The chemical name for the type of alcohol found in alcoholic drinks is ethanol. It is also called ethyl alcohol, drinking alcohol, or grain alcohol, and its chemical formula is C₂H₆O, commonly written as C₂H₅OH.
Ethanol is produced when yeast ferments sugars, converting them into ethanol and carbon dioxide. This process makes beer, wine, cider, and other fermented drinks. Stronger spirits such as whisky, vodka, and brandy are made by distilling a fermented liquid, which concentrates the ethanol.
In chemistry, alcohol describes a broad family of compounds containing a hydroxyl group. Methanol and propanol are also alcohols, but they are not the alcohol in ordinary beverages. Methanol is highly toxic and can cause blindness or death, while glycerol is a different, thicker alcohol used in foods, medicines, and cosmetics.
Humans have used fermentation for thousands of years; residue on pottery from China suggests alcoholic drinks existed around 9,000 years ago. Ethanol is also used as a solvent, disinfectant, fuel, and medical antidote for certain poisonings.