Residents of Israel and other Middle-Eastern lands enjoyed a variety of wines and other intoxicating beverages during daily meals as well as festive occasions..
The Bible writers describe the use the use of wine and intoxicating liquor on numerous occasions. The one were Jesus is described turning water into wine for wedding guests is well known, and other evidence abounds such as the Bible record in places like Deuteronomy 14:26 and Luke 1:15 which describe the use of wine and other "intoxicating liquors".
These liquors were not the gins and whiskys of modern distillers, however. This type of liquor we consume so much today came much later in human history.
The term "intoxicating liquor" mentioned in the Bible could also refer to to beer such as the barley beer of Mesopotamia apparently popular not only among the elite but also the poor people.
This alcoholic beverage was very popular in Bible times, as seem from the discoveries of clay models of breweries and brewers in Egyptian tombs and the remains of jugs with strainer spouts to keep drinkers from choking on the husks of the barley plant while drinking. These were discovered throughout Palestine in areas occupied by the Philistines as well as around ancient Babylon.
According to researchers beer seems to have been an everyday drink not only by Babylonian nobles but also the poor people.
So the term "intoxicating liquor" likely referred to such beers. While it was low in alcohol content it could still be intoxicating in drunk in any quanitity.
Or the term could also refer to other alcoholic beverages such as drinks made from applies , dates, figs, pomegranates and honey.
