Alcohol consumption has been a part of human culture for thousands of years. Traces of fermented beverages have been found in potteries from neolithic period. Alcohol is produced from the fermentation of natural sugars present in plant parts. The commonly used ingredients for the fermentation process are cereals like barley, corn, rye, corn and rice. The only non-grain ingredient to achieve comparative popularity is grape. In addition to these widely known sources of alcohol, there are other plant parts and even animal produce which are used to create some very unusual alcoholic beverages.

Fruits

Fruits contain the natural sugars which can be fermented to produce alcohol. The most widely known fruit-based alcoholic drink is wine, which is produced from grapes. It has been associated with human civilization from antiquity. Though wine is widely popular, other fruit-based alcoholic beverages are also prepared and consumed in many parts of the world. Virtually any kind of fruit can be fermented to produce alcohol, but not all fruits have the right balance of sugars, acids, water and salts to produce a stable beverage. All of the fruit-based alcoholic drinks are collectively called as fruit-wines except cider and perry. Some of the common fruit-wines are Plum wine, Pineapple wine, Pomegranate wine, Lychee wine and Banana wine. The wine produced from pineapples is also known as Tepache, a drink from Mexico. Banana-based wines are popular in east Africa while steadily gaining a foothold in India and Philippines. Ume, a type of plum wine is mostly produced in Japan and Korea. Some other fruits used to produce fruit-wines are passionfruit, apricot, raspberry, cherry, cranberry and mango.

Apple cider is a well-known beverage derived from apples, mostly produced in United Kingdom. It has low alcohol concentrations, varying from 2% to 9%. Apfelwein, a variant of apple cider is mainly produced in Germany and has a sour taste. On the other hand, Perry is a type of cider popular in France and United Kingdom, made from pears instead of apples.

Flowers

Though rare, alcohol can also be produced from flowers. Due to low sugar content, the flowers are frequently supplemented with sugar during the fermentation process. Dandelion wine is produced from the petals of dandelion flower combined with sugar and an acid source like lemon juice. In parts of eastern India, the flowers of Mahula tree are fermented to produce an alcoholic drink, known as Mahuli. It is a hard wine, often containing 25%-45% alcohol by volume. Some other flowers used to produce wine are elderflower and hibiscus. One interesting fact worth mentioning here is flower nectar is frequently fermented and may contain alcohol (up to 3.5%) after being exposed to sun light and wild yeasts. Curiously though, insects feed upon this fermented nectar but do not experience the effects of intoxication.

Vegetables

Unlike fruits and cereals, vegetables have very little sugar content, which makes them unsuitable for fermentation. But many root vegetables have enough starch stored in their tubers to undergo fermentation. Potato is the most widely used tuber to produce alcoholic beverages. Akvavit is a potato-based flavored spirit from Norway, containing 40% alcohol by concentration. Some other potato-based beverages are Poitin from Ireland and Horilka from Ukraine. Cassava roots are often fermented to produce an alcoholic drink, Kasiri, mostly consumed in Surinam. Similar cassava-based beers are also produced in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Ginger beer, made from the fermentation of ginger roots is a popular drink in Botswana. In Mexico, the use of Blue Agave plants in the production of Tequila is well-documented. Mezcal is another type of beverage produced from another variety of agave plant.

Others

One unusual alcoholic beverage is mead, also called honeywine. It is an ancient drink, known to all major civilizations of old world. Mead is made by fermenting a mixture of honey and water. It has an alcohol content of 8% to 18% and is often flavored with spices or fruits. Wild yeasts and bacteria are often used to bring about the fermentation process. Tej, a variant of mead is made and consumed in Ethiopia. It is usually flavored with herbs and has a high alcohol content.

The sap extracted from the trunk of certain trees can also be used to produce wines. Some common examples are toddy/palm wine and coyol wine. Toddy is a traditional beverage produced in Indian sub-continent from the sap of palm, date and coconut trees. It is usually consumed undistilled, though distillation can increase the alcohol content. Similar beverages are produced throughout south-east Asia and coastal parts of Africa. The sap of Coyol palm tree, known as the coyol wine is primarily consumed in Nicaragua and Honduras. The drink itself has very low alcohol content, but the enzymatic action of saliva of the drinker accelerates the fermentation process. Sun exposure immediately after drinking the coyol wine can hasten the intoxication process.

Sugarcane juice and its derivatives are the richest source of sugar and can easily be fermented. Rum is the most common alcoholic drink, made from molasses. Another sugarcane-based drink is Cachaca, a distilled beverage from Brazil. It differs from rum based drinks on the basis of the source; it is made from fresh sugarcane juice itself as opposed to molasses. It usually contains 40%-55% alcohol by volume.

A very unusual alcoholic beverage is Kumis, a milk-based drink from Mongolia. It is an integral part of the central Asian culture. Kumis is produced mostly from Mare’s milk because of the higher sugar content. It has slight sour taste and mild alcohol content. Kefir is a similar drink from the Northern Caucasus region using milk and yeast extracts. Kefir is also prepared from coconut milk and soy milk. Yet another milk-based alcoholic beverage is Blaand, a traditional Scottish drink. Whey is often introduced to the fermenting milk to give Blaand its characteristic flavor.

There exist several alcoholic beverages which are not exclusively produced from a single source. Examples include Aguardiente (Latin America) and Shochu (Japan). Shochu can be distilled from sweet potatoes, rice, brown sugar, barley or chestnut. Some forms of Shochu even use shiso leaves and sesame. Likewise, Aguardiente can be produced from cereals, root vegetables, fruits or even young bamboo shoots. Vodka can be produced from potatoes and soybeans, though it is mainly distilled from cereals.

If everything mentioned above did not seem weird enough, there are some even more bizarre alcoholic drinks. In parts of East Asia, a variety of rice wines are consumed which contain ingredients such as venomous snakes, baby mice, spiders and scorpions. These beverages are believed to have medicinal properties because of their unique constituents.