Reference
Glossary
Working definitions for the technical vocabulary used across the drinks encyclopedia.
ABV
Alcohol By Volume — the percentage of pure ethanol in a beverage by liquid volume. The standard global metric for alcoholic strength.
Brewing
The process of preparing a beverage by steeping, boiling, or fermenting raw ingredients in water. Used loosely for tea/coffee infusion and strictly for beer/sake/makgeolli production.
Distillation
Heating a fermented liquid to vaporize the alcohol (which boils at 78°C, lower than water at 100°C) and condensing the vapor back to liquid — concentrating the spirit.
Fermentation
The metabolic process by which yeast or bacteria convert sugar into alcohol, acids, and CO₂ — the foundation of all alcoholic drinks and many non-alcoholic ones.
Terroir
The combined environmental factors — soil, altitude, climate, sun, water — that shape a beverage's flavour profile. Imported from wine, applied universally.