Part II: Alcohol Facts

10 Fun Facts about Alcohol

ALCOHOL  has been used in one form or another throughout history, but did you know that the recipe for beer is the oldest known recipe in the world?

ALCOHOL Throughout HISTORY

1. The production of alcohol has been traced back at least 12,000 years
2. Sherry was apparently the alcohol choice of  many world travelers; both Magellan and Columbus had a lot of it on board during their respective voyages. Magellan liked Sherry so much, in fact, that he spent more money stockpiling the alcohol beverage than he spent on weapons.
   
   Sherry - a type of wine made from white grapes.
3. Frederick the Great, who was the king of Prussia, was so enamored by alcohol that he tried to ban coffee in an attempt to get everyone in Prussia to drink liquor instead.
4. The Pilgrims made the decision to stop at Plymouth Rock because they were running low on supplies, particularly alcohol.
5. Winston Churchill's mother was the inventor of the Manhattan cocktail. It is made with whiskey and sweet vermouth.
6. Until the mid-1600's, wine makers in France used oil soaked rags in lieu of corks.
7. Viking enjoyed alcohol, but they did not drink it from a mug, a bottle or any other traditional method. Instead, they preferred to toast to their victories by imbibing their favorite alcoholic beverages from the skulls of their defeated enemies.
8. Many historians believe that the practice of farming was not started as a means of food production. Instead, early farmers were most likely engaging in their trade in order to produce the necessary ingredients to create alcoholic beverages.
9. So-called hangover cures date back almost as far as alcohol itself. Ancient Romans believed that eating a fried canary would take care of their hangover symptoms, and the ancient Greeks were believers in the power of cabbage. Although these so called cures probably sound silly, keep in mind that many people today are still trying to find the perfect cure for a hangover. For example, in France they put salt into a strong cup of coffee, and in Puerto Rico some drinkers actually lift their drinking arm and rub half a lemon under it. None of these cures actually fixes any of the symptoms of a hangover.
10. There are 13 minerals that are essential for human life, and all of them can be found in alcohol.