al., 2005; McGovern 2009).[13][14] The results of this analysis were published in December 2004.[15]
The earliest evidence of winemaking was dated at 6,000 to 5,800 BCE in Georgia in the South Caucasus.[16]
Celtic people were known to have been making types of alcoholic cider as early as 3000 BC.[17][18] and wine was consumed in Classical Greece at breakfast or at symposia, and in the 1st century BC.[19]
Medieval period
Medieval Middle East
Medieval
Medieval Europe
In Italy, the works of Taddeo Alderotti (1223–1296) describe a method for concentrating alcohol involving repeated fractional distillation through a water-cooled still.[22] By the early 14th century, distilled alcoholic drinks had spread throughout the European continent.[21] Distillation spread to Ireland and Scotland no later than the 15th century, as did the common European practice of distilling "aqua vitae", primarily for medicinal purposes.[23]
Early modern period
in 1690, England passed "An Act for the Encouraging of the Distillation of Brandy and Spirits from Corn" [24] Alcoholic beverages played an important role in the Thirteen Colonies from their early days when drinking wine and beer at that time was safer than drinking water – which was usually taken from sources also used to dispose of sewage and garbage.[25] Drinking hard liquor was common occurrence in early nineteenth-century United States.[26]
The
Modern period
The Rum Rebellion of 1808 was a coup d'état in the then-British penal colony of New South Wales, staged by the New South Wales Corps in order to depose Governor William Bligh. Australia's first and only military coup, its name derives from the illicit rum trade of early Sydney, over which the 'Rum Corps', as it became known, maintained a monopoly. During the first half of the 19th century, it was widely referred to in Australia as the Great Rebellion.[27]The alcohol monopoly system has a long history in various countries, often implemented to limit the availability and consumption of alcohol for public health and social welfare reasons.
The alcohol monopoly was created in the Swedish town of Falun in 1850, to prevent overconsumption and reduce the profit motive for sales of alcohol. It later went all over the country in 1905 when the Swedish parliament ordered all sales of vodka to be done via local alcohol monopolies.[28] In 1894, the Russian Empire established a state monopoly on vodka, which became a major source of revenue for the Russian government.
Later in the nineteenth century opposition to alcohol grew in the form of the temperance movement, in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Scandinavia and India, and it eventually led to national prohibitions in Canada (1918 to 1920), Norway (spirits only from 1919 to 1926), Finland (1919 to 1932), and the United States (1920 to 1933), as well as provincial prohibition in India (1948 to present).[29]
Fermented drinks
Beer
Cider
Fermented water
Fermented water is an
Mead
Mead (/miːd/), also called hydromel, is an alcoholic drink made by fermenting honey with water, sometimes with various fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alcoholic content of mead may range from as low as 3% ABV to more than 20%. The defining characteristic of mead is that the majority of the drink's fermentable sugar is derived from honey. Mead can also be referred to as "honeywine."
Pulque
Pulque is the Mesoamerican fermented drink made from the "honey water" of maguey, Agave americana. Pulque can be distilled to produce tequila or Mezcal.[32]
Rice wine
Rice wine is an alcoholic drink
Wine
Wine is a fermented beverage most commonly produced from grapes. Wine involves a longer fermentation process than beer and often a long aging process (months or years), resulting in an alcohol content of 9%–16% ABV.
Sparkling wines such French Champagne, Catalan Cava or Italian Prosecco are also made from grapes, with a secondary fermentation.
Fruit wines are made from fruits other than grapes, such as plums, cherries, or apples.
Distilled beverages
Distilled beverages (also called liquors or spirit drinks) are alcoholic drinks produced by
Fortified wine is wine, such as port or sherry, to which a distilled beverage (usually brandy) has been added.[35] Fortified wine is distinguished from spirits made from wine in that spirits are produced by means of distillation, while fortified wine is wine that has had a spirit added to it. Many different styles of fortified wine have been developed, including port, sherry, madeira, marsala, commandaria, and the aromatized wine vermouth.[36]
Rectified spirit
Rectified spirit is a clear, colorless, flammable liquid that may contain as much as 95%
.Congeners
In the alcoholic drinks industry, congeners are substances produced during
Amount of use
The average number of people who drink as of 2016[update] was 39% for males and 25% for females (2.4 billion people in total).[5] Females on average drink 0.7 drinks per day while males drink 1.7 drinks per day.[5] The rates of drinking varies significantly in different areas of the world.[5]
-
Age-standardised prevalence of current drinking for females (A) and males (B) in 2016, in 195 locations[5]
-
Average standard drinks (10 g of pure ethanol per serving) consumed per day, age-standardised, for females (A) and males (B) in 2016, in 195 locations[5]
Uses
Alcohol is used in rum-running, the illegal business of smuggling alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law.
Moonshine is illegal to produce and sell in most countries.
A straw purchaser may receive money or recompense from the underage person in exchange for purchasing the alcohol on their behalf.
Alcohol has been used as a currency for transactional sex in South Africa, and Uganda.[41][42][43]
Food
Apéritifs and digestifs
An
Cooking
Pure ethanol tastes
Wine is important in cuisine not just for its value as an accompanying beverage, but as a flavor agent, primarily in
Food preservative
Alcohol has been used to preserve food.[49]
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Drinking food
Terms for foods always served with alcoholic beverages:
- Anju -- Korean term for drinking food
- Kap klaem -- Thai term for drinking food
- Sakana -- Japanese term for snacks served while drinking
Vinegar production
The source materials for making vinegar are varied – different fruits, grains, alcoholic beverages, and other fermentable materials are used:[52]
- Apple cider vinegar, or cider vinegar, is a vinegar made from cider.[53]
- Rice vinegar is a vinegar made from rice wine.
Wine and food matching
Offerings
Folk saints
Alcoholic beverages are typical offerings for the folk saints Maximón,[55] and Santa Muerte.[56][57] Both folk saints have been described as narco-saints.[58][59]
Religious
Libation
A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid, or grains such as rice, as an offering to a deity or spirit, or in memory of the dead. It was common in many religions of antiquity and continues to be offered in cultures today. Wine or other alcoholic drinks are often used for libation.
Africa
Libation was part of
Americas
In the Quechua and Aymara cultures of the South American Andes, it is common to pour a small amount of one's beverage on the ground before drinking as an offering to the Pachamama, or Mother Earth. This especially holds true when drinking Chicha, an alcoholic beverage unique to this part of the world. The libation ritual is commonly called challa and is performed quite often, usually before meals and during celebrations. The sixteenth century writer Bernardino de Sahagún records the Aztec ceremony associated with drinking octli:
Libation was done in this manner: when octli was drunk, when they tasted the new octli, when someone had just made octli...he summoned people. He set it out in a vessel before the hearth, along with small cups for drinking. Before having anyone drink, he took up octli with a cup and then poured it before the hearth; he poured the octli in the four directions. And when he had poured the octli then everyone drank it.[64]
Sacramental wine in Christianity
The amount of sacramental wine consumed during the Eucharist is typically limited to a single sip or small portion, which does not result in a measurable increase in the participant's blood alcohol content. This controlled and symbolic consumption of the sacramental wine is an integral part of the Eucharistic rite and does not lead to intoxication.
Catholic Church
According to the
§3 The wine must be natural, made from grapes of the vine, and not corrupt.[65]
Lutheranism
In Lutheranism, the Catechism teaches:[66]
289. What are the visible elements in the Sacrament?
The visible elements are bread and wine.
935. Matt. 26:26-27 Jesus took bread … Then He took the cup.
Note: “The fruit of the vine” (Luke 22:18) in the Bible means wine, not grape juice. See also 1 Cor. 11:21[66]
Some Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) congregations make grape juice available for children and those who are abstaining from alcohol and some will accommodate those with an allergy to wheat, gluten, or grapes.[67]
Tasting
Beer tasting
Beer tasting is a way to learn more about the history, ingredients, and production of beer, as well as different beer styles, hops, yeast, and beer presentation. A common approach is to analyze the appearance, smell, and taste of the beer, and then make a final judgment on the beer's quality. There are various scales used by beer journalists and experts to rate beer, such as the 1-20 scale used by British sommelier Jancis Robinson and the 1-100 scale used by American sommelier Joshua M. Bernstein. Professional organizations like the Wine & Spirit Education Trust often rate beer using verbal grades ranging from "faulty" to "outstanding" on a 1-5 scale.
Wine tasting
Wine tasting, on the other hand, is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is ancient, a more formalized methodology has been established since the 14th century. Modern, professional wine tasters use specialized terminology to describe the range of perceived flavors, aromas, and general characteristics of a wine. More informal, recreational tasting may involve similar terminology, but with a less analytical process and a more general, personal appreciation of the wine.
Tincture
A
Other
Alcoholic beverage may be consumed to celebrate observances such as the International Beer Day, International whisk(e)y day, or National Vodka Day.
Alcohol measurement
Alcohol concentration
Fruit juices | < 0.1% |
Cider, wine coolers | 4%–8% |
Beers | typically 5% (range is from 3–15%) |
Wines | typically 13.5% (range is from 8%–17%) |
Sakes | 15–16% |
Fortified wines | 15–22% |
Spirits | typically 30%-40% (range is from 15% to, in some rare cases, up to 98%) |
The concentration of alcohol in a beverage is usually stated as the percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV, the number of milliliters (ml) of pure ethanol in 100 ml of beverage) or as proof. In the United States, proof is twice the percentage of alcohol by volume at 60 degrees Fahrenheit (e.g. 80 proof = 40% ABV). Degrees proof were formerly used in the United Kingdom, where 100 degrees proof was equivalent to 57.1% ABV. Historically, this was the most dilute spirit that would sustain the combustion of gunpowder.
Ordinary
Most yeasts cannot reproduce when the concentration of alcohol is higher than about 18%, so that is the practical limit for the strength of fermented drinks such as wine, beer, and sake. However, some strains of yeast have been developed that can reproduce in solutions of up to 25% ABV.[72]
Serving measures
Shot sizes
The shape of a glass can have a significant effect on how much one pours. A Cornell University study of students and bartenders' pouring showed both groups pour more into short, wide glasses than into tall, slender glasses.[74] Aiming to pour one shot of alcohol (1.5 ounces or 44.3 ml), students on average poured 45.5 ml & 59.6 ml (30% more) respectively into the tall and short glasses. The bartenders scored similarly, on average pouring 20.5% more into the short glasses. More experienced bartenders were more accurate, pouring 10.3% less alcohol than less experienced bartenders. Practice reduced the tendency of both groups to over pour for tall, slender glasses but not for short, wide glasses. These misperceptions are attributed to two perceptual biases:
- Estimating that tall, slender glasses have more volume than shorter, wider glasses; and
- Over-focusing on the height of the liquid and disregarding the width.
Standard drinks
There is no single standard, but a standard drink of 10g alcohol, which is used in the WHO AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test)'s questionnaire form example,[75] have been adopted by more countries than any other amount.[76] 10 grams is equivalent to 12.7 millilitres.
A standard drink is a notional drink that contains a specified amount of pure alcohol. The standard drink is used in many countries to quantify alcohol intake. It is usually expressed as a measure of beer, wine, or spirits. One standard drink always contains the same amount of alcohol regardless of serving size or the type of alcoholic beverage. The standard drink varies significantly from country to country. For example, it is 7.62 ml (6 grams) of alcohol in Austria, but in Japan it is 25 ml (19.75 grams):
- In the United Kingdom, there is a system of unit of alcoholis defined as 10 ml. The number of units present in a typical drink is sometimes printed on bottles. The system is intended as an aid to people who are regulating the amount of alcohol they drink; it is not used to determine serving sizes.
- In the United States, the standard drink contains 0.6 US fluid ounces (18 ml) of alcohol. This is approximately the amount of alcohol in a 12-US-fluid-ounce (350 ml) glass of beer, a 5-US-fluid-ounce (150 ml) glass of wine, or a 1.5-US-fluid-ounce (44 ml) glass of a 40% ABV(80 US proof) spirit.
Laws
Alcohol laws regulate the manufacture, packaging, labelling, distribution, sale, consumption, blood alcohol content of motor vehicle drivers, open containers, and transportation of alcoholic drinks. Such laws generally seek to reduce the adverse health and social impacts of alcohol consumption. In particular, alcohol laws set the legal drinking age, which usually varies between 15 and 21 years old, sometimes depending upon the type of alcoholic drink (e.g., beer vs wine vs hard liquor or distillates). Some countries do not have a legal drinking or purchasing age, but most countries set the minimum age at 18 years.[2]
Some countries, such as the U.S., have the drinking age higher than the legal age of majority (18), at age 21 in all 50 states. Such laws may take the form of permitting distribution only to licensed stores,
In some jurisdictions, alcoholic drinks are totally prohibited for reasons of religion (e.g., Islamic countries with sharia law) or for reasons of local option, public health, and morals (e.g., Prohibition in the United States from 1920 to 1933). In jurisdictions which enforce sharia law, the consumption of alcoholic drinks is an illegal offense,[77] although such laws may exempt non-Muslims.[78]
Alcohol and health
It has been suggested that this article be merged into Alcohol (drug). (Discuss) Proposed since March 2024. |
Alcohol is a
.The short-term effects of alcohol consumption range from a decrease in anxiety and motor skills and euphoria at lower doses to intoxication (drunkenness), to stupor, unconsciousness, anterograde amnesia (memory "blackouts"), and central nervous system depression at higher doses. Cell membranes are highly permeable to alcohol, so once it is in the bloodstream, it can diffuse into nearly every cell in the body. Alcohol can greatly exacerbate sleep problems. During abstinence, residual disruptions in sleep regularity and sleep patterns are the greatest predictors of relapse.[79] Long-term use can lead to an alcohol use disorder, an increased risk of developing physical dependence. cardiovascular disease and several types of cancer. The