An Introduction to the Term Beverage

A beverage is a liquid prepared for human consumption intended for internal consumption. Besides their basic role of quenching thirst, beverages play various important roles in modern society. Common examples of beverages include fruit juices, milk, hot chocolate, soda and other hot beverages. Historically, warm beverages were tea, coffee and hot chocolate.

The word drink has been around for quite a while and means either the herb or the drink. In most dictionaries the word beverage is used to mean either the herb tea or the drink. There are many interesting variations on the theme. One possible variation is that of the word food, which means either the food eaten or the beverage that was eaten. Other possible variations are that of the word beverage which means the chemical substance used to prepare the food and the word drink which means the substance used to quench one’s thirst.

Most common drinks contain alcohol. Alcohol can be classified as a beverage, but it is not necessarily a beverage within the meaning of the word. For example, wine is not technically a beverage but a fortified alcoholic drink made from fermented grapes. It can also be classed as a food, since it contains sugar, which is not a natural product and therefore does not come under the category of beverages at all.