Drink to Ninkasi", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, served as both a prayer and as a method of remembering the recipe for beer in a culture with few literate people. Today, the brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries. Cider is a fermented alcoholic drink made from fruit juice, most commonly and traditionally apple juice, but also the juice of peaches, pears ("Perry" cider) or other fruit. Cider may be made from any variety of apple, but certain cultivars grown solely
Beer in Mexico the Spanish conquest, there had been fermented alcoholic beverages in Mexico. The best known of these is "pulque", which is the fermented sap of the maguey or agave plant. More similar to beer is a lesser-known beverage, called "tesgüino" or "izquiate", brewed by various cultures. This is made from fermented corn, and creates light, amber-colored liquid which is whisked before drinking. "Tesgüino" can still be found in Mexico today, mostly homemade, in the north and west of Mexico in states such as Chihuahua, Sonora and Colima. Among the Tarahumaras, the drink is used for rituals. A similar beverage, called "pozol",