Liquor in the 20th century underwent major challenges. The biggest was prohibition. During the early 20th century some countries established, and later repealed, prohibition. They included Canada, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, and the United States. Referenda to establish prohibition failed in Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden.1 Liquor in the 20th Century & Beyond by Date […]

The major event impacting liquor in the 19th century was the growth of a very powerful temperance movement. It began by calling for moderation in consumption. In general, that meant drinking less. But the temperance movement was victim to a myth that continues to this day. Its supporters failed to understand that a standard drink […]

The popularity of alcohol in Europe as a medicine was very high.1  But the big story of liquor in the 18th century was its dramatic growth as a beverages.  This was especially the case for gin. Liquor in the 18th Century by Date 1707-1725   England and Scotland merged under the Acts of Union, creating […]

Over the course of the 1600s, distilling expanded as did the demand for spirit beverages. Thus, liquor in the 17th century expanded significantly. ‘From the end of the sixteenth century, distilled drinks were to be found throughout the West.’1 ‘While distilling industries were slow to develop, they expanded in the mid-to-late seventeenth century. The rise […]

The development of liquor in the 16th century was slow. The production and distribution of spirits spread very gradual. Spirit drinking was still largely for medicinal purposes throughout most of the sixteenth century. It has been said of distilled alcohol that ‘the sixteenth century created it; the seventeenth century consolidated it; the eighteenth popularized it.’1 […]

The history of liquor in the 15th century was one of gradual advance. Distilled spirit was generally flavored with juniper berries. The result was known as junever. That’s the Dutch word for ‘juniper.’ The French changed the name to genievre. The English changed to ‘geneva.’ They then modified it to ‘gin.’2  Russians liked their grain […]

The earliest history of liquor (distilled spirits) is shrouded in mystery. Considerable disagreement exists over who first developed distillation. The same is true about when and where it occurred. Origins It’s been suggested that distillation may have originated in Mesopotamia 2,000 years BC. The purpose would have been to produce perfumes and aromatics. However, this […]

The history of liquor is a fascinating one. Its origins are unclear. But most historians believe people first distilled alcohol around the 13th century AD. Speculations about possible earlier development are just that… speculations. Wine can develop with no human intervention. Beer can brew with little human involvement. But distilling alcohol requires an understanding of […]