Drink

Adrinkorbeverageis aliquidintended forhumanconsumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfyingthirst, drinks play important roles in humanculture. Common types of drinks include plaindrinking water,milk,juice,smoothiesandsoft drinks. Traditionallywarm beveragesincludecoffee,tea, andhot chocolate.Caffeinated drinksthat contain the stimulantcaffeinehave a long history.
In addition,alcoholic drinkssuch aswine,beer, andliquor, which contain the drugethanol, have been part ofhuman culturefor more than 8,000 years.Non-alcoholic drinksoften signify drinks that would normally contain alcohol, such asbeer,wineandcocktails, but are made with a sufficiently low concentration ofalcohol by volume. The category includes drinks that have undergone an alcohol removal process such asnon-alcoholic beersand de-alcoholized wines.
When the human body becomesdehydrated, a person experiencesthirst. This craving of fluids results in an instinctiveneed to drink. Thirst is regulated by thehypothalamusin response to subtle changes in the body'selectrolytelevels, and also as a result of changes in the volume ofblood circulating. The complete deprivation of drinks (that is,water) will result indeathfaster than the removal of any other substance besidesoxygen.Water andmilkhave been basic drinks throughout history.As water is essential for life, it has also been thecarrier of many diseases.
Associetydeveloped, techniques were discovered to createalcoholic drinksfrom the plants that were available in different areas. The earliestarchaeologicalevidence ofwine productionyet found has been at sites inGeorgia(c.6000BCE)andIran(c.5000BCE).Beermay have been known inNeolithic Europeas far back as 3000 BCE,and was mainly brewed on a domestic scale.The invention of beer (andbread) has been argued to be responsible for humanity's ability to developtechnologyand buildcivilization.Tealikely originated inYunnan, China, during theShang dynasty(1500 BCE–1046 BCE) as a medicinal drink.
Drinkinghas been a large part of socialising throughout the centuries. Inancient Greece, a social gathering for the purpose of drinking was known as asymposium, where watered down wine would be drunk. The purpose of these gatherings could be anything from serious discussions to direct indulgence. Inancient Rome, a similar concept of aconviviumtook place regularly.
Many early societies considered alcohol a gift from the gods,leading to the creation of gods such asDionysus. Other religions forbid, discourage, or restrict the drinking of alcoholic drinks for various reasons. Insome regionswith a dominant religion the production, sale, and consumption of alcoholic drinks is forbidden to everybody, regardless of religion.
Toastingis a method of honoring a person or wishing good will by taking a drink.Another tradition is that of theloving cup, at weddings or other celebrations such as sports victories a group will share a drink in a large receptacle, shared by everyone until empty.
In East Africa and Yemen, coffee was used in native religious ceremonies. As these ceremonies conflicted with the beliefs of the Christian church, theEthiopian Churchbanned the secular consumption of coffee until the reign of EmperorMenelik II.The drink was also banned inOttomanTurkey during the 17th century for political reasonsand was associated with rebellious political activities in Europe.
A drink is a form of liquid which has been prepared for human consumption. The preparation can include a number of different steps, some prior to transport, others immediately prior to consumption.
Water is the chief constituent in all drinks, and the primary ingredient in most. Water is purified prior todrinking. Methods for purification includefiltrationand the addition of chemicals, such aschlorination. The importance of purified water is highlighted by theWorld Health Organization, who point out 94% of deaths fromdiarrhea– the third biggest cause of infectious death worldwide at 1.8 million annually – could be prevented by improving the quality of the victim's environment, particularly safe water.
Pasteurizationis the process of heating a liquid for a period of time at a specified temperature, then immediately cooling. The process reduces the growth ofmicroorganismswithin the liquid, thereby increasing the time before spoilage. It is primarily used onmilk, which prior to pasteurization is commonly infected withpathogenicbacteria and therefore is more likely than any other part of the common diet in the developed world to cause illness.
The process of extractingjuice from fruitsandvegetablescan take a number of forms. Simple crushing of most fruits will provide a significant amount of liquid, though a more intense pressure can be applied to get the maximum amount of juice from the fruit. Both crushing and pressing are processes used in the production ofwine.
Infusionis the process of extracting flavors from plant material by allowing the material to remain suspended within water. This process is used in the production ofteas,herbal teasand can be used to preparecoffee(when using acoffee press).
The name is derived from the word "percolate" which meansto cause (a solvent) to pass through a permeable substance especially for extracting a soluble constituent.In the case of coffee-brewing the solvent is water, the permeable substance is the coffee grounds, and the soluble constituents are the chemical compounds that give coffee its color, taste, aroma, and stimulating properties.
Carbonationis the process of dissolvingcarbon dioxideinto a liquid, such as water.
Fermentation is ametabolicprocess that convertssugartoethanol. Fermentation has been used by humans for the production of drinks since theNeolithic age. Inwinemaking, grape juice is combined with yeast in ananaerobicenvironment to allow the fermentation.The amount of sugar in the wine and the length of time given for fermentation determine the alcohol level and thesweetness of the wine.
Whenbrewingbeer, there are four primary ingredients – water, grain, yeast and hops. The grain is encouraged togerminateby soaking and drying in heat, a process known asmalting. It is then milled before soaking again to create the sugars needed for fermentation. This process is known asmashing. Hops are added for flavouring, then the yeast is added to the mixture (now calledwort) to start the fermentation process.
Distillation is a method ofseparatingmixturesbased on differences involatilityof components in a boiling liquid mixture. It is one of the methods used in the purification of water. It is also a method of producing spirits from milder alcoholic drinks.
Analcoholicmixed drinkthat contains two or more ingredients is referred to as a cocktail. Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, andbitters.The term is now often used for almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol, including mixers, mixed shots, etc.A cocktail today usually contains one or more kinds of spirit and one or moremixers, such assodaorfruit juice. Additional ingredients may besugar,honey,milk,cream, and variousherbs.
Anon-alcoholic drinkis one that contains little or noalcohol. This category includeslow-alcohol beer, non-alcoholicwine, andapple ciderif they contain a sufficiently low concentration ofalcohol by volume(ABV). The exact definition of what is "non-alcoholic" and what is not depends on local laws: in theUnited Kingdom, "alcohol-free beer" is under 0.05% ABV, "de-alcoholised beer" is under 0.5%, while "low-alcohol beer" can contain no more than 1.2% ABV.The term "soft drink" specifies the absence of alcohol in contrast to "hard drink" and "drink". The term "drink" is theoretically neutral, but often is used in a way that suggests alcoholic content. Drinks such as soda pop,sparkling water,iced tea,lemonade,root beer,fruit punch,milk,hot chocolate,tea,coffee,milkshakes,tap water,bottled water,juice, andenergy drinksare all soft drinks.
Water is the world's most consumed drink,however, 97% of water on Earth is non-drinkable salt water.Fresh water is found in rivers, lakes, wetlands, groundwater, and frozen glaciers.Less than 1% of the Earth's fresh water supplies are accessible through surface water and underground sources which are cost effective to retrieve.
In western cultures, water is often drunk cold. In the Chinese culture, it is typically drunk hot.
Milkis regarded as one of the "original" drinks;milk is the primary source of nutrition for babies. In many cultures of the world, especially the Western world, humans continue to consume dairy milk beyond infancy, using the milk of other animals (especiallycattle,goatsandsheep) as a drink.
Carbonated drinks refer to drinks which have carbon dioxide dissolved into them. This can happen naturally through fermenting and in natural water spas or artificially by the dissolution of carbon dioxide under pressure. The first commercially available artificially carbonated drink is believed to have been produced by Thomas Henry in the late 1770s.Cola, orange, various roots, ginger, and lemon/lime are commonly used to create non-alcoholic carbonated drinks; sugars and preservatives may be added later.
The most consumed carbonated soft drinks are produced by three major global brands:Coca-Cola,PepsiCoand theDr Pepper Snapple Group.
These drinks are often served warm or hot.
Coffeeis abreweddrink prepared from the roasted seeds of several species of anevergreenshrubof thegenusCoffea. The two most common sources of coffee beans are the highly regardedCoffea arabica, and the "robusta" form of the hardierCoffea canephora. Coffee plants are cultivated inmore than 70 countries. Once ripe, coffee"berries"are picked, processed, and dried to yield the seeds inside. The seeds are then roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor, before being ground and brewed to create coffee.
Coffee is slightlyacidic(pH 5.0–5.1) and can have a stimulating effect on humans because of itscaffeinecontent. It is one of the most popular drinks in the world.It can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways. The effect of coffee on human health has been a subject of many studies; however, results have varied in terms of coffee's relative benefit.
Coffee cultivation first took place in southernArabia;the earliest credible evidence of coffee-drinking appears in the middle of the 15th century in theSufishrines ofYemen.
Coffee may have been used socially in therenaissance periodof the17th century.The increasing trades betweenEuropeandNorth Africaregions made coffee more widely available to Europeans gathering at social locations that served coffee, possibly contributing to the growth ofcoffeehouses.
Hot chocolate, also known as drinking chocolate or cocoa, is a heated drink consisting of shavedchocolate, melted chocolate orcocoa powder, heated milk or water, and usually a sweetener. Hot chocolate may be topped with whipped cream. Hot chocolate made with melted chocolate is sometimes called drinking chocolate, characterized by less sweetness and a thicker consistency.
The first chocolate drink is believed to have been created by theMayansaround 2,500-3,000 years ago, and a cocoa drink was an essential part ofAztecculture by 1400 AD, by which they referred to as xocōlātl.The drink became popular in Europe after being introduced from Mexico in theNew Worldand has undergone multiple changes since then. Until the 19th century, hot chocolate was even used medicinally to treat ailments such as liver and stomach diseases.
Hot chocolate is consumed throughout the world and comes in multiple variations, including the spicedchocolate para mesaof Latin America, the very thickcioccolata caldaserved in Italy andchocolate a la tazaserved in Spain, and the thinner hot cocoa consumed in the United States. Prepared hot chocolate can be purchased from a range of establishments, includingcafeterias,fast food restaurants,coffeehousesandteahouses. Powdered hot chocolate mixes, which can be added to boiling water or hot milk to make the drink at home, are sold atgrocery storesandonline.
Tea, the second most consumed drink in the world, is produced from infusing dried leaves of theCamellia sinensisshrub, in boiling water.There are many ways in which tea is prepared for consumption: lemon or milk and sugar are among the most common additives worldwide. Other additions include butter and salt inBhutan,Nepal, andTibet;bubble teainTaiwan; fresh ginger in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore; mint in North Africa andSenegal; cardamom in Central Asia; rum to makeJagerteein Central Europe; and coffee to makeyuanyangin Hong Kong. Tea is also served differently from country to country: inChina,JapanandSouth Koreatiny cups are used to serve tea; in Thailand and the United States tea is often served cold (as "iced tea") or with a lot of sweetener; Indians boil tea with milk and a blend of spices asmasala chai; tea is brewed with asamovarin Iran,Kashmir, Russia and Turkey; and in the AustralianOutbackit is traditionally brewed in abillycan.Tea leaves can be processed in different ways resulting in a drink which appears and tastes different. Chinese yellow and green tea are steamed, roasted and dried; Oolong tea is semi-oxidised and appears green-black and black teas are fully oxidised.
Around the world, people refer to other herbal infusions as "teas"; it is also argued that these were popular long before theCamellia sinensisshrub was used for tea making.Leaves, flowers, roots or bark can be used to make a herbal infusion and can be bought fresh, dried or powdered.
Fruit juiceis a natural product that contains few or no additives. Citrus products such asorange juiceandtangerinejuice are familiar breakfast drinks, whilegrapefruit juice, pineapple, apple, grape, lime, and lemon juice are also common.Coconut wateris a highly nutritious and refreshing juice. Many kinds of berries are crushed; their juices are mixed with water and sometimes sweetened. Raspberry, blackberry andcurrantsare popular juices drinks but the percentage of water also determines their nutritive value. Grape juice allowed to ferment produceswine.
Fruits are highly perishable so the ability to extract juices and store them was of significant value. Some fruits are highly acidic and mixing them with water and sugars or honey was often necessary to make them palatable. Fruits can also be blended with ice and other ingredients to make asmoothie. Early storage of fruit juices was labor-intensive, requiring the crushing of the fruits and the mixing of the resulting pure juices with sugars before bottling.
Vegetable juicesare usually served warm or cold. Different types of vegetables can be used to make vegetable juice such ascarrots, tomatoes,cucumbers,celeryand many more. Some vegetable juices are mixed with some fruit juice to make the vegetable juice taste better. Many popular vegetable juices, particularly ones with high tomato content, are high in sodium, and therefore consumption of them for health must be carefully considered. Some vegetable juices provide the same health benefits as whole vegetables in terms of reducing risks ofcardiovascular diseaseandcancer.
Plant milkis a general term for any milk-like product that is derived from a plant source. The most common varieties internationally aresoy milk,almond milk,rice milk,coconut milkandoat milk.
Anightcapis a drink taken shortly before bedtime to induce sleep. For example, a smallalcoholic drinkor a cup ofwarm milkcan supposedly promote a good night's sleep. Today, most nightcaps andrelaxation drinksare generally non-alcoholic beverages containing calming ingredients. They are considered beverages which serve to relax a person. Unlike other calming beverages, such astea,warm milkormilkwithhoney; relaxation drinks almost universally contain more than one active ingredient. Relaxation drinks have been known to contain other natural ingredients and are usually free ofcaffeineandalcoholbut some have claimed to containmarijuana.
A drink is considered "alcoholic" if it containsethanol, commonly known asalcohol(although inchemistrythe definition of "alcohol" includes many other compounds).Beerhas been a part of human civilisation for around 8,000 years.
Beeris analcoholic drinkproduced by thesaccharificationofstarchandfermentationof the resulting sugar. The starch and saccharificationenzymesare often derived from malted cereal grains, most commonlymaltedbarley and malted wheat.Most beer is also flavoured withhops, whichadd bitternessand act as a naturalpreservative, though other flavourings such as herbs or fruit may occasionally be included. The preparation of beer is calledbrewing. Beer is the world's most widely consumedalcoholic drink,and is the third-most consumed drink overall, afterwaterandtea. It is said to have been discovered by goddessNinkasiaround 5300 BCE, when she accidentally discovered yeast after leaving grain in jars that were later rained upon and left for several days. Women have been the chief creators of beer throughout history due to its association with domesticity and it, throughout much of history, being brewed in the home for family consumption. Only in recent history have men begun to dabble in the field.It is thought by some to be the oldestfermented drink.
Some of humanity's earliest known writings refer to the production and distribution of beer: theCode of Hammurabiincluded laws regulating beer and beer parlours,and "The Hymn toNinkasi", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, served as both a prayer and as a method of remembering the recipe for beer in a culture with few literate people.Today, the brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominantmultinational companiesand many thousands of smaller producers ranging frombrewpubstoregional breweries.
Cideris afermentedalcoholic drinkmade fromfruit juice, most commonly and traditionallyapple juice, but also the juice ofpeaches,pears("Perry" cider) or other fruit. Cider may be made from any variety of apple, but certaincultivarsgrown solely for use in cider are known ascider apples.TheUnited Kingdomhas the highest per capita consumption of cider, as well as the largest cider-producing companies in the world,As of 2006, the U.K. produces 600 million litres of cider each year (130 million imperial gallons).
Wineis analcoholic drinkmade fromfermentedgrapesor other fruits. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition ofsugars,acids,enzymes, water, or othernutrients.Yeast consumes the sugarsin the grapes and converts them intoalcoholandcarbon dioxide. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts produce different styles of wine. The well-known variations result from the very complex interactions between the biochemical development of the fruit, reactions involved in fermentation,terroirand subsequentappellation, along with human intervention in the overall process. The final product may contain tens of thousands of chemical compounds in amounts varying from a few percent to a few parts per billion.
Wines made from produce besides grapes are usually named after the product from which they are produced (for example,rice wine,pomegranatewine,apple wineandelderberry wine) and are generically calledfruit wine. The term "wine" can also refer to starch-fermented or fortified drinks having higher alcohol content, such asbarley wine,huangjiu, orsake.
Wine has a rich history dating back thousands of years, with the earliest production so far discovered having occurredc.6000BC inGeorgia.It had reached theBalkansbyc.4500BC and was consumed and celebrated in ancientGreeceandRome.
From its earliest appearance in written records, wine has also played an important role in religion.Red winewas closely associated withbloodby theancient Egyptians, who, according toPlutarch, avoided its free consumption as late as the 7th-century BCSaite dynasty, "thinking it to be the blood of those who had once battled against the gods".TheGreekcultandmysteriesofDionysus, carried on by theRomansin theirBacchanalia, were the origins of westerntheater.Judaismincorporates it in theKiddushandChristianityin itsEucharist, while alcohol consumption was forbidden inIslam.
Spirits aredistilled beveragesthat contain noadded sugarand have at least 20%alcohol by volume(ABV). Popular spirits includeborovička,brandy,gin,rum,slivovitz,tequila,vodka, andwhisky. Brandy is a spirit created by distilling wine, whilst vodka may be distilled from anystarch- orsugar-rich plant matter; most vodka today is produced fromgrainssuch assorghum,corn,rye, orwheat.
Throughout history, people have come together in establishments to socialise whilst drinking. This includes cafés andcoffeehouses, focus on providing hot drinks as well as light snacks. Many coffee houses in theMiddle East, and inWest Asianimmigrant districts in theWestern world, offershisha(nargilein Turkish and Greek), flavored tobacco smoked through ahookah.Espresso barsare a type of coffeehouse that specialize in servingespressoand espresso-based drinks.
In China and Japan, the establishment would be atea house, where people would socialise while drinking tea. Chinese scholars have used the teahouse as a place to share ideas.
Alcoholic drinks are served indrinking establishments, which have different cultural connotations. For example,pubsare fundamental to the culture ofThe United Kingdom,Ireland,Australia,Canada,New England,Metro Detroit,South AfricaandNew Zealand. In many places, especially in villages, a pub can be the focal point of the community. The writings ofSamuel Pepysdescribe the pub as the heart of England. Many pubs are controlled by breweries, socask aleorkeg beermay be a better value than wines and spirits.
In contrast, types of bars range from seedy bars or nightclubs, sometimes termed "dive bars",to elegant places of entertainment for the elite. Bars providestoolsor chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. The term "bar" is derived from thespecialized counteron which drinks are served. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians,go-go dancers, orstrippers. Patrons may sit or stand at the bar and be served by thebartender, or they may sit at tables and be served by cocktail servers.
Foodand drink are often paired together to enhance the taste experience. This primarily happens with wine and a culture has grown up around the process. Weight, flavors and textures can either be contrasted or complemented.In recent years, food magazines began to suggest particular wines with recipes and restaurants would offer multi-course dinners matched with a specific wine for each course.
Different drinks have unique receptacles for their consumption. This is sometimes purely for presentations purposes, such as for cocktails. In other situations, the drinkware has practical application, such as coffee cups which are designed for insulation orbrandy snifterswhich are designed to encourage evaporation but trap the aroma within the glass.
Many glasses include a stem, which allows the drinker to hold the glass without affecting the temperature of the drink. In champagne glasses, the bowl is designed to retain champagne's signaturecarbonation, by reducing thesurface areaat the opening of the bowl. Historically, champagne has been served in achampagne coupe, the shape of which allowed carbonation to dissipate even more rapidly than from a standardwine glass.
An important export commodity, coffee was the top agricultural export for twelve countries in 2004,and it was the world's seventh-largest legal agricultural export by value in 2005.Green (unroasted) coffee is one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world.
Some drinks, such as wine, can be used as analternative investment.This can be achieved by either purchasing and reselling individual bottles or cases of particular wines, or purchasing shares in an investment wine fund that pools investors' capital.