And because of the presence of the honey, they speculate that the drink must have been sweet and delicious.

Although the available chemical and archaeological evidence for the Jiahu jars points to the hypothesis that they were used to prepare and store a mixed fermented beverage, research showed that direct chemical evidence of alcohol was lacking, because the compound was volatile and susceptible to microbial attack.

But they believe the fermentation of the mixed ingredients can be inferred, because the "wine yeast" occurs in honey and on the skins of sugar-rich fruits.

Once the juice has been exuded from the fruit or the honey diluted down, yeast begins growing, within a day or two in warm conditions.

Samples of liquid inside vessels from Anyang and the Changzikou Tomb in Luyi County of Henan were also analyzed and the results point to their being fermented and filtered rice or millet "wines."

Specific aromatic herbs and flowers such as chrysanthemum in addition to tree resins, such as China fir, had been added to the wines, the researchers found.

They noted the chemical analysis revealed a uniquely Chinese contribution to beverage-making, called mold saccharification, in which an assembly of mold species are used to break down the carbohydrates of rice and other grains into simple, fermentable sugars.

It remains the traditional method for making fermented beverages in modern China, they noted.

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