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
North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission county or city's voters decide whether alcohol shall be sold. There are 49 county and 106 municipal alcoholic beverage control boards across the state that sell spirits; sales of other alcoholic beverages are allowed or disallowed by the towns or counties. State regulations require that each beer or wine product be approved by the Commission before being sold in North Carolina . The Commission publishes the "North Carolina Liquor Quarterly", which includes advertisements for alcoholic beverages and a list of the state's uniform prices for spirits . North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission The North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission