Alcohol is the process that comes to mind when the word "fermentation" is mentioned, and rightfully so. The production of alcohol is one of the oldest controlled chemical interactions known in mankind's history. While beer is the most popular beverage produced, alcohol fermentation is found in many other drinks in many different cultures.
Wine: Originating in the Mediterranean region, wine began to emerge as soon as humanity began to learn how to farm, in fact, predating written language and history. The oldest evidence for controlled fermentation processes to produce wine date to around 6000 BC in the country of Georgia. The Greeks & Romans became famous for their wine production, the Egyptians had stories of wine making written on their tombs, and with the development of the Silk Road trade, the art was spread eastward into Asia. Europe began cultivating crops for wine for religious purposes, and by the times of the Renaissance, specific regions had been established according to their wine making prowess (such as Bordeaux, France).
(you can read a brief history of wine from this NY Times article, as well as the books from our collection, listed to the left)
Distilled beverages: Distillation is a process that can happen only after fermentation. Where fermentation is the process by which yeast converts the glucose into ethyl alcohol & carbon dioxide gas, distillation is the process of separating components by selective evaporation and condensation. The fermentation process only allows for a certain level of alcohol content in the liquid. Distillation allows the maker to exceed that amount, making the resulting product much more potent.
The first stills are believed to closely resemble the pot still, which is still used in parts of Scotland & Ireland to distil whiskey. In the early 19th
century, the continuous still was introduced, and many modern distilleries use a combination of both the pot and the continuous still. The rectification still is the third kind, which is made of 3 - 5 columns, and repeatedly purifies the liquid to remove all unwanted compounds & most water.
As early as 800 BC, the Chinese were distilling a product from rice beer. Cultures in the East Indies were distilling
arrack from sugarcane & rice, and Arab cultures wrote about distilling a beverage from wine. Writings as early as 100 BC reference a distilling process made by the Romans, and Greek writings reference a sort of crude distilling process as well.
Examples of distilled beverages are:
Whiskey- from Ireland, this distilled byproduct of grain mash was first written about in 1405 in the
Annals of Clonmacnoise. Varians, such as bourbon, scotch, and rye whiskey, refer to the types of grain used to make the mash, and the geographical area in which the whiskey was distilled.
Brandy- the geographical origins of this aren't clear, but it's thought to be tied to the origins of distilling, since it's made from distilling already fermented wine.
Rum- originally produced in Latin America and the Caribbean, this drink is made from distilled sugarcane byproducts
Arrack- from South, Southeast Asia, & the East Indies, it's made from fermenting & distilling the sap of coconut flowers, sugarcane, rice, or fruit (depending on the region)
Arak- from the Mediterranean area, it's made from fermenting grape wine & then later distilling it with aniseed. This is also called
raki in Turkey,
ouzo in Greece, and
mastika in Bulgaria.
Vodka- from either Poland or Russia (the exact origin is debatable), this alcohol is made from distilled cereal grains or potatos
Gin- The earliest form of gin was created in Holland in the 17th century, being distilled from fermented juniper berries.
Mezcal- Native to Mexico, this alcohol is made from the distilled maguey plant.
Tequila, is a regionally specific variant of
mezcal, made from distilled
blue agave plants, which are regionally specific to midwestern Mexico. (A diagram of mezcal vs tequila production can be found
here.)
Liquor vs Liqueur- Liquor is a synonym for alcohol, referring to any alcoholic liquid that has been distilled. Liqueur is a liquor that has been mixed with herbs, spices, and sugars to make the end product sweeter.
Fermented Teas: Rapidly gaining popularity in western culture, fermented teas such as
kombucha, kvass, and
dark teas have been present in Asian and Eastern European cultures for centuries.
Kombucha- according to Qin Dynasty records, this tea was introduced to China around 5,000 years ago, then later brought to Japan by, as legend has it, a doctor named Kombu, who prescribed it to the emperor around 414 AD.
Kvass- created in Russian & Eastern European countries since the Middle Ages,
kvass, made from fermented black or rye bread, is typically considered non-alcoholic, having an alcohol content of less than 1.2%. The first written record of the drink was found in the
Primary Chronicle around 996.
Dark Teas- The exact origins of fermented tea are unclear, but it's believed to have accidentally been created along the Silk Road, with shipments of tea being packaged tightly for months on end while traveling from Asia into Europe. While there are many variants & varieties of the tea found in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese culture, the most well known amongst Western cultures is the Chinese
Pu-erh variety.
A History of Wine in Europe, 19th to 20th Centuries by 
The science of wine. by 
