A drink (or beverage) is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, juice and soft drinks. In addition, alcoholic drinks such as wine, beer, and liquor, which contain the drug ethanol, have been part of human culture for more than 8,000 years.

Non-alcoholic drinks often signify drinks that would normally contain alcohol, such as beer and wine, but are made with less than .5 percent alcohol by volume. The category includes drinks that have undergone an alcohol removal process such as non-alcoholic beers and de-alcoholized wines.

Biology[edit]

When the human body becomes dehydrated, it experiences thirst. This craving of fluids results in an instinctive need to drink. Thirst is regulated by the hypothalamus in response to subtle changes in the body's electrolyte levels, and also as a result of changes in the volume of blood circulating. The complete elimination of drinks, that is, water, from the body will result in death faster than the removal of any other substance.^[1] Water and milk have been basic drinks throughout history.^[1] As water is essential for life, it has also been the carrier of many diseases.^[2]

As society developed, techniques were discovered to create alcoholic drinks from the plants that were available in different areas. The earliest archaeological evidence of wine production yet found has been at sites in Georgia (c. 6000 BCE)^[3][4][5] and Iran (c. 5000 BCE).^[6] Beer may have been known in Neolithic Europe as far back as 3000 BCE,^[7] and was mainly brewed on a domestic scale.^[8] The invention of beer (and bread) has been argued to be responsible for humanity's ability to develop technology and build civilization.^[9][10][11] Tea likely originated in Yunnan, China during the Shang Dynasty (1500 BCE–1046 BCE) as a medicinal drink.^[12]

History[edit]

Drinking has been a large part of socialising throughout the centuries. In Ancient Greece, a social gathering for the purpose of drinking was known as a symposium, where watered down wine would be drunk. The purpose of these gatherings could be anything from serious discussions to direct indulgence. In Ancient Rome, a similar concept of a convivium took place regularly.

Many early societies considered alcohol a gift from the gods,^[13] leading to the creation of gods such as Dionysus. Other religions forbid, discourage, or restrict the drinking of alcoholic drinks for various reasons. In some regions with a dominant religion the production, sale, and consumption of alcoholic drinks is forbidden to everybody, regardless of religion.

Toasting is a method of honouring a person or wishing good will by taking a drink.^[13] Another tradition is that of the loving 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.^[13]

In East Africa and Yemen, coffee was used in native religious ceremonies. As these ceremonies conflicted with the beliefs of the Christian church, the Ethiopian Church banned the secular consumption of coffee until the reign of Emperor Menelik II.^[14] The drink was also banned in Ottoman Turkey during the 17th century for political reasons^[15] and was associated with rebellious political activities in Europe.

Production[edit]

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.

Purification of water[edit]

Water is the chief constituent in all drinks, and the primary ingredient in most. Water is purified prior to drinking. Methods for purification include filtration and the addition of chemicals, such as chlorination. The importance of purified water is highlighted by the World Health Organization, who point out 94% of deaths from diarrhea – 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.^[16]

Pasteurisation[edit]

Pasteurisation is the process of heating a liquid for a period of time at a specified temperature, then immediately cooling. The process reduces the growth of microorganisms within the liquid, thereby increasing the time before spoilage. It is primarily used on milk, which prior to pasteurisation is commonly infected with pathogenic bacteria and therefore is more likely than any other part of the common diet in the developed world to cause illness.^[17]

Juicing[edit]

The process of extracting juice from fruits and vegetables can 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 of wine.

Infusion[edit]

Infusion is the process of extracting flavours from plant material by allowing the material to remain suspended within water. This process is used in the production of teas, herbal teas and can be used to prepare coffee (when using a coffee press).

Percolation[edit]

The name is derived from the word "percolate" which means to cause (a solvent) to pass through a permeable substance especially for extracting a soluble constituent.^[18] 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.

Carbonation[edit]

Carbonation is the process of dissolving carbon dioxide into a liquid, such as water.

Fermentation[edit]

Fermentation is a metabolic process that converts sugar to ethanol. Fermentation has been used by humans for the production of drinks since the Neolithic age. In winemaking, grape juice is combined with yeast in an anaerobic environment to allow the fermentation.^[19] The amount of sugar in the wine and the length of time given for fermentation determine the alcohol level and the sweetness of the wine.^[20]

When brewing beer, there are four primary ingredients – water, grain, yeast and hops. The grain is encouraged to germinate by soaking and drying in heat, a process known as malting. It is then milled before soaking again to create the sugars needed for fermentation. This process is known as mashing. Hops are added for flavouring, then the yeast is added to the mixture (now called wort) to start the fermentation process.^[21]

Distillation[edit]

Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatility of 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.

Mixing[edit]

An alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients is referred to as a cocktail. Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters.^[22] The term is now often used for almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol, including mixers, mixed shots, etc.^[23] A cocktail today usually contains one or more kinds of spirit and one or more mixers, such as soda or fruit juice. Additional ingredients may be sugar, honey, milk, cream, and various herbs.^[24]

Types of drink[edit]

Non-alcoholic drinks[edit]

A non-alcoholic drink is one that contains little or no alcohol. This category includes low-alcohol beer, non-alcoholic wine, and apple cider if they contain less than 0.5% alcohol by volume. 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, and tap water and energy drinks are all soft drinks.

Water[edit]

Water is the world's most consumed drink,^[25] however, 97% of water on Earth is non-drinkable salt water.^[26] Fresh water is found in rivers, lakes, wetlands, groundwater, and frozen glaciers.^[27] Less than 1% of the Earth's fresh water supplies are accessible through surface water and underground sources which are cost effective to retrieve.^[28]

In western cultures, water is often drunk cold. In the Chinese culture, it is typically drunk hot.^[29]

Milk[edit]

Regarded as one of the "original" drinks,^[30] 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 (especially cattle, goats and sheep) as a drink. Plant milk, a general term for any milk-like product that is derived from a plant source, also has a long history of consumption in various countries and cultures. The most popular varieties internationally are soy milk, almond milk, rice milk and coconut milk.

Soft drinks[edit]

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.^[31] Cola, orange, various roots, ginger, and lemon/lime are commonly used to create non-alcoholic carbonated drinks; sugars and preservatives may be added later.^[32]

The most consumed carbonated soft drinks are produced by three major global brands: Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group.^[33]

Juice and juice drinks[edit]

Fruit juice is a natural product that contains few or no additives. Citrus products such as orange juice and tangerine juice are familiar breakfast drinks, while grapefruit juice, pineapple, apple, grape, lime, and lemon juice are also common. Coconut water is a highly nutritious and refreshing juice. Many kinds of berries are crushed; their juices are mixed with water and sometimes sweetened. Raspberry, blackberry and currants are popular juices drinks but the percentage of water also determines their nutritive value. Grape juice allowed to ferment produces wine.

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. 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 juices are usually served warm or cold. Different types of vegetables can be used to make vegetable juice such as carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery and 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 of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Type of fruit drink	Percentage of fruit needed in drink	Description
Fruit juice[34]	100%[35]	Largely regulated throughout the world; 'juice' is often protected to be used for only 100% fruit.[35]
Fruit drink[34]	10%[32][34]	Fruit is liquefied and water added.[34]
Fruit squash[34]	25%[34]	Produced using strained fruit juice, 45% sugar and preservatives.[34]
Fruit cordial[34]	0%[36]	All 'suspended matter' is eliminated by filtration or clarification.[34] and therefore appears clear[32] This type of drink, if described as 'flavoured,' may not have any amount of fruit.[36]
Fruit punch[34]	25%[34]	A mixture of fruit juices. Contains around 65% sugar.[34]
Fruit syrups[34]	-	1 fruit crushed into puree and left to ferment. Is then heated with sugar to create syrup.[32][34]
Fruit juice concentrates[34]	100%[34]	Water removed from fruit juice by heating or freezing.[32]
Carbonated fruit drinks[34]	-	Carbon dioxide added to fruit drink.[34]
Fruit nectars[37]	30%[37]	Mixture of fruit pulp, sugar and water which is consumed as 'one shot'.[37]
Fruit Sherbets[38]	-	Cooled drink of sweetened diluted fruit juice.[38]

Sleep drinks[edit]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

A sleep beverage, nightcap or relaxation drink are considered consumable liquids taken shortly before bedtime to induce sleep. They are often formulated to help reduce stress, alleviate anxiety, improve focus, and promote better overall sleep. For example, a small alcoholic drink or a cup of warm milk can supposedly promote a good night's sleep. These consumable sleep supplements are an anomaly or antithesis of energy drinks and have found a niche in the beverage industry. Originally, a nightcap was understood to be an alcoholic liquid with purpose of warming the drinker up and helping them sleep. That changed in 1930, when the nonalcoholic drink, Ovaltine, was advertised as "the world's best 'night-cap' to ensure sound, natural sleep." An ingredient of Ovaltine is magnesium which helps to induce relaxation. Likewise, warm milk is often recommended as a nightcap for inducing sleep, because it contains both tryptophan and calcium. Then, the flavor of the warm milk was improved by adding a small amount of liqueur which may promote sleep as well. Alternatively, honey or vanilla can improve the flavor too. The effectiveness of warm milk for inducing sleep is disputed. Other drinks touted for inducing sleep and being effective sleep aids are hops tea, cherry juice (contains melatonin), coconut water (contains magnesium), lemon balm tea, decaffeinated green tea (contains theanine), valerian tea, and chamomile tea. Today, however, most sleep beverages, nightcaps and relaxation drinks are generally non-alcoholic beverages containing calming ingredients normally found in nature. They are considered functional beverages which serve to relax a person. Unlike other calming beverages, such as tea, warm milk or milk with honey; sleep drinks almost universally contain more than one active ingredient. Melatonin is a common ingredient found in relaxation drinks which also carries some negative connotations due to the controversial effects from long term use. Sleep beverages, nightcaps, and relaxation drinks have been known to contain other natural ingredients and are usually free of caffeine and alcohol but some have claimed to contain marijuana. Sleep beverages, nightcaps and relaxation drinks started to reappear in Japan at the beginning of the 21st century and then began to make their way to the US. One major brand was called Drank, a reference to an illicit concoction made out of cold medication. Others had names like Purple Stuff and Lean, which also hinted at vaguely narcotic effects. These brands were marketed towards a partying crowd, yet never managed to break into the mainstream. In the US, the Food & Drug Administration also moved in, shutting down brands for false health claims.

Alcoholic drinks[edit]

A drink is considered "alcoholic" if it contains ethanol, commonly known as alcohol (although in chemistry the definition of "alcohol" includes many other compounds). Beer has been a part of human culture for 8,000 years.^[39]

In many countries, imbibing alcoholic drinks in a local bar or pub is a cultural tradition.^[40]

Beer[edit]

Beer is an alcoholic drink produced by the saccharification of starch and fermentation of the resulting sugar. The starch and saccharification enzymes are often derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat.^[41] Most beer is also flavoured with hops, which add bitterness and act as a natural preservative, though other flavourings such as herbs or fruit may occasionally be included. The preparation of beer is called brewing. Beer is the world's most widely consumed alcoholic drink,^[42] and is the third-most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is said to have been discovered by goddess Ninkasi around 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 began to dabble in the field. ^{[43] [44]} It is thought by some to be the oldest fermented drink.^{[45][46][47][48]}

Some of humanity's earliest known writings refer to the production and distribution of beer: the Code of Hammurabi included laws regulating beer and beer parlours,^[49] and "The Hymn to Ninkasi", 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. ^{PREVIOUS：Glossary of wine terms NEXT：Mason jar}