Historical Records About Alcohol Culture Around The World

Knowing our spirit, can’t be completed without knowing History of Alcohol Culture & hence let’s understand briefly about history of Alcohol Culture.

Since thousands of years fermented grain, fruit juice and honey have been used to make alcohol around the world. Purposeful production of alcoholic drinks is common and often reflects cultural and religious peculiarities as much as geographical and sociological conditions. The discovery of late Stone-age jugs suggest that intentionally fermented beverages existed at least as early as the Neolithic Period (10000 BC) Fermented beverages existed in early civilisations of various areas in the world as follows -

Ancient China — Around 7000 B.C.

China has its own complex history with alcohol. Many Chinese sources cite consumption of natural alcohol in ancient times. This natural alcohol refers to natural fermentation of fruits and flowers.

China was the first country to distil spirits with yeast-fermented bases. Similar to other cultures, alcohol was also considered sacred in China. People frequently drank alcohol during important rituals and celebrations, such as family meals, weddings, and holidays like the New Year. Drinking coincided with music, dancing, and reading literature. Additionally, the Chinese believed alcohol could heal and prevent illnesses, reduce degeneration due to age, and maintain overall health.

An old Chinese proverb claims that alcohol is the best of all medicines.

In all these ancient cultures, alcohol was used for a variety of medical purposes, including relieving headaches, preventing colds, strengthening immune systems, staving off bowel issues, and promoting overall good health.

Ancient Persia (Ancient Iran) — Around 5400–5000 BC

Ancient Persia had the best technology of winemaking. In the northern Zagros Mountains of Iran a jar (That once contained wine) with a volume of about 9 liters was found, together with five similar jars embedded in the earthen floor along a wall of a “kitchen” of a Neolithic mud brick building.

Ancient Egypt — Around 3400 BC

In ancient Egypt,, bread and beer were staples in the daily diet. At the time, beer was considered as the drink of the gods. Egyptian beer typically consisted of barley, wheat, and yeasty dough.

Most Egyptians drank beer for its virtues and supposed nutritional benefits. An ancient medical text from this time listed beer as a cure for several ailments. In Giza, it was used for labor compensation; workers received 3 rations of beer per day. People also drank beer at festivals and celebrations, such as the ‘Tekh Festival’ (Created as The Festival of Drunkenness).

Ancient Babylon — As Early As 2700 BC

Beer was the major beverage among the Babylonians, and as early as 2700 BC they worshiped a Wine Goddess and other wine deities. Babylonians regularly used both beer and wine as offerings to their gods. Around 1750 BC, the famous Code of Hammurabi devoted attention to alcohol. However, there were no penalties for drunkenness; in fact, it was not even mentioned. The concern was fair commerce in alcohol. Although it was not a crime, the Babylonians were critical of drunkenness

Ancient India (Bharat) — Between 3000 & 2000 B.C.

Alcoholic beverages in the Indus Valley Civilization appeared in the Chalcolithic Era. These beverages were in use between 3000 BC and 2000 BC. The two great Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, mention the use of alcohol

Ayurvedic texts concluded that alcohol was a medicine if consumed in moderation, but a poison if consumed in excess.

The Hindu Ayurvedic texts describe both the beneficent uses of alcoholic beverages and the consequences of intoxication and alcoholic diseases. Most of the people in India and China, have continued, throughout, to ferment a portion of their crops and nourish themselves with the alcoholic product.

Distillation was known in the ancient Indian subcontinent, evident from baked clay retorts and receivers found at Taxila and Charsadda in modern Pakistan, dating back to the early centuries of the Common Era. These “Gandhara stills” were only capable of producing very weak liquor, as there was no efficient means of collecting the vapors at low heat.

Ancient Sumerians — Between 3,000 & 2,000 B.C.

Between 3,000 & 2,000 B.C., Sumerians in Mesopotamia (Present regions around most of the Iraq, Kuwait, eastern parts of Syria, Southeastern Turkey, and regions along the Turkish–Syrian & Iran–Iraq borders) made beer. Researchers have found over 20 different beer recipes recorded on clay tablets. The Sumerians drank beer with straws because bits of mash and grain remained in the unfiltered alcohol mixture.

Research and ancient texts suggest that Sumerians imposed rules and regulations on the consumption of alcohol. However, Sumerians also used alcohol in sacrificial and religious ceremonies as an offering to the gods.

Ancient Greece — As Early As 2000 B.C.

Ancient Greece was one of the earliest known centers of wine production. Winemakers established vineyards as early as 2000 B.C. Alcohol played a pivotal role in early Greek religious culture and was often used as an offering to the gods. It was also used as currency or means to barter throughout the Mediterranean region.

Like the Egyptians, the Greeks also used alcohol as a medicine. Greek texts frequently refer to wine for medical ailments, such as lethargy, diarrhea, childbirth pains, and keeping wounds clean and sterile. Wine was so important that it had its own god in Greek society: Dionysus. He was also considered the god of fertility and of ritual madness and ecstasy, and he represented the medium between the living and dead.

During this time, the Greeks often gathered around for an occasion at which knowledgeable people of a particular subject meet in order to discuss & debate a matter of interest which use to be a place for elite men to drink together, share conversation, tell stories and jokes, and have lively debates.

Ancient Rome Around 186 B.C

The Romans adopted wine production from the Greeks.

The Greek poet Euripides wrote the play Bacchae, depicting how the followers of the god Bacchus drank to excess and committed murder while under the influence. By 186 B.C

The Roman Empire placed restrictions on grapevine growth and production to increase local demand for Roman wine. Within the first 2 centuries B.C., the Romans exported wines, often to be used as currency for slave labour.

Wine became a standard ration for military personnel. Alcohol production quickly became standardized, and the Romans created model vineyards and developed bulk wine. Roman writers praised wine and even condemned drinking water. The legendary story of Bacchus became one of their own with the character portrayed as a mythical but competent creature with a comical sidekick.

Pre-Columbian America — Early AD 200.

Several Native American civilizations developed alcoholic beverages. Many versions of these beverages are still produced today.

‘Cauim’ is a traditional alcoholic beverage of the Native American populations of Brazil since pre-Columbian times.

It is still made today in remote areas throughout Panama and South America Natives in other parts of the world, such as South America during the Inca days, They experimented with their own alcohol recipes. In these regions, natives used maize to make a drink known as ‘Chicha’.

History Of Alcohol During Medieval Period

Would you believe that the present distillation process of alcohol began in the Middle East?

Yes it’s the fact. Though there is evidence of distillation was known in the ancient Indian subcontinent between 3000 BC and 2000 BC, somehow there after no evidence is obtained other than the Middle East having knowledge of distillation from where Italy obtained knowledge of distillation.

China and India

Distillation in China could have begun during the Eastern Han Dynasty during the 1st & 2nd centuries.

In India, the true distillation of alcohol was introduced from the Middle East. It was in wide use in the Delhi Sultanate by the 14th century.

Europe

The process of distillation spread from the Middle East to Italy. Evidence of the distillation of alcohol appears from the School of Salerno in the 12th century. Fractional distillation was developed by Tadeo Alderotti in the 13th century

In 1500, German alchemist Hieronymus Braunschweig published Liber De Arte Distillandi (The Book of the Art of Distillation), the first book solely dedicated to the subject of distillation & followed in 1512 by a much expanded version in 1651.

History Of Alcohol During The Early Modern Period 1500–1800

The History Of Alcohol In Britain

16th And 17th Centuries — In England, the first excessive use of distilled spirits dates to 1525–1550. Around the same time, playwright Thomas Nash discussed the pervasiveness of drunkenness in England. For the first time, the English mentioned drunkenness as a crime.

In 1600, during the reign of James I, writers described the widespread intoxication among all classes. Alcohol use was integrated into nearly all phases of life. In 1606, the English Parliament passed The Act to Repress the Odious and Loathsome Sin of Drunkenness.

In 1643, Britain began taxing distilled spirits, which in turn spurred the growth of the moonshine trade. Holland developed gin around 1650. The growth of the English gin industry was not far behind, after the drink was introduced to British soldiers fighting in the region. Soon thereafter, in 1700, both Scotland and Ireland began to attract attention for their premium whiskeys.

The History Of Alcohol In America (USA)

When the English first immigrated to America, they were unaccustomed to drinking water and believed it to be contaminated and unsafe, as it often was. Because it was free, they also condemned it and consumed it only when they couldn’t afford anything else. By the 1630s, however, colonists began brewing their own beer using malted barley shipped from England.

During the 19th and 20th Centuries — Alcohol played a significant role in the Civil War. Nurses and doctors used it for medication and sedation, and chaplains used it in their ministries. During the war, alcohol also had an important part in celebrating major events such as the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve.

However, due to high rates of abuse, many soldiers acted irresponsibly and dangerously when under the influence. Liquor was associated with violent war crimes, such as rape.

The Temperance Movement began in the early 1800s and picked up steam throughout the century. The initial intention was to reduce alcohol intake due to concern about the harmful effects of drinking to excess. By the 1820s, members pushed for total alcohol abstinence. People joining this movement became part of the Cold Water Army.

In 1926, during the prohibition, Cuba was once a place for U.S. residents to take a vacation from Prohibition, When New Yorkers didn’t have what they wanted, they found a way to get it. During Prohibition thirsty Americans visited Cuba to lure thirst. To attract thirsty tourists to Cuba, then use to have ‘Ads’ like “Americans Are Invited to Leave the Dry Lands Behind” or “Fly with us to Havana and you can bathe in Bacardi rum two hours from now.”

It worked, American tourism to Cuba doubled from 1916 to 1926, from around 45,000 to 90,000 tourists a year.