| The History of Liquor |
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The Global Bar Guide delves into history to recount the origins of Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Jose Cuervo, Johnnie Walker, and Smirnoff to name just a few... It's no coincidence that as different cultures around the world discovered the wonderful process called distillation, that most chose a similar name for their drink. In the middle ages, European monks named their brew 'aqua vitae' - translated from Latin as the "Water of Life". Early Scottish distillers called whiskey 'usquebaugh', Gaelic for "Water of Life". The Polish 'shiznennia vodka' translates as "Water of Life" in Slavic. The French brandy 'eau de-vie'' also translates directly as "Water of Life". So as knowledge spread, the distillation process was not too far behind, made from whatever ingredients came to hand. From the rum riddled pirates of the Caribbean, to the rum-running gangsters of the American Prohibition era, the story of alcohol is both colourful and absorbing, much like the intoxicating liquid we so heartily consume. And after reading this section, if nothing else you will be the most enlightened person in the bar, and that in itself is worth drinking to. |
