An alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains ethanol.

Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes fortaxation and regulation of production: beers, wines, andspirits (distilled beverages). They are legally consumed in most countries around the world. More than 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption.[1]

Contents

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1 Distilled beverages

5.4 Serving sizes

6 Usage

1.1 Rectified spirit

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6.1 Apritif and digestif 6.2 Sensation of warmth 6.3 Flavoring 6.4 Use as a substitute for water

2 Fermented beverages

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2.1 Wine 2.2 Beer

7 Alcohol and health

3 Congeners

7.1 Psychoactive drug

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3.1 Furfural 3.2 Tannins 3.3 Fusel alcohols

8 Legal status 9 Religious aspects 10 Alcoholic beverages listed by type of base material 11 See also 12 References 13 External links

4 History 5 Standards

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5.1 Alcohol concentration 5.2 Alcohol-free beverage definition controversy 5.3 Standard drinks

Distilled beverages

These flaming cocktails illustrate that a distilled beverage will readily catch fire and burn.

A distilled beverage, spirit, or liquor is an alcoholic beverage produced by distilling (i.e., concentrating by distillation) ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables.[5]Unsweetened, distilled, alcoholic beverages that have an alcohol content of at least 20% ABV are called spirits.[6] For the most common distilled beverages, such as whiskey and vodka, the alcohol content is around 40%. The term hard liquor is used in North America to distinguish distilled beverages from undistilled ones (implicitly weaker). Vodka, gin, baijiu, tequila, whiskey, brandy, andsoju are examples of distilled beverages.

Rectified spirit[edit]
Rectified spirit, also called "neutral grain spirit," is alcohol which has been purified by means of "rectification" (i.e., repeated distillation). The term "neutral" refers to the spirit's lacking the flavor that would have been present if the mash ingredients had been distilled to a lower level of alcoholic purity.

Fermented beverages Wine

Wine is a fermented beverage produced from grapes. Wine involves a longer fermentation process than beer and also a long aging process (months or years), resulting in an alcohol content of 9% 16% ABV.

A glass of port, a fortified wine.

Sparkling wine can be made by means of a secondary fermentation.Beverages called "fruit wines" are made from fruits such as plums, cherries, or apples. The kind of fruit must be specified on the label.Fortified wine is wine, such as port or sherry, to which a distilled beverage (usually brandy) has been added.[7] Fortified wine is distinguished from spirits made from wine in that spirits are produced by means of distillation, while fortified wine is simply 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.[8]

Beer
Beer is at present the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world,....

Congeners
congeners are substances produced during fermentation. These substances include small amounts of chemicals such as other alcohols (known as fusel alcohols), acetone, acetaldehyde, esters, and aldehydes (e.g., propanol,glycols, ethyl acetate).

Furfural[edit]

Furfural is a congener that inhibits yeast metabolism. It may be added to alcoholic beverages during the fermentation stage. Although it occurs in many foods and flavorants, furfural is toxic with an LD50 of 65 mg/kg (oral,

rat).

Tannins[edit]
Tannins are congeners found in wine. Tannins contains powerful antioxidants such as polyphenols

Fusel alcohols
The term fusel is German for "bad liquor".[13] Methanol and isopropanol are fusel alcohols.

Excessive concentrations of alcohols other than ethanol may cause off-flavors, sometimes described as "spicy", "hot", or "solventlike". Some beverages, such as rum, whisky (especially Bourbon), incompletely rectified vodka (e.g., Siwucha), and traditional ales andciders, are expected to have relatively high concentrations of non-hazardous alcohols as part of their flavor profile. However, in other beverages, such as Korn, vodka, and lagers, the presence of alcohols other than ethanol is considered a fault

History

Since ancient times, people around the world have been drinking alcoholic beverages. Reasons for drinking alcoholic beverages vary and include:

Being part of a standard diet

Recreational purposes

Medical purposes

Artistic inspiration

Relaxant effects

Putative aphrodisiac effects Happiness[15]

Euphoric effects

Standards
Alcohol concentration
The concentration of alcohol in a beverage is usually stated as the percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV, the number of 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)

Alcohol-free beverage definition controversy[

The term alcohol-free (e.g. alcohol-free beer) is often used to describe a product that contains 0% ABV. As such, it is permitted byIslam, and is also popular in countries that enforce alcohol prohibition, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iran.

However, alcohol is legal in most countries of the world where alcohol culture also is prevalent. Laws vary in countries when beverages must indicate the strength but also what they define as alcohol-free.

Standard drinks

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.

Serving sizes
In the United Kingdom, serving size in licensed premises is regulated under the Weights and Measures Act (1985). Spirits (gin, whisky, rum, and vodka) are sold in 25 ml or 35 ml quantities or multiples thereof. [27] Beer is typically served in pints (568 ml), but is also served in half-pints or third-pints.

Usage
Apritif and digestif
An apritif is any alcoholic beverage usually served before a meal to stimulate the appetitewhile a digestif is any alcoholic beverage served after a meal, in theory to aid digestion.Fortified wine, liqueur, and dry champagne are common apritifs. Because apritifs are served before dining, the emphasis is usually on dry rather than sweet.

Sensation of warmth
In cold climates, potent alcoholic beverages such as vodka are popularly seen as a way to warm up the body, possibly because alcohol is a quickly absorbed source of food energyand because it dilates peripheral blood vessels (peripherovascular dilation).

Flavoring

Alcohol is a moderately good solvent for many fatty substances and essential oils. This attribute facilitates the use of flavoring and coloring compounds in alcoholic beverages, especially distilled beverages. Flavors may be naturally present in the beverages base material. Beer and wine may be flavored before fermentation. Spirits may be flavored before, during, or after distillation

.Use as a

substitute for water

Alcohol and health

Psychoactive drug[
Alcohol (ethanol) is a psychoactive drug.[37][38] In countries that have a drinking culture, social stigma may cause many people not to view alcohol as a drug

Legal status
Alcohol laws are laws in relation to the manufacture, use, influence and sale of ethanol or alcoholic beverages that contain ethanol.

Religious aspects
Some religions forbid, discourage, or restrict the drinking of alcoholic beverages for various reasons.

Alcoholic beverages listed by type of base material

Alternative psychoactive alcohol use

-Tolerance, dependence, overdose, and adverse reaction[edit]

Beer and breweries by region

There are special risks to consider for older

Chinese alcoholic beverages

adults, women who are pregnant, and babies. When a person ages -Tolerance and dependence -Overdose

Cooking with alcohol

Home brewing

List of alcoholic beverages

Mixed drink

Adverse reaction[
Moonshine

Barbiturate
Barbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and can therefore produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to total anesthesia. They are also effective as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants. Barbiturates also have analgesiceffects; however, these effects are somewhat weak, preventing barbiturates from being used in surgery in the absence of other analgesics. They have addiction potential, both physical and psychological. Barbiturates have now largely been replaced by benzodiazepines in routine medical practice -Therapeutic uses -Other uses related to their physiological properties -Mechanism of action[edit] The principal mechanism of action of barbiturates is believed to be positive allosteric modulation of GABAA receptors

A rare adverse reaction to barbiturates

is Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which primarily affects the mucous membranes. Recreational use[edit] Barbiturates produce effects similar to ethanol during intoxication. The symptoms of barbiturate intoxication include respiratory depression, lowered blood pressure, fatigue, fever, unusual excitement, irritability, dizziness, poor concentration, sedation, confusion, impaired coordination, impaired judgement, addiction, and respiratory arrest, which may lead to death.
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