Beverages Containing Alcohol

Alcoholic drinks come in many forms.

Alcoholic beverages have been made for thousands of years. Beer, thought to be the oldest of them all, has been dated back to 9500 BC. Today, there are countless alcoholic drinks available, although they can mostly be split up into a few categories.

Beer

Beer is one of the world's oldest drinks and was famously popular among the rulers and subjects of ancient Egypt. Beer is made from the fermentation of starches in grains, usually malted barley, and gets its flavor from hops. Yeast is added during the fermentation process. Beer, being cheap and having a low alcohol content (usually 4 to 6%), was an alternative to drinking poor quality water.

Wine

Wine is generally made from fermented grapes, although other fruits are sometimes used. The chemical balance of grapes means that they can be fermented without the further addition of sugar. All that is needed is yeast. The grapes are crushed, and the juice used to make wine. Wine production is believed to date back around 8,000 years. Wine is available in three main varieties: red, white and rose. Wine grapes are temperamental, and will only grow in warm climates.

Spirits

Spirits are alcoholic drinks produced by distilling the alcoholic content in fermented fruits and grains. To be classified as a spirit, a drink must have a minimum alcohol content of 20% and contain no added sugar. Evidence of distillation dates back as far as the first century; the process is more complex than wine or beer production, which is why the process is younger. Common spirits include vodka (a neutral spirit), gin (essentially flavored vodka), whiskey (made from grain) and rum (made from sugar by-products).

Cider

Cider is made from fermented apple juice. It is commonly consumed throughout Western Europe, mainly in the United Kingdom and westerly parts of France and Spain. Cider is often made from cider apples, which have a more bitter flavor than eating apples, and contain levels of sugars ideal for alcohol production. Cider from pears is also made, and is often known by its traditional (originally French) name, "perry."

References

• Beer Academy: Beer
• Tasting Wine: Wine
• Culture of Spirits: Spirits
• Drink Focus: Cider