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Bootleggers & Baptists
Unlikely Collaborations: Why Baptists Facilitated BootleggingIn 1983, the American scientist Bruce Yandle introduced his economic theory, "Bootleggers and Baptists," which explores how groups with opposing goals can collaborate for mutual benefit. Notably, Yandle...
Cleopatra’s Pearls
A legandary tale of a Queen's ExcravagancyCleopatra's pearl, a fascinating and legendary tale from antiquity, is associated with the opulent and extravagant life of Cleopatra VII, the last queen of ancient Egypt. The story is primarily chronicled by the ancient Roman...
Your Lips Must Touch The Toe
A Toast to Yukon's Mummified Toe TraditionThe Sourtoe Cocktail is a peculiar and unique drink that originated in Dawson City, Yukon, Canada. What makes this cocktail truly distinctive is the presence of a mummified human toe floating in the glass. The tradition began...
The Midnight Ride
Paul Revere's Midnight Ride and his Distillery Stop Paul Revere's Midnight Ride, a crucial event before the Revolutionary War, is commonly associated with his urgent alert to the colonial militia. However, beyond this familiar tale, there exists a lesser-explored...
Mesca Ulad
Mesca Ulad and the Drunken Warriors of Ulster"Mesca Ulad," a tale rooted in Irish mythology since the 12th century A.D., unfolds the enchanting story of "The Drunkenness of the Warriors of Ulster." This narrative, divided between distinct Irish manuscripts, centers...
Maria Prophetissa
Distillation Pioneer and Enduring Influence on ChemistryMaria Prophetessa, a prominent figure in alchemy during the 1st to 3rd century A.D. in Alexandria, Egypt, left an indelible mark on the field, particularly in distillation. Credited with inventing significant...
Prohibition and Beer Cans
Prohibition was lifted in 1933. Breweries that had remained in production with "near beer" during prohibition had an advatage as they could quickly get back into the production of real beer. They also benefited from existing distribution channels which experienced a...
Symposium
Symposium originally stood for “drinking together” that took place after a meal of a banquet in ancient Greece. Poetry and music were central to the pleasures of a symposium. In Ancient Greece guests would gather around the altar of the home after the meal to start a...
The Children’s Hour
Franklin D. Roosevelt won the hearts of booze-loving Americans and is mostly known for his promise to end nationwide Prohibition with the 21st Amendment. When Roosevelt came into office he first signed the Cullen–Harrison Act legalizing the sale of beer with 3.2%...
Where The Spirits Come From…
Tracing the Origins: "Spirits" in Alcoholic BeveragesThe origin of the term "spirits" for alcoholic beverages can be traced back to the Latin word "spiritus," which encompasses the concepts of breathing and blowing. Some interpretations suggest it signifies the...
Beishan Jiujing
The first winemaker of China was the legendary Du Kang who lived during the reign of the Yellow Emperor Huangdi, approx. 2600 B.C. The earliest known scientific description on rice wine production in China is the Beishan Jiujing in the North Mountain Rice Wine Book...
May Wine & May Festivals
The Romans celebrated the spring-flower Floralies festival in the beginning of May. Since the Middle Ages on May 1st festivals were held to welcome spring throughout Europe. For centuries, the night from April 30th to May 1st was celebrated as Walpurgis Night. This...
Peychaud’s Bitters
In the 1830s, Antoine Amédée Peychaud, a Creole pharmacist in New Orleans, invented a gentian-based bitter that turns cocktails reddish. Peychaud came from the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), and compared to Angostura bitters, Peychaud's Bitters have a...
Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon
Heinold's First and Last Chance in Oakland, California opened in 1883. Johnny Heinold was born in Germany and bought the building located near the ferry between Oakland and Alameda for $100. He converted the small one-room building with the help of a ship's carpenter...
Maximón, the Liquor-Drinking Saint
Maximón or San Simón is a folk saint in the highlands of Guatemala who is said to have both positive (healing and protective) and negative (ominous and cursing) powers. Maximón is worshiped in the Maya Culture across tribes in about 20 towns in the Guatemalan...
Skaldenmet
The Skaldenmet (Mead of Poetry, Mead of Suttungr) is a myth from Norse mythology. It is a honey wine that if consumed enables everyone to sing beautiful and write poetry. The most complete information about Skaldenmet is found in the works of Snorri Sturluson in the...
The Salamander Ritual
"The salamander" is a drinking ritual that includes the knocking (and rubbing) of glasses on the table before or after drinking together, sometimes both. It is a widespread "Zutrinken" ritual among student associations, and less known outside the acadamic drinking...
The Fill Line And The Kefeloher
The filling line is a marking on serving vessels originally on beer glasses, later as well on wine and shot glasses, indicating the filling level for a specific volume. Anglo-Saxon and North American pint glasses have typically no filling line for the full glass, but...
