Where The Spirits Come From…

Early History

Where The Spirits Come From… Tracing the Origins: “Spirits” in Alcoholic Beverages The origin of the term “spirits” for alcoholic beverages can be traced back to the Latin word “spiritus,” which encompasses the concepts of...

Beishan Jiujing

Early History

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...

May Wine & May Festivals

Drinking Customs

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...

Peychaud’s Bitters

Other

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,...

Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon

North American Distilling

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...

Maximón, the Liquor-Drinking Saint

Drinking Gods, Myths & Fairytales

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...

Skaldenmet

Drinking Gods, Myths & Fairytales

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...

The Salamander Ritual

Drinking Customs

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,...

The Fill Line And The Kefeloher

Drinkware

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...

JELL-O Shots

North American Distilling

JELL-O Shots JELL-O is known today as “America’s Most Famous Dessert.” It was invented by a cparenter named Pearle Bixby and his wife. Both lived in Rochester, New York, in the small town of Leroy, where they run a local cough syrup manufacturing,...