History of alcoholic drinks "Gandhara stills" were only capable of producing very weak liquor, as there was no efficient means of collecting the vapors at low heat. While the art of wine making reached the Hellenic peninsula by about 2000 BC, the first alcoholic beverage to obtain widespread popularity in what is now Greece was mead, a fermented beverage made from honey and water. However, by 1700 BC, wine making was commonplace. During the next thousand years wine drinking assumed the same function so commonly found around the world: It was incorporated into religious rituals. It became important in hospitality, used for medicinal purposes,
Nabidh of Allah used to keep fast. I waited for the day when he did not fast to present him the drink (nabidh) which I made in a pumpkin. I then brought it to him while it fermented. He said: Throw it by this wall, for this is a drink of the one who does not believe in Allah and the Last Day. Nabidh is known to start turning alcoholic after two to three days, depending on the surrounding conditions. Non-fermented Nabidh is permissible to drink and a sunnah. According to the hadith collection by Imam Malik Ibn Anas, it is