Older translations render it as "strong drink", a distinct entity from wine. We might be tempted to interpret this as distilled spirits (whisky, brandy, etc), but such did not exist at the time -- the distillation of "al-kohol" was discovered by the medieval Arabs. So it's gotta be either beer or mead (fermented honey). Given that it's in the fertile crescent and a short walk from the beer brewing ancient Egyptians, I'm betting on beer.
That is interesting.
I remember learning a latin phrase that meant, “Water of life”, aqua vita. What I remember is that the scots had named scotch by the same name as well. I am not sure where in history this was, but at least back in the Roman Empire.
I had thought that “aqua vita” would have been strong drink.
“...the distillation of “al-kohol” was discovered by the medieval Arabs.”
Did the arabs discover it? or, did they conquer some peoples who had discovered it, learned it from them and then claimed it as an invention? much like current imams are trying to claim the invention of the telephone these days by islam.
Any new thing translated into arabic becomes the property of islam. It has always been so with the mohamadians.
So, the practice of distilling could very well have been in use somewhere “over there” for much much much much longer than “arab invention” says it could be. It all just may well depend on who got conquered by the roving hordes of jihadiscum and what got translated when.