We, as humans, have long set aside a special place in our societies for beverages. Water is needed for life, and needed constantly, but those drinks that are made and not found have been used in rituals both social and religious since the times of the most ancient cultures. In ancient Sumerian worship services, beer was the beverage used as a celebration of fertility; in China and Japan, tea became the center of very complex and formalized social ceremony. In pre-colonial South America, chocolate was the literal beverage of the gods, while in the middle east coffee was adopted as part of ritual hospitality. Wine has long held importance to Catholicism for its role in Holy Communion, while spirits have in many cases become symbols of national identity—vodka in Poland, Russia, and many other surrounding states; whiskey in Ireland and Scotland; rum in the Caribbean regions and for a time, the patriotic colonists of the early United States as the first distilled spirit they could produce. Even in everyday use, our beverages are used as a social glue; the classic after-work beer or cocktail, beloved of workers of all stripes and a fine way to spend an evening bonding with those you may know only professionally. The English afternoon tea, more acceptable in some social circles, and often an important means of social contact and information. Going for a coffee together is almost a cliché of dating today, as it offers an acceptably brief, public, and neutral activity in which to get first impressions. Spirits and wines are drunk for life and death both; weddings, funerals, births, and a variety of events both personal and public.
As something so important to society (never mind to my own tastebuds!), I have decided to share my own experiences with some of the most classic and important beverages: tea, coffee, beer, wine, and spirits…perhaps even something more exotic, from time to time. I will attempt to mix in historical and personal information along with the preparation and sensations of each drink. I’m not expert, to be sure, so if it appears I’m doing something grievously wrong to an otherwise good drink, feel free to let me know!
I look forward to sharing my cups with you all, whatever they may be brewed from…cheers!
Leaf, Sheaf, and Berry 