Portal:Drink

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D r i n k

A portal dedicated to all beverages

The Drink Portal

A drink, in this case a glass of port wine.

Drinks, or beverages, are liquids specifically prepared for human consumption. In addition to basic needs, beverages form part of the culture of human society.

Despite the fact that most beverages, including juice, soft drinks, and carbonated drinks, have some form of water in them; water itself is often not classified as a beverage, and the word beverage has been recurrently defined as not referring to water.

Essential to the survival of all organisms, water has historically been an important and life-sustaining drink to humans. Excluding fat, water composes approximately 70% of the human body by mass. It is a crucial component of metabolic processes and serves as a solvent for many bodily solutes. Health authorities have historically suggested at least eight glasses, eight fluid ounces each, of water per day (64 fluid ounces, or 1.89 litres), and the British Dietetic Association recommends 1.8 litres. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has determined that the average adult actually ingests 2.0 litres per day.

Distilled (pure) water is rarely found in nature. Spring water, a natural resource from which much bottled water comes, is generally imbued with minerals. Tap water, delivered by domestic water systems in developed nations, refers to water piped to homes through a tap. All of these forms of water are commonly drunk, often purified through filtration.

An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol, although in chemistry the definition of an alcohol includes many other compounds. Alcoholic beverages, such as wine, beer, and liquor have been part of human culture and development for 8,000 years.

Non-alcoholic beverages 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.

Drink and Beverage WikiProjects

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WikiProject Food & Drink is an association of Wikipedians with an interest in culinary-related subjects. They have come together to co-ordinate the development of food and drink articles here on Wikipedia as well as the many subjects related to food such as foodservice, catering and restaurants. If you wish to learn more about these subject as well as get involved, please visit the Food & Drink Wikiproject page to see how you can help!

Beyond the general culinary interests, several groups of Wikipedians have banded together for beverage-specific projects covering their favorite types of drinks. If any of these subjects pique your interest, please feel free to visit their projects. These groups would love you to have you participate!

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WikiProject
Bartending
WikiProject
Beer
Pubs
Taskforce
Beverages
Task Force
WikiProject
Spirits
WikiProject
Wine

Selected article

A cup of hot chocolate
Hot chocolate (also known as hot cocoa, drinking chocolate, or just cocoa) is a heated beverage that typically consists of chocolate or cocoa powder, heated milk or water, and sugar. While hot chocolate is generally thought of as a drink consumed for pleasure, recent studies have suggested that hot chocolate possesses health benefits due to antioxidants that can be found in cocoa. Until the 19th century, hot chocolate was even used medicinally to treat ailments such as stomach diseases.

The first chocolate beverage is believed to have been created by the Mayan peoples around 2000 years ago, and a cocoa beverage was an essential part of Aztec culture by 1400 A.D. The beverage became popular in Europe after being introduced from Mexico in the New World, and has undergone multiple changes since then. Today, hot chocolate is consumed throughout the world and comes in multiple variations including the very thick cioccolata densa served in Italy, and the thinner hot cocoa that is typically consumed in the United States.


Selected person

Jim Beam distillery as viewed from the Beam House.
The Beam Family

The Beam family founded and operate the Jim Beam distillery that produces the bourbon of the same name.

During the late 1700’s a group of immigrants from Germany came to America who would leave a lasting impression on the American spirits business. Johannes "Jacob" Beam (1770–1834) found the land rich for farming and began experimenting with the corn and grains that grew on his farm, blending them with the clear spring water that flowed nearby. The mix was run through a still and aged in barrels, producing a liquid that came to become known as bourbon, possibly named after Bourbon County, Kentucky. Jacob Beam sold his first barrels of corn whiskey around 1795. The whiskey was first called Old Jake Beam, and the distillery was known as Old Tub.

David Beam (1802–1854) took his father’s responsibilities in 1820 at the age of 18, expanding distribution of the family’s bourbon during a time of industrial revolution. David M. Beam (1833–1913) in 1854 moved the distillery to Nelson County to capitalize on the growing network of railroad lines connecting states. Colonel James B. Beam (1864–1947) managed the family business before and after Prohibition, rebuilding the distillery in 1933 in Clermont, Kentucky, near his Bardstown home. From this point forward, the bourbon would be called “Jim Beam Bourbon” after the Colonel. T. Jeremiah Beam (1899–1977) started working at the Clear Springs distillery in 1913, later earning the title of Master Distiller and overseeing operations at the new Clermont facility.James B.Beam Distilling Company was founded in 1935 by Harry L. Homel, Oliver Jacobson, H. Blum and Jerimiah Beam. Jeremiah Beam eventually gained full ownership and opened a second distillery near Boston, Kentucky, in 1954. Jeremiah later teamed up with child-hood friend Jimberlain Joseph Quinn, to expand the enterprise.



Selected ingredient

Malted barley
Malting is a process applied to cereal grains, in which the grains are made to germinate by soaking in water and are then quickly halted from germinating further by drying/heating with hot air. Malting is thus a combination of two processes; namely the sprouting process and the kiln-drying process. These latter terms are often preferred when referring to the field of brewing for batches of beer or other beverages as they provide more in-depth information.

Malted grain is used to make malt beer, malt whisky, malted shakes, malt vinegar, and some baked goods, such as bagels. Malting grains develops the enzymes that are required to modify the grain's starches into sugars, including monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, etc.) and disaccharides (sucrose, etc.). It also develops other enzymes, such as proteases which break down the proteins in the grain into forms which can be utilized by yeast. Barley is the most commonly malted grain in part because of its high diastatic power or enzyme content. Also very important is the retention of the grain's husk even after threshing, unlike the bare seeds of threshed wheat or rye. This protects the growing acrospire (developing plant embryo) from damage during malting, which can easily lead to mold growth. It also allows the mash of converted grain to create a filter bed during lautering (see brewing). Other grains may be malted, especially wheat.

More selected ingredients... Used in Alcoholic beverages, Milkshakes Read more...


Drink news

Selected quote

Mankind . . . possesses two supreme blessings. First of these is the goddess Demeter, or Earth whichever name you choose to call her by. It was she who gave to man his nourishment of grain. But after her there came the son of Semele, who matched her present by inventing liquid wine as his gift to man. For filled with that good gift, suffering mankind forgets its grief; from it comes sleep; with it oblivion of the troubles of the day. There is no other medicine for misery.
— Euripides (485 - 406 BCE)
The Bacchae [c. 407 BCE], l. 274


Did you know...

Selected picture

"Flaming" cocktails contain a small amount of flammable high-proof alcohol which is ignited prior to consumption.

"Flaming" cocktails contain a small amount of flammable high-proof alcohol which is ignited prior to consumption.


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Categories

Category puzzle

The following entries are categories relating to drinks:


Drink lists

Topics related to Beverages

The following are topics relating to drinks:

General topics: Bartending  • Bottling • Refrigeration
Alcoholic beverages: Beer • Brandy • Brewing • Caffeinated alcoholic drinks • Cocktails • Distillation • Fermentation • Liqueur • Proof • Schnapps • Vodka • Whiskey • Wine
Soft Drinks: Carbonation • Coffee • Cola • Juice • Root beer • Soda water • Lithia water • Steeping • Tea