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Alcohol beverages are made by fermentation, using yeast to convert sugars into ethanol. Ethanol is the waste product of yeast. So as they consume more sugars, they produce more ethanol, until eventually the ethanol kills them (this happens in a closed container, and so they are living in their own waste!). This happens at about 18% ethanol, and so you can't make stronger alcohol than this just using yeast.
In order to make stronger alcoholic beverages, distillation is used. Distillation allows you to separate out the alcohol that is produced and concentrate it down. To do this, you boil the mixture of ethanol and water, and because ethanol boils at a lower temperature than water, the ethanol will boil off before the water turns to steam. You collect this ethanol using special equipment, and you have very strong alcohol!
A glass of white or red wine, a bottle of beer, and a shot of whiskey or other distilled spirits all contain equivalent amounts of alcohol and are they same to a Breathalyzer. A standard drink is:
• A 12-ounce bottle or can of regular beer
• A 5-ounce glass of wine
• A one and 1/2 ounce of 80 proof distilled spirits (either straight or in a mixed drink)
Understanding that standard drinks contain the same amount of alcohol prevents us from being fooled into thinking that "just having a few of beers" before driving is safer than having a few glasses of dinner wine or a few shots of whiskey or Martinis.
Knowing about standard drinks and alcohol equivalence also helps us understand that there is no drink of moderation, only behaviors of moderation.
And recognizing that standard drinks are all the same to a Breathalyzer can help us avoid driving while impaired or intoxicated. That can prevent us from having trouble with the law, but much more important, it can prevent injuries and save lives.
See also the Web Links to the left of this answer for more information.
What else can I help you with?
What makes an alcoholic beverage a man drink?
The ammount of hard alcohol
What kind of alcohol is in mikes hard ice tea?
The kind that makes you drunk
What stuff in alcohol makes it hard to freeze?
The alcohol, is what makes it hard to freeze. Ethanol, as beverage alcohol is called by chemists, has a very low melting point of -173 °F (-114 °C) in its pure form. Alcoholic beverages will freeze at somewhat higher temperatures due to the presence of water.
What do alcohol do to your body?
When consumed in moderation is associated with better health and greater longevity than is either abstaining or abusing alcohol. If abused, alcohol increases the risks of harm.
What makes an alcohol to be polar?
-OH group present in alcohol makes it a polar covalent compound.
Is kombucha considered a hard alcohol?
No, kombucha is not considered a hard alcohol. It is a fermented tea beverage with a low alcohol content, typically below 0.5.
What makes you get drunk?
Getting Alcohol in your blood makes you drunk. This is achieved by drinking alcohol or an alcoholic beverage.
Why - after an alcohol binge - do you have a headache and get thirsty?
Alcohol makes you dehydrated.
What makes solids hard?
what makes solid hard
What makes you turn red when you drink certain types of hard alcohol?
It dilates blood vessels, increasing blood flow and bringing it closer to the surface of the skin.
What makes a person not bondable?
That depends on the reason you do not qualify, but most are hard to change. Bad credit rating, history of drug or alcohol abuse, felony convictions?
Does alcohol have a freezing point?
Alcohol has a freezing point, which varies depending on the type of alcohol. For example, ethanol (drinking alcohol) freezes at -114.1 degrees Celsius (-173.4 degrees Fahrenheit), while methanol (wood alcohol) freezes at -97.6 degrees Celsius (-143.7 degrees Fahrenheit).
