Alcohol is made primarily from grains, fruits or vegetables. Beer and wine are created through a process called fermentation, which is a process that adds yeast to the grain, fruit or vegetables. Fermentation creates ethyl or ethanol (the same chemical mixture being sold as fuel for cars) and carbon dioxide gas from the sugar. GROSS!  Alcoholic beverages come in three different forms: beer, wine, and hard liquor sometimes call "spirits."

Beer is made from barley malt which is soaked in water until it sprouts. After removing the sprouts, only starch or malt remains. This malt is ground up with water to make a mash and combined with a corn or rice mash. The starch from the corn or rise changes to sugar. This concoction is allowed to ferment for several weeks. The Wine, Beer and Cider site goes into detail about the process. Beer and its cousin, ale, contain between four and seven percent alcohol.

Wine and champagne are made from grapes and contain between nine and fourteen percent alcohol. The Wine, Beer and Cider site also describes the process of making wine in detail. Wine-making is considered an art of types as each vineyard develops its own hybrid of grape to harvest and process into wine. Like beer once the grapes have been harvested and the stems removed, they are mashed and through the process of fermentation, wine is made. Most wines, depending upon the type of wine being produced, are aged; the longer the age, the better the wine.

Hard or distilled liquor (spirits) is another form of alcohol that includes gin, rum, vodka, whiskey, and other liqueurs. It's amazing how many different natural ingredients are used ranging from Juniper berries to potatoes. The raw ingredients determine the taste but all are fermented and contain some form of ethanol. Hard liquors have a high alcoholic content between forty and fifty percent (40% - 50%) and is often mixed with another liquid like carbonated drinks or fruit juices.