Drink

A drink, also called a beverage, is any liquid made for people to consume. Most drinks are based on water. While their main job is to quench thirst, they also hold a significant place in human culture. Common beverages include plain water, milk, juice, smoothies, and soft drinks. Hot drinks like coffee, tea, and hot chocolate are traditional favorites. For centuries, people have also consumed caffeinated drinks, which contain the stimulant caffeine.

Alcoholic drinks—such as wine, beer, and liquor—contain the psychoactive substance ethanol and have been part of human life for over 8,000 years. Non-alcoholic drinks are usually versions of these traditional alcoholic beverages that have had their alcohol removed or are made with very little alcohol.

**Biology** When the body lacks water, a person feels thirst—an instinctive urge to drink. The hypothalamus controls this urge, reacting to small shifts in electrolyte levels and blood volume. Going without drinks (specifically water) leads to death faster than lacking any other substance except oxygen. Water and milk, which is water-based, have been fundamental drinks throughout history. Because water is vital for life, it has also been a carrier of many diseases.

As societies advanced, people learned to make alcoholic drinks from local plants. The oldest known evidence of wine production comes from sites in Georgia and Iran. Beer may have been brewed in Neolithic Europe as early as 3000 BCE, mostly at home. Some argue that the invention of beer (along with bread) helped humanity develop technology and build civilization. Tea likely began as a medicinal drink in Yunnan, China, during the Shang dynasty.

**History** Drinking has long been central to social life. In ancient Greece, gatherings for drinking were called symposia, where watered-down wine was consumed. These events could involve serious discussion or simple pleasure. In ancient Rome, similar gatherings known as convivia were common. Many early cultures saw alcohol as a gift from the gods, leading to deities like Dionysus. Some religions forbid, discourage, or limit alcohol for various reasons. In certain regions, the production, sale, and consumption of alcoholic drinks is banned for everyone, regardless of faith.

Toasting is a tradition of honoring someone or wishing them well by raising a drink. Another custom is the loving cup, where a group at a wedding or sports victory shares a large vessel of drink until it is empty. In East Africa and Yemen, coffee was used in native religious ceremonies. Because these conflicted with Christian beliefs, the Ethiopian Church banned everyday coffee drinking until Emperor Menelik II’s reign. Coffee was also banned in 17th-century Ottoman Turkey for political reasons and was linked to rebellious activities in Europe.

**Production** A drink is a liquid prepared for human consumption. Preparation can involve several steps, some done before transport and others just before drinking.

**Purification of water** Water is the main ingredient in nearly all drinks. It is purified before drinking through methods like filtration or adding chemicals such as chlorine. The World Health Organization notes that 94% of deaths from diarrhea—the third leading cause of infectious death worldwide, with 1.8 million deaths annually—could be prevented by improving environmental conditions, especially access to safe water.

**Pasteurization** Pasteurization heats a liquid to a specific temperature for a set time, then quickly cools it. This process slows microorganism growth, extending shelf life. It is mainly used for milk, which before pasteurization often carries harmful bacteria and is a common source of illness in the developed world.

**Juicing** Juice is extracted from fruits and vegetables in various ways. Simple crushing releases a lot of liquid from most fruits, but more pressure can be applied to get the maximum amount. Both crushing and pressing are used in winemaking.

**Infusion** Infusion involves steeping plant material in water to extract flavors. This method is used to make teas, herbal teas, and can also prepare coffee when using a coffee press.

**Percolation** The term comes from "percolate," meaning to pass a solvent through a permeable substance to extract soluble parts. For coffee, the solvent is water, the permeable substance is the coffee grounds, and the soluble parts are the compounds that give coffee its color, taste, aroma, and stimulating effect.

**Carbonation** Carbonation dissolves carbon dioxide into a liquid, such as water.

**Fermentation** Fermentation is a metabolic process that turns sugar into ethanol. Humans have used it to make drinks since the Neolithic age. In winemaking, grape juice is combined with yeast.