Alcohol refers to any beverage or ingredient containing the intoxicant ethanol, chemical formula C2H5OH. The chemical term "alcohol" refers to a broader set of molecules, but in cooking, ethanol is the only alcohol that is relatively safe for human consumption.
Alcohol has been produced and consumed by humans for over 10,000 years, and is available in most countries of the world, with varying degrees of social acceptability. Alcohol is produced naturally by fermentation of sugars with yeast. These sugars are typically derived from fruit, grain, sugarcane, or starch sources.