Distilling & Drinking History
Versailles Treaty & German Cognac In 1896 the German distiller Hugo Asbach (1868-1935) took over the “Rhenish Cognac” company in Rüdesheim, Germany. Asbach continued the tradition calling wine brandy produced in Germany “Cognac” despite... 
North American Distilling
The Salzburger’s Brandy In 1734 Salzburger Emigrants, a group of German-speaking Protestant refugees from the Catholic Archbishopric of Salzburg, sailed from England to Charleston, South Carolina, and thereafter to Savannah, Georgia. Johann Martin Boltzius, the... 
North American Distilling
Georgia’s Brandy from Corn Stalks In 1734 the protestant Salzburgers escaped religious persecution of their home country (Germany/Austria) by settling in the newly established Colony of Georgia (est. 1732). It appears that the Salzburger Emigrants may have... 
Drinking Gods, Myths & Fairytales
Amrita Amrita is a life-prolonging potion of the gods described in the ancient Indian Vedas. Other known names for Amrita are Soma or Madhu. In addition the term Amrita is also used in the actual sense of the word for immortality. In Hindu mythology, Amrita is... 
Distilling & Drinking History
Tarascoe Mezcal In 1891 anthropologist John G. Bourke visited the Tarascoe people at Lake Patzcuaro in Mexico. He traveled to the see the famous coffee plantations of Uruapan, and to visit the ruins of a Franciscan School build in 1581 by Spanish conquerers. On his... 
Distilling & Drinking History
Dutch Courage The term “Dutch Courage” is used to describe courage that is gained from drinking alcohol. Franciscus Sylvius de Bouve (1614–1672), a Dutch chemist and alchemist, is often named as the “father of Genever”. Modern research though...