Alcoholic Beverages

The consumption of alcoholic beverages is a widespread custom across nearly all cultures. Beverages can have alcoholic content from just a few percent to nearly 50%. Ethanol has been used to enhance the flavor and effects of beverages for thousands of years.

Beer and wine have lower alcohol contents by volume than distilled spirits. There are thousands of varieties of beer around the world, most of these with an alcohol content between four and nine percent.

Wine is fermented from grape juice and comes in white, red or pink varieties. Most anthropologists and food historians believe that wine was first consumed in the middle east, in what is now Iran.

Most distilled spirits have at least 35% alcohol by volume. Popularity of an individual spirit varies by location. For example, tequila is the most common liquor in Mexico, whereas vodka is the clear favorite in Russia. Many liquors are meant to be consumed straight, with no mixers, while others are meant to be served blended with other ingredients in a cocktail. Hard liquors are available to suit many different tastes, from the stiff scotch to the dessert cocktail Chambord and everything in between.

Alcohol abuse has very detrimental health effects, including liver damage and head cancers.http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa21.htm Alcoholic beverages can even be lethal if consumed too quickly in too great a quantity.

Some studies suggest, however, that moderate alcohol consumption can be beneficial. One to two drinks daily has been shown to decrease chances of dementia, lower cholesterol, and prevent coronary heart disease.http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1623739,00.html http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4488 http://www.strokecenter.org/education/ais_risk_factors/alcohol.htm

• Mahalo's Guides to Beer and Wine