From the moment man discovered the art of fermentation, and later distillation, alcohol has been an important part of human history. In peace but definitely also in war liquor helped to shape the world as we know it.
Beer has been around for ages, more than 5.000 years actually. But the stuff our ancient ancestors drank was quite a different brew than the large variety of beers we know today. In 2013 the Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland (USA) joined forces with archaeologists from the nearby University of Chicago to brew a beer…
The First World War was for New Zealand the period of national awakening. The country with back then just over a million inhabitants in total sent more than 100.000 soldiers and nurses to the frontline. Many of them gave their life in the Battle of Gallipoli or at the Western Front. But their most important…
If the Historical Drunkards section has taught us anything it must be that many influential people in the past were quite fond of alcoholic beverages. Things weren’t different in 8th century China during the Tang Dynasty. In fact the eight most brilliant minds of this immense country were quite the wine enthousiasts. The alcohol consumption…
An interesting archaeological find in Bulgaria this week gave new life to the discussion when the art of distilling became a thing in Europe. This part of an 11th century distillation vessel is the third piece of hard evidence from Bulgaria that it’s national drink rakia was around a few hundred years before the Western Europeans started distilling, which is believed…
For centuries alcohol has always played an important, and sometimes decisive, role in warfare. As it brought the troups moral and courage in many armies the intake of booze was allowed or even stimulated. Other commanders believed it was best to keep their troops as sober as possible, so they wouldn’t go out of control.…
Although Norway has quite an absurd alcohol policy these days, the country has an amazing history where it comes to booze. Of course the drinking sessions of the Vikings are legendary but that’s not all. The most interesting drink is a version of the national strong drink aquavit that goes by the name linie aquavit. For…
The oldest cookbook from the Arab world dates back from 10th century Baghdad. Nice, you may think, but what does that have to do with drinking? Well, in Kitab al-Tabikh (Book of Cookery) the writer Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq didn’t just collect recipes for culinary dishes but also a lot for all kinds of health problems,…
Long before Alexander the Great succesfully annexed the Persian Empire there was a first Greek invasion in the year 401 B.C. Although the mission of the Greek mercenaries to help Cyrus the Younger on the Persian throne failed, since he was killed in a battle, the adventure was documented by the Greek general Xenophon. In…
When we are discussing inspiring people of the 20th century we usually hear names like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. That last one can be erased from the list as soon as possible, as far as we are concerned. Sure, his nonviolent fight for the civil rights of Indians was impressive, but how…
Probably everyone knows the story of Robin Hood, the outlaw who stood up for the poor when England was being oppressed by the Normands. But have you heard about Lewis Redmond also known as the ‘Robin Hood of moonshiners’? He was a skilled moonshiner and bootlegger from the 19th century who became an outlaw after…
Lords of the Drinks 