Ethanol or ethanol alcohol is the term name for what most of us refer to as "alcohol." It is a commonly used member of the wine family (chemicals ending in "-ol" in English) and is volatile, flammable, and has a strong odor. For you fanatics, know that its formula is CH3CH2OH. Despite its common use as a fuel additive, beer, wine and spirits all contain varying amounts of drinkable ethanol. Other industrial uses include the production of solvents, plastics, pharmaceuticals, perfumes, antibacterial gels and cosmetics.

Methanol is a simple type of alcohol, also known as "wood alcohol". Its molecular formula is CH3OH. Chemists describe it as light, volatile, flammable, slightly sweet, and with a pungent odor. I don't recommend tasting it, or even letting it near your skin, because as little as 10ml of it can cause blindness, and as much as 100ml can cause death. Despite its dangers, methanol is a highly used commodity. 40% is used to make other chemicals, such as formalin, which can be used in a variety of products, such as plastics, paints, textiles, dyes, adhesives, antifreeze and fuels. It's even in trace forms in the atmosphere - and in the spirits we love.

Perhaps the best-known example is Tejla. Methanol occurs naturally in the process of making Tejila, and Tejila must contain methanol under Mexican law. The content should reach 0.3g/L (g/L), while the maximum allowable content is 3g/L. The methanol content of 100% agave Tejila is generally yes, while the mixed Tejila is much less. This led to problems with the introduction of Tejira to China, as the government set a limit for formaldehyde content in grain spirits, which was 2g/L. This is the main reason for the lack of high-quality Tejra in the Chinese market.

Methanol is present in Tejila for a number of reasons, including yeast strains used in wine making, and the culprit is a natural gum found in the agave plant. But despite Chinese law, methanol is not confined to Tejla. Methanol is also found in many other beverages. Wine is an example, especially red wine, which usually contains a small amount of methanol, although not as much as Tejila. The International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) has set the same methanol content value as the Mexican government: 3g/L. Brandy and beer also contain small amounts of methanol; Even orange juice and coffee are not immune - although according to data released by the UK Health Department, in the case of extreme orange juice consumption (2 liters per day), consumers consume less methanol than the recommended daily maximum of 600mg.

Methanol certainly has its dark side. It is cheaper than ethanol and widely available, often used as an additive by unscrupulous makers of counterfeit alcohol, in lethal amounts. Moderate levels of methanol caused by suspicious alcohol products have occurred all over the world. In September 2012, as many as 25 people died in the Czech Republic and many more were hospitalized after drinking spirits spiked with methanol. The Czech government has banned all spirits containing more than 20% alcohol by volume. In December 2011, up to 40 people died in the Indian state of West Bengal after drinking fake alcohol, and 150 were taken to hospital. That same year, 17 people were killed during New Year celebrations in southern India.

Counterfeit goods are also rampant in China, but if you happen to drink methanol, fortunately there is a detoxification method. Ironically, the antidote is ethanol. Ethanol blocks the toxicity of methanol and allows it to pass safely through your system. Unfortunately, it's not something that can be solved with just a shot of whiskey - but given that both methanol and ethanol are produced in the spirit making process, it's probably nature's balancing act.