Alcohol

Alcohol is a colorless liquid, sometimes used as a fuel, an industrial solvent and many people drink it.

The concentration of alcohol in a beverage is usually stated as the percentage of alcohol by volume  ABV, the number of milliliters (ml) of pure ethanol in 100 ml of beverage.

Beers	typically 5% (range is from 3–15%)
Wines	typically 13.5% (range is from 8%–17%)
Fortified wines	15–22%

There's more than one type of alcohol. Some types of alcohol aren't used for drinking and are very poisonous if ingested. An example is isopropyl alcohol, or rubbing alcohol, that's used as a medical disinfectant. I'd also suggest you avoid drinking any types of alcohol used as industrial solvents or fuel.

The kind of alcohol people drink is called ethyl alcohol or ethanol. Many popular beverages contain ethanol. Two categories of alcoholic beverages based on how they are made are fermented beverages and distilled beverages. There are also hybrid alcoholic beverages.

Fermented Beverages

Fermented beverages are produced through the process of fermentation. Fermentation in the case of alcoholic beverages refers to a metabolic process by which yeast converts sugar to ethanol. Yeast is a type of fungus used in the fermentation of alcohol. In order for fermentation to take place, you begin with some type of carbohydrate that is needed to feed the yeast. The type of carbohydrate used determines what the final product will be.

For example, beer is produced by fermenting grain, wine or hard cider is produced by fermenting fruit.

Distilled Beverages

In order to produce beverages above the concentration of ethanol achieved through fermentation, a distillation process is used. Distillation of alcoholic beverages is the process by which water is removed from a mixture of ethanol and water.

During distillation, the difference in the boiling points of water and alcohol is used to separate the two liquids from each other. Ethanol has a lower boiling point, so when heated, it will evaporate more easily. The evaporated steam is then cooled back into a liquid with a higher concentration of ethanol. The distilled beverage is then usually aged for a period of time before drinking. This adds to the flavor of the beverage.

A typical concentration of ethanol in a distilled alcoholic beverage is around 40%, but this can vary greatly.

For example, Whisky is made by distilling a specific type of beer.

Health effects

Alcoholic drinks are classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a Group 1 carcinogen (carcinogenic to humans). IARC classifies alcoholic drink consumption as a cause of female breast, colorectum, larynx, liver, esophagus, oral cavity, and pharynx cancers; and as a probable cause of pancreatic cancer. Alcohol in carbonated drinks is absorbed faster than alcohol in non-carbonated drinks.

                                                            

   Alcohol Test

Alcohol Testing can provide immediate answers for yourself or if you suspect someone else is under the influence of alcohol. All of our alcohol tests are accurate, portable and affordable. A breath alcohol test is an estimate of your blood alcohol concentration (BAC). The test measures the amount of alcohol in the air that you breathe out.

Fuentes

http://study.com/academy/lesson/how-is-alcohol-made-types-production-methods.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholic_drink