AN INTOXICATING HISTORY

Alcoholic drinks are thought to have originated during the Neolithic period from 7,000 to 6,000 BC. The first real evidence was excavated in Jiahu, a prehistoric settlement in China, where ancient pottery jars were found to contain molecules of a type of primitive wine fermented from rice, honey and hawthorn.

Beer was first invented in Northern Africa - chemical tests on ancient drinking vessels discovered in Iran revealed traces of beer fermented from barley dating back 7,000 years. A Sumerian tablet from 6,000 years ago depicts people drinking beer through reed straws from a communal bowl. The Sumerians were an ancient civilisation from Mesopotamia (now Iraq and Kuwait), and beer was clearly very important to them, as another tablet was discovered that showed two people drinking from a beer mug while in the middle of sexual intercourse!

The origins of champagne go back to Roman times, but it was established by Benedictine monks in 1531, and legend says that the first champagne glass design was based on Marie Antoinette’s left breast! Gamblers developed a superstition of touching their ear and making a wish if champagne was spilled, to dispel bad luck.

Cider has its origins in ancient Celtic times, and the tradition of blessing or ‘wassailing’ the orchards in the hope of a bountiful crop is still practised today in the West of England.

A wassailing king and queen from the local village lead a merry song, and place toast soaked in cider in the branches as an offering. This ritual is performed to awaken the cider apple trees and scare away evil spirits.