Topic
Alcohol: History & Science
How humans learned to ferment and distill ethanol, why the major beverage families differ, and what archaeology and language reveal about alcohol's long history.
Start Here
- Alcohol: Fermentation, Distillation and the Major FamiliesThe easiest way to understand alcoholic drinks is not to memorize bottles on a shelf.
Go Deeper
- Alcoholic Fermentation: How Sugar Becomes EthanolAlcoholic fermentation is often summarized as:
- Distillation: Concentrating Alcohol and FlavorDistillation has an almost magical reputation:
- Fermented Drink Families: Beer, Wine, Cider, Mead and SakeBeer, wine, cider, mead and sake all obtain their ethanol by fermentation.
- Distilled Spirit Families: Whisky, Brandy, Rum, Vodka, Gin, Tequila and MezcalWhisky, brandy, rum, vodka, gin, tequila and mezcal all contain distilled ethanol.
- Alcohol Through History: From Prehistoric Fermentation to the Word “Alcohol”Humans were making fermented drinks thousands of years before anyone used the English word alcohol.