1. Rhode Island never ratified the 18 Amendment establishing
Prohibition.
2. The longest bar in the world is 684 feet (or about
208.5 meters) long and is located at the New Bulldog
in Rock Island, Illinois.
3. Each molecule of alcohol is less than a billionth
of a meter long and consists of a few atoms of oxygen,
carbon and hydrogen.
4. As the famous explorer Magellan prepared to sail
around the world in 1519, he spent more on Sherry
than on weapons.
5. Vassar College was established and funded by a
brewer.
6. The U.S. Marines’ first recruiting station was
in a bar.
7. Bourbon is the official spirit of the United States,
by act of Congress.
8. Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the U.S., observed
that “It has long been recognized that the problems
with alcohol elate not to the use of a bad thing,
but to the abuse of a good thing.”
9. Tom Arnold, Sandra Bullock, Chevy Chase, Bill
Cosby, Kris Kristofferson, and Bruce Willis are all
former bartenders.
10. Frederick the Great of Prussia tried to ban the
consumption of coffee and demanded that the populace
drink alcohol instead.
11. During the reign of William III, a garden fountain
was once used as a giant punch bowl. The recipe included
560 gallons of brandy, 1200 pounds of sugar, 25,000
lemons, 20 gallons of lime juice, and five pounds
of nutmeg. The bartender rowed around in a small boat,
filling up guests' punch cups.
12. The Chagga people of Tanganyika believe that
a liar will be poisoned if he or she consumes beer
mixed with the blood of a recently sacrificed goat.
13. The national anthem of the US, the "Star-Spangled
Banner," was written to the tune of a drinking song.
14. In the 1600's thermometers were filled with brandy
instead of mercury.
15. As late as the mid-17th century, the French wine
makers did not use corks. Instead, they used oil-soaked
rags stuffed into the necks of bottles.
16. The term "brand name" originated among American
distillers, who branded their names and emblems on
their kegs before shipment.
17. In ancient Babylon, the bride's father would
supply his son-in-law with all the mead (fermented
honey beverage) he could drink for a month after the
wedding. Because their calendar was lunar or moon-based,
this period of free mead was called the "honey month,"
or what we now call the "honeymoon."
18. Before thermometers were invented, brewers would
dip a thumb or finger into the liquid to determine
the ideal temperature,, for adding yeast. From this
we get the phrase "rule of thumb."
19. In old England, a whistle was baked into the
rim or handle of ceramic cups used by pub patrons.
When they wanted a refill, they would blow the whistle
to get service. So when people went drinking, they
would "wet their whistle."
20. The word "toast," meaning a wish of good health,
started in ancient Rome, where a piece of toasted
bread was dropped into wine.
21. In English pubs and bars drinks are served in
pints and quarts. In old England, bartenders would
advice unruly customers to mind their own pints and
quarts. It's the origin of "mind your P's and Q's."
22. The consumption of alcohol was so widespread
throughout history that it has been called "a universal
language." by many people.
23. Most vegetable, and virtually all fruit juices,
contain at least a small amount of alcohol.
24. There is a cloud of alcohol in outer space with
enough alcohol to make four trillion-trillion drinks.
It's free for the taking. . . but it's 10,000 light
years away from Earth.
25. "There's no free lunch." Pennsylvania outlawed
free lunches in 1917 to prevent taverns from giving
free sandwiches to customers who bought beer to drink
with them. This led some shop keepers to sell sandwiches
and give away the beer.
26. President Jimmy Carter's mother said "I'm a Christian,
but that doesn't mean I'm a long-faced square. I like
a little bourbon."
27. Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the
US, stated that "It has long been recognized that
the problems with alcohol relate not to the use of
a bad thing, but to the abuse of a good thing."
28. Between 1980 and 1996, over 2,300 anti-drunk-driving
laws were passed in the U.S.Which goes to show you
If laws could solve a problem, there wouldn't be any
drunk driving today!
29. Move over, Mickey. Napa valley has replaced Disneyland
as California's number one trourist destination, with
5.5 million visitors per year.
30. The largest cork tree in the world is in Portugal.
It averages over one ton of raw cork per harvest.
That's enough to cork 100,000 bottles.
31. The soil of one famous vineyard in France is
considered so precious that vineyard workers are required
to scrape it from their shoes before they leave for
home each night.
32. The pressure in a bottle of champagne is about
90 pounds per square inch. That's about three times
the pressure in automobile tires.
33. The Neolithic period (8500-4000 B.C.) marked the
first time in human prehistory where alcohol was fermented.
They also produced bread, beer, meat, and grain dishes
we enjoy today.
34. Dionysus was the Greek god of wine and vegetation.
He showed mortals how to cultivate grapes and make
wine. In 5th century B.C., he was worshipped at celebrations
that became associated with licentiousness and intoxication.
35. There is some anecdotal evidence that alcohol
sipped through a straw is more potent than simply
drinking straight from the glass. Drinking through
a straw helps mix air with the alcohol, carrying it
to the nasal cavity where it is absorbed more rapidly.
An even flow of alcohol also boosts absorption efficiency.
36. Poor soil quality tends to produce better wines.
The trick is to "challenge" the vines by making them
"work" harder.
37. Most wines do not improve with age.
Many of these resources are found at www2.potsdam.edu
