@mitch eh, prior to pasteurisation the safest way to keep drinks from spoiling was to make them alcoholic. It's the same ethanol we use for hand sanitiser today, and not many pathogens can tolerate it. Imagine having your row house packed shoulder to shoulder with dudes who've fallen ill from some fungus growing in the non-alcoholic juice or whatever, and they all desperately need to take a runny dump. And you have one toilet from 1700something for them to share.