Drink

Alcoholic drinks don't all taste the same, just as non-alcoholic drinks don't all taste the same. People tend to have preferences (as with non-alcoholic drinks) and may have an outright dislike for some. People don't drink alcoholic drinks for the taste.

Alcohol causes changes in brain chemistry. One of the chemicals in the brain, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA, a neurotransmitter), acts like a sedative to calm the brain down. Alcohol quickly increases GABA function, which is why a alcohol relaxes people. This is why people talk about having a quick drink "to calm their nerves". So, this is one reason people drink alcohol.

Another neurotransmitter impacted by alcohol is glutamate, which excites the brain and makes it more active.The frontal lobe (just behind the forehead) is one of the first areas of the brain impacted by the changes in GABA and glutamate. The frontal lobe governs traits such as attention, planning and impulsivity. Alcohol therefore tends to make people less inhibited, and more likely to act impulsively. For some, losing their inhibitions is the appeal of alcohol.

The two above characteristics combine in the social aspect of drinking alcohol. There's nothing to say that a group of friends couldn't gather together at the end of the day without alcohol being involved (many people do exactly this). However, for some, the relaxing impact of GABA and the dis-inhibiting impact of GABA and glutamate on the frontal lobe makes it easier for them to socialise.

(BTW, much of the detail in the above is from here.)