Alcohol - History

Alcohol has been known to human beings for tens of thousands of years. Alcohol should actually be called ethanol because there are many different types of alcohol known in chemistry. Alcoholic beverages are an integral part of our culture: we drink beer and wine over dinner, at celebrations or after work as means of relaxation from every day routine. This is not the case in every country. In some Arabic countries, such as Saudi Arabia, the consumption of alcohol is disapproved of. In Germany there are different age requirements for the vending of alcohol, depending on the alcohol content of the beverage (less than 15 Vol. % 16 years, more than 15 vol. % 18 years).
Alcoholic beverages are produced in different procedures: beer and wine are produced by fermentation. Hard liquor, such as whiskey, is made by distillation (a chemical procedure which abstracts water in order to increase the alcohol content) and liqueurs are made by blending different ingredients (such as fruits or herbs) with pure alcohol (sometimes by repeated distillation). The alcohol content of a beverage is measured in volume (Vol.%). Thus, a large beer (0,5l) contains about 19 grams of ethanol and one shot of hard liquor (0,02l) contains between 5 and 6 grams of ethanol. After consuming one alcoholic beverage the alcohol enters the blood stream fairly quickly. The alcohol concentration in the blood is called blood alcohol level (BLA = Promille in German).