By: Tenten
Ever wonder why alcohols are so minty and tingy? Why it also give us a slight headache when we woke up the next morning? It makes you a little bit tipsy? Maybe a little chat with Mr. Alcoholic Beverages will give us all the answers.
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol which is commonly known as alcohol. It is divided into 3 classes or categories: BEERS, WINES and SPIRITS. The minimum age for drinkers varies in different countries and type of drinks, usually between 16 – 25 years. But most nation set it at 18 years of age.
Alcoholic beverages that have a lower alcohol content are produced by fermentation of sugar or starch containing plant (fermentation is the “aging” of the beverages to produce its natural alcohol content). Higher alcohol content beverages are produced by fermentation and followed by distillation.
THE CLASSES
v BEER
- One of the world’s oldest and widely consumed beverages and considered as the third most popular drink. It is produced by brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grains (usually form malt, maize, and rice). Two main types of beer are lager and ale. The latter has also different varieties such as pale ale, stout and brown ale. The strength is usually 4 to 6 % alcohol by volume, but maybe less that 2% or as much as 12%.
v WINE
- This is produced from grapes while fruit wine is produced from fruits like plums, cherries or apples. It involves longer fermentation and aging process than beer. Usually it takes about months or years to age which results with a 9% to 16% alcohol content (ABV).
v SPIRIT
- Spirits are produced by distillation of a fermented base product. Unsweetened alcoholic beverages that has an alcoholic content of at least 20% ABV. Sometimes this is called as hard liquor. It does not contain added sugar. These include brandy, fruit brandy, gin, num, tequila, vodka and whisky.
THIS IS HOW WE ROCK: Philippine Beers and Liquors
An adult party won’t be complete without throwing or having alcoholic beverages. Typically, we gather in circle and share the same glass and make ‘tagay’ with each other. We drink an alcoholic mixture of all the beverages and along with some pulutan, we really enjoy the ‘kwentuhan’ and even karaoke.
Here are the lists of some popular drinks for the Filipinos:
(Note: I am not advertising anything. This was just based on purely observation.)
1. San Miguel Beer
- The best ever selling beer in town! If you will be coming here, you better try this (pale pilsen one).
Why the favorite of all?
According to Ted Morris of Diego Garcia Base, this drink makes every man a tiger and every woman beautiful.
2. Red Horse Beer
- The Filipino worker’s beer. I notice this in my aunt’s office, every Friday, when her ‘tao’ got paid, they will go straight at the store to buy this one. According to them, is has a high alcohol content and strong ‘tama’. ]
3. San Miguel Light
- The beer for the yuppies. This is the crowd favorite to drink after a long exhausted day. Also good for the party goers.
4. GSM Blue
- A popular drink among teenagers in Manila. This can be mix with any fruit concentrate powder and with ice, then off you got it. Don’t forget to chunk in your foodies or pulutan.
5. Emperador
- This is for the average guys. The beer that defines a quality of man and their sexiness. A usual beverage at home or if you are alone.
Whatever you choose, it is your responsibility to drink in moderation. As to what the commercial said, DRINK MODERATELY
