Prohibition resulted from the Christian Temperance Movement trying to force others to stop drinking. In more ancient times, the opposite happened. The Christian Emperor Theodosius the Great accused certain Christian fringe groups who abstained from wine of heresy. For their abstinence, they were threatened with execution.
In Mexico, alcohol made from fermented agave sap is well over a thousand years old. Called pulque, this drink can also be flavored with fruits, vegetables, herbs, or seeds. If the drink is ancient, how long have people been flavoring it? The history is complicated, but the flavored drink is enjoying a renaissance today.
Did Boston invent iced coffee? The city can claim credit for pushing coffee as an American drink. Also, Frederic Tudor of Boston was the first man to commercialize the ice trade on a global scale. He sold almost exclusively to coffee shops. Now more than ever, Boston identifies itself with the cold drink.
Washington DC, home to the President of the USA and a lot of Ethiopian folks. Accordingly, the city is packed with restaurants that serve delicious Ethiopian food…and beverages. If you are looking for a culinary and cultural change from your normal bar, you can sample the beers, wines, and liquors of Ethiopia right here in America’s capital.
Bananas are not the most common alcoholic substrate, but they can make a unique and smooth brandy. Using overripe bananas for fermentation is also fairly cheap. You just need to make sure you get enough sugar into your mash. Here is how to make banana brandy!
Why is the World Cup a cup? So many of our modern athletic competitions and their trophies derive their names from drinking vessels. These trophies are only 100-150 years old, so the tradition likely dates back to a time when silversmiths made both cups and trophies. The Ancient Greeks also awarded cups to victors though.
Beef Tea. Perhaps an idea that has never crossed your mind, but also a familiar pantry item. Doctors during the 1800s regularly gave patients beef tea, an infusion of water, beef, and salt. The drink was supposed to help sick patients recover and eventually opened the market to a variety of “meat extract” products for the health. In reality, it was just a kind of beef broth.
Vodka is at home in Poland. The drink dates back to the 13th century when doctors introduced it to the Polish people. Since that time, strong spirits infused with herbs and fruit have had a medicinal quality in Polish culture. Nalewka, the name for vodka infusions, is both a sweet drink and a traditional medicine.
Milk seems like a foundational drink for humans. We take it for granted that our lives begin with breast milk and continue with cheese, yogurt, and cream. In reality, we started drinking cow’s milk 8,000 years ago. While most of us are lactose intolerant, some have learned how to deal with milk.
In the world of fine wine and in the world of herbal medicine there exists a drink called ratafia. Local versions of ratafia can vary, but it is generally an infusion of fruits and sugar into brandy. Today, ratafias are made in France and Spain. Americans, particularly folks in Louisiana, also made their own version of the infusion.
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