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5-hour Energy
5-hour Energy is an American energy shot launched in 2004 by Manoj Bhargava through Living Essentials LLC, a 1.93 oz sugar-free caffeine and B-vitamin supplement that dominated the energy shot market.
A&W Root Beer
A&W Root Beer is an American root beer soft drink created in 1919 by Roy W. Allen in Lodi, California, and named for Allen and Frank Wright.
AB InBev
AB InBev (Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV), Belgian brewer headquartered in Leuven, formed from Interbrew, AmBev, Anheuser-Busch (2008, $52 billion) and SABMiller (2016); world's largest brewer with about 26% global beer volume share and brands including Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois.
AB InBev brands
AB InBev brands: the 500+ beer and non-beer trademarks of Anheuser-Busch InBev of Leuven, from global names Budweiser, Corona, Michelob Ultra, and Stella Artois to local brands, Beyond Beer RTDs, and licensed or divested territorial rights such as Corona in the US.
Absinthe
Absinthe, also known as La fee verte, is a strong unsweetened spirit flavored with wormwood and aniseed, diluted with water, and banned for most of the 20th century.
Absolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka: Swedish premium vodka produced only in Åhus, Sweden, from winter wheat and deep-well water, launched in New York in 1979, famous for the Andy Warhol art campaign and owned by Pernod Ricard since 2008.
Acids in wine
Acids in wine: organic acids, chiefly tartaric and malic from grapes plus lactic, acetic, citric, and succinic, that govern pH, titratable acidity, taste, stability, and malolactic fermentation management.
Advocaat
Advocaat (advocatenborrel) is a Dutch egg liqueur of egg yolk, sugar, and brandy; EU law requires at least 14% ABV, 140 g/L egg yolk, and 150 g/L sugar, distinguishing it from thinner liqueur with egg.
AeroPress
AeroPress: manual coffee brewer invented by engineer Alan Adler, introduced at Coffee Fest Seattle in November 2005. Combines immersion, paper micro-filtration, and plunger-driven air pressure for fast single-cup brewing; home of the World AeroPress Championship.
Aging of wine
Aging of wine covers post-bottling redox chemistry of phenolics, oxygen ingress through closures (0.05-89 mg/year OTR), storage temperature effects, and emerging underwater and accelerated aging techniques.
Aguardiente
Aguardiente (Spanish/Portuguese aguardente, "burning water") is a general term for distilled spirits, chiefly sugarcane liquor in Latin America; in Brazil a byproduct of sugar mills used as trade currency, in Colombia an anise-flavored national drink.
Akvavit
Akvavit (akevitt, aquavit) is a Scandinavian caraway- and dill-flavoured spirit, at least 37.5% vol, with Norwegian potato-based cask-aged PGI akevitt, Swedish fennel-requiring designation, Linie sea-ageing, and snaps traditions distinct from gin and genever.
Albariño
Albariño, called Alvarinho in Portugal's Vinho Verde, is a white wine grape from northwest Iberia, centered on Rías Baixas, Spain; dry, high-acid, saline wines pair with seafood, with over 6,500 ha planted in Spain.
Alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume (ABV), also called alcoholic strength, is a standard measure of the alcohol in a beverage: liters of ethanol per 100 liters, measured at 20 °C.
Alcohol enema
Alcohol enema, also called butt chugging or boofing, is rectal administration of alcohol for rapid intoxication. Documented from ancient Maya ritual enemas to modern case reports of proctocolitis and fatal alcohol poisoning.
Alcohol proof
Alcohol proof measures spirits strength: US proof equals twice the ABV (80 proof = 40%), British proof was about 1.75 times ABV (100 proof ≈ 57%), from the gunpowder test; Britain switched to ABV on January 1, 1980.
Alcoholic beverage
Alcoholic beverage: drink containing ethanol (C2H5OH), made by fermentation of grains, fruits, or sugars, or by distillation for spirits such as whiskey, rum, and vodka. Beer, wine, and spirits dominate; IARC Group 1 carcinogen; 2.6 million deaths in 2019.
Alcopop
Alcopop (also ready-to-drink, RTD): a sweet pre-mixed alcoholic drink in small bottles, typically 5-7% ABV. Known for youth appeal, 1990s boom (Two Dogs, Hooch, Zima), and special taxes in Australia, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Germany.
Ale
Ale is beer fermented with top-fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast at warm temperatures, giving fruity character distinct from lager. Covers etymology, medieval unhopped ale, 1980s broadened usage, major styles, and market trends.
Almond milk
Almond milk, a plant-based milk alternative made from almonds and water, originated in the Middle East and medieval Europe. Key facts: about 30 calories and 1 g protein per cup, fortified with calcium, still the leading US plant milk category.
Altbier
Altbier (Alt): cold-conditioned, top-fermented amber beer from Düsseldorf, Germany, developed in the late 19th century; IBU 25-50, ABV 4.3-5.5%, brewed by Altstadt house breweries such as Uerige and Schumacher.
Amaretto
Amaretto, Italian almond-flavored liqueur from Saronno; key brands Disaronno and Lazzaroni. Flavor comes mostly from apricot-kernel benzaldehyde, not almonds; Disaronno is 28% ABV.
Amaro (liqueur)
Amaro (plural amari) is an Italian bittersweet herbal liqueur made by macerating herbs, roots, bark, and citrus peels in spirit or wine, sweetened and aged; 15–40% ABV, drunk as aperitivo or digestivo.
Amaro Averna
Amaro Averna is a Sicilian amaro from Caltanissetta, created from a recipe of the Abbazia di Santo Spirito monks given to Salvatore Averna in 1868; 29% ABV, royal warrant 1912, owned by Campari 2014–2026, then Disaronno Group.
Amaro Montenegro
Amaro Montenegro: Italian bittersweet herbal liqueur from Bologna, 23% ABV, created 1885 by Stanislao Cobianchi as Elisir Lungavita; 40 secret botanicals, six tasting notes, and Il Premio, a micro-distilled ingredient at 1 liter per 15,000 liters.
Amarone
Amarone, or Amarone della Valpolicella, is a dry, full-bodied red wine from Valpolicella near Verona, Italy, made from partially dried grapes fermented almost to dryness.
Amarula
Amarula is a South African cream liqueur (17% ABV) made from fermented, distilled marula fruit aged two years in French oak and blended with cream; launched 1989 by Distell's Southern Liqueur Company, it is the world's second best-selling cream liqueur.
American Viticultural Area
American Viticultural Area (AVA): a TTB-designated delimited US grape-growing region under 27 CFR part 9, first established as Augusta, Missouri in 1980; 280 AVAs exist, requiring 85% local grapes for labeling, regulating geography only.
American whiskey
American whiskey: federally regulated U.S. grain spirits (bourbon, rye, Tennessee, wheat, malt, corn, and American single malt) distilled from grain, aged in oak, bottled at 80 proof minimum; bourbon requires 51% corn and new charred oak.
Amontillado
Amontillado, an aged dry sherry style from the Jerez-Xérès-Sherry and Montilla-Moriles PDOs, matures first under flor yeast and then oxidatively; 16–22% alcohol, nutty, amber, under 4 g/L sugar.