How did the journey of alcohol start?

The earliest trace for alcohol can be track down all the way back to the 7000 b.c. in China and 3000 to 2000 b.c. of India where an alcoholic beverage called sura, distilled from rice was in used.  The Babylonians worshiped a wine goddess as early as 2700 B.C. In Greece, one of the first alcoholic beverages to gain popularity was mead, a fermented drink made from honey and water.

source: drugfreeworld

Beer

It all started during the Sumerian Era where the first recipe was in the form of a poem. The ” Hymn to Ninkasi” where they celebrate the Sumerian goddess of brewing. The brewing tradition was then carried on to the Eyptian Era. Beer was then one of civilization’s favourite and safest drink. Back in the days, water was not safe to drink as compared to alcohol where is was sanitized for safe consumption.

In the 16th century, Germany came up with the “Beer Purity Law”, also known as Reinheitsgebot. This purity pledge indicated that beer brewed must only contain a few ingredients which would be: water, hops, malted wheat, malted barley and yeast.

Today there are many news ways beer are being brewed, creating different types of new beer. We are spoiled with the limitless options out there for us.

To learn more about the history of beer, click here.

Wine

A 8000 year old pottery fragments was discover with compound of wine and have revealed the earliest evidence of grape wine-making. It was found in Georgian capital, Tbilisi. The are of Caucasus Mountains and the Zagros Mountains which contain the highest peaks of Europe, has the most discoveries of early wine.

The origins of wine predate written records, and modern archaeology still uncertain about the details of the first cultivation of wild grapevines. It has been hypothesized that early humans climbed trees to pick berries, liked their sugary flavor, and then begun collecting them. After a few days with fermentation setting in, juice at the bottom of any container would begin producing low-alcohol wine. According to this theory, things changed around 10,000-8000 BC with the transition from a nomadic to a sedentism style of living, which led to agriculture and wine domestication.

source: bbc, winefolly, wikipedia

 

Vodka

Vodka was invented in central/eastern Poland the word vodka appeared for the first time in the city of sansdomierz at the beginning of the 16th century when the methods of distilling alcohol to such a degree were invented.

The name vodka originates from the Slavic word voda or woda, which means water. Vodka can be produced using an assortment of fixings, and each refinery has its own specific manner of guaranteeing an extraordinary item, regardless of whether it is refined four times or sifted twice, or perhaps the base fixing is unique in relation to the conventional vodkas.

For many centuries, beverages differed significantly compared to the vodka of today, as the spirit at that time had a different flavor, color and smell, and was originally used as medicine. It contained little alcohol, an estimated maximum of about 14%.

source: livescience

Whiskey

Scotland, the first evidence of whisky production comes from an entry in the Exchequer Rolls for 1494 where malt is sent “To Friar John Cor, by order of the king, to make aquavitae”, enough to make about 500 bottles.

source: the scotch whiskey experience