The origins of alcohol consumption and attraction by humans align with its production (herein, alcohol and ethanol will be used interchangeably). Archaeological evidence has revealed that the Natufian people, an ancient group of hunter-gatherers in Israel (circa 13,000 BCE), brewed beer from wheat and barley (7), and the inhabitants of the Neolithic village of Jiahu in China (circa 7000 BCE) made fermented beverages from rice, honey, and various fruits, demonstrating the complexity of the flavor and ingredients of alcoholic beverages, even in its nascent stages. Interestingly, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) genes that code for the primary enzymes responsible for alcohol metabolism originated much earlier—more than 400 million years ago.
