Archaeological evidence suggests that, as early as 3500 BC, ancient Egyptians used a primitive form of distillation to make perfumes and essences. Circa 800 BC, East Indians began distilling arak from sugar cane and rice. Even Aristotle, the famed Greek philosopher, made reference to distillation in his writings. The modern history of distillation originated with the Arabs.

Alcohol strength is a measurement of the amount of alcohol in a given beverage. Prior to 1816, alcohol strength was determined by whether or not a mixture of the spirit and gunpowder would explode when ignited with a match. If the mixture exploded, then there was "proof" that the spirit contained a significant amount of alcohol.

Driving while either intoxicated or drunk is dangerous and drivers with high blood alcohol content (BAC) are at increased risk of car accidents, highway injuries and vehicular deaths. Prevention measures evaluated include license suspension or revocation, impounding or confiscating vehicle plates, enforcing open container bans, increasing penalties such as fines or jail for drunk driving, mandating ...