History of alcoholic drinks even had a god whose hieroglyph was a winepress. The ancient Egyptians made at least 17 types of beer and at least 24 varieties of wine. The most common type of beer was known as hqt. Beer was the drink of common laborers; financial accounts report that the Giza pyramid builders were allotted a daily beer ration of one and one-third gallons. Alcoholic beverages were used for pleasure, nutrition, medicine, ritual, remuneration and funerary purposes. The latter involved storing the beverages in tombs of the deceased for their use in the after-life. Numerous accounts of the period stressed the importance
Korean alcoholic drinks are six distinct flavors: sweet, sour, pungent, roasted, bitter and spicy. When the flavors are balanced, the alcohol is considered good quality. Most traditional Korean alcoholic drinks are rice wines, fermented with the aid of yeast and "nuruk" (a wheat-based source of the enzyme amylase). Main varieties include clear rice wines ("cheongju"), milky rice wine ("takju"), distilled liquor ("soju"), fruit wine ("gwasil-ju"), flower wines, and medicinal wines. "Makgeolli" (also known as "takju" and "nongju"), is a milky, sweet alcoholic drink made from rice. It is one of Korea's most-popular alcoholic drinks. The oldest traditional Korean rice wine, its alcohol content