Question Summary:
what is the exact definition of alcohol that you use when formulating a response? For example, would methanol or isopropyl alcohol (a main component in some rubbing alcohols) be haram?….chocolate liquor is simply made by grinding cocoa beans into a liquid form and contains no alcohol.

Question Detail:

1.) When a question is submitted to you regarding alcohol, what is the exact definition of alcohol that you use when formulating a response? For example, would methanol or isopropyl alcohol (a main component in some rubbing alcohols) be haram?
 
2.) In  Fatwa #  12532 you state that chocolate liquor is an alcoholic beverages and is therefore haram (You do correctly mention that chocolate liqueur is an alcoholic beverage or rather contains some sort of an alcoholic beverage and therefore haraam)
However, chocolate liquor is simply made by grinding cocoa beans into a liquid form and contains no alcohol. The following three links confirm this (Inshallah I will try to find a journal article or two as well)
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_liquor
http://www.chocolateusa.org/Story-of-Chocolate/Making-Sense-of-Cacao.asp
http://coffeetea.about.com/library/blchocolate.htm
 
3.) Most alcoholic beverages contain ethanol which provides the drink with an intoxicating effect. However many food products on the market use ethanol as a carrier during a certain step(s) in the production. This ethanol is usually synthesized using some sort of industrial process. However, in terms of having an intoxicating effect, the product if consumed in a sufficiently large quantities would kill a person before it could intoxicate. Would that food product become haram for us to consume? A good example of this is many soft drink beverages in North America and ice cream.
 
4.) How much change (on a chemical and physical level) is required for something that was originally haram to become halal. For example: Most over the counter painkillers (Tylenol, Aspirin, Advil etc.) and many other vitamins,supplements etc. contain animal by-products that can be derived from bovine, pork, fish sources. Would these be halal or haram?

Answer :

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatoh
If alcohol is derived from grapes or dates, it will be haram and impure. If it is from anything else besides dates and grapes and it does not intoxicate directly or through a mixture, then it is permissible. Our ruling in chocolate liquor was based on the information we had. If your information on chocolate liquor is correct, then it will not be prohibited.
And Allah knows best
Wassalam
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In'aamiyyah