Food and Drink Vocabulary

Non-alcoholic Beverages

A non-alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains no alcohol. In the US, a drink which contains less than 0.5% alcohol by volume is also termed as a non-alcoholic drink, such as low-alcohol beer and apple cider. From freshly squeezed orange juice to chemical-packed energy drinks to teas and coffees, the spectrum of non-alcoholic beverages is broad.

Non-alcoholic beverages can be broadly categorized into soft drinks and hot drinks. Soft drinks are drinks which do not have alcohol such as carbonated drinks, tonic water, fruit punch, and sparkling water, among others. Hot drinks include popular beverages such as coffee and tea.

Water

• Water can come in various forms – sparkling, tap, still, bottled, etc., and is the lubricant for all of life’s processes.

Milk

• Commonly consumed forms of milk come from cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, camel, donkey, horse, reindeer, and yak, although some of these are less found than others.

Tea

• When you pour boiling water over certain types of leaves, herbs or other substances, you can create a tea.
• Tea comes in many different forms, including black, green, white, oolong, and pu-erh.
• You can also make tea from various herbs and spices, like cinnamon, honey, pine needle, chamomile, echinacea, and many others.

Coffee

• Similar to tea in its preparation, coffee is made by pouring boiling water over ground coffee, which comes from coffee beans.
• Roasted coffee beans can served as a espresso, cappuccino or latte.

Soft drinks                                        

• Carbonated beverages
• Coca-Cola, Sprite, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, root beer and so many other sodas are out there on the market, and most of them are packed with sugar and sugar substitutes.

Juices

• Juice can come in as many varieties as there are types of fruits and vegetables. From orange juice to beet juice, freshly squeezed to concentrated, juices play a huge part in our daily lives.
• Most juices are rich in vitamins and antioxidants, including vitamins A, C, and D, as well as magnesium, calcium, potassium, and phosphorous.

Energy Drinks

• They tend to have slightly less caffeine than an average cup of coffee, despite how they’re marketed, but that isn’t the main problem.

Mocktails

• This beverage is a mixture of two or more juices and other soft drinks.
• They are similar to cocktails but with one major difference; mocktails are non-alcoholic.
• It derives its name from mimicking cocktails, thus the word ‘mock’. Some also prefer calling it ‘punch’ or virgin cocktail.

Milkshakes

• This frothy beverage is basically a cold drink made of milk.
• It is sweet in taste due to the presence of fruits or chocolates, sometimes ice-creams too.

Smoothies

• A smoothie is a blend of fruits, vegetables, milk, yogurt, ice-cream, and other foods.
• It is a thick beverage, usually sweet, and enjoyed chilled.
• It is sometimes used interchangeably with milkshakes but smoothies are comparatively thicker and contain more of yogurt and ice-creams.
• Green smoothies also aid in lowering blood pressure levels.

Cocoa

• Cocoa contains hot water or milk mixed with cocoa powder and shaved or melted chocolate.
• Sugar is also added to some kinds of cocoa as a sweetener.

Tonic Water

• This carbonated, bitter-flavored soft drink has quinine (a bitter alkaloid) dissolved in it.
• It is often added to alcoholic drinks, especially gin and vodka.
• The pure form of tonic water has some health benefits due to the presence of quinine. These benefits include anti-inflammatory effects, muscle relaxation and treating malaria. But remember, everything in moderation!

Alcoholic Beverages

An alcoholic beverage is any drink which contains ethyl alcohol or ethanol. They are broadly divided into three categories: beers, wines, and spirits (hard drinks).

Beer

• Beer is likely one of the oldest beverages on the planet and is certainly the first form of alcohol.
• Made by the fermentation of starches – cereal grains, rice, corn, maize, etc. – beer was probably made by accident at some point in ancient history and has now become a global phenomenon.
• It is most people’s favorite way to relax after a hard day of work.
• Beer isn’t generally considered a healthy beverage, due to its relatively high-calorie count.
• However, there are B vitamins, along with potassium and magnesium in most varieties of beer.
• Depending on how each beer is brewed, there is an infinite number of unique nutrient profiles, but most are primarily made of carbohydrates and small amounts of protein.

Wine

• Another ancient beverage, wine, is made by fermenting grapes, just as beer is made by fermenting starches.
• This fermentation process is what gives these beverages their alcohol content.
• Wine comes in two primary varieties, red and white, but depending on where the grapes are grown in the world, the soil content and the cultivation process, the flavors and unique nutrient profile will be different.
• Most wines possess high levels of tannins, antioxidants, and phytochemicals that are derived from the skin of the fermented grapes.
• This can make wine helpful for lowering the risk of chronic diseases like cancer, chronic stress hormones, and other unsavory medical conditions.

Cider

• Fermented grains and grapes make up beer and wine, but fermented apples are the source material behind cider, another very popular alcoholic drink.
• Those prepared from fermented pears are called perry.
• Apple cider, also known as hard cider have very few health benefits due to the low levels of vitamins and certain minerals that remain from the apple.
• High concentrations of antioxidants from the apple also make hard cider somewhat healthy for those who drink it in moderation.

Cocktails

• Cocktail is a mix of alcoholic drinks such as gin, vodka, whiskey, or brandy combined with fruit juices or other liquors.
• It is usually served chilled.
• Cocktails are usually made with high-calorie mixers, so if you are watching your diet, you need to be careful not to have too many of them.

Hard Alcohol           

• Spirits, liquor or hard alcohol – whatever you want to call them – these are the most potent forms of alcoholic beverages, often exceeding 40% alcohol by volume.
• Whiskey, vodka, gin, tequila, rum, soju, brandy, and countless others are all forms of alcohol, but they are concentrated in strength because they are distilled versions of fermented products.