fbpx

Maui Craft Tours

Discover Maui's Best Food, Drinks and Farms

  • About
    • Our Story
    • Our Team
    • Our FAQ
    • Our Terms & Conditions
    • Our Privacy Policy
  • Tours
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Wine & Farm
    • Upcountry Tasting
    • Taste of Maui
    • Pineapple Tasting
  • Private Tours
  • Blog & News
    • Blog
    • News
  • Destinations
  • Shop
    • Gift Cards
  • Book Now
  • About
    • Our Story
    • Our Team
    • Our FAQ
    • Our Terms & Conditions
    • Our Privacy Policy
  • Tours
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Wine & Farm
    • Upcountry Tasting
    • Taste of Maui
    • Pineapple Tasting
  • Private Tours
  • Blog & News
    • Blog
    • News
  • Destinations
  • Shop
    • Gift Cards
  • Book Now

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Booze

Whether you consider yourself an established craft cocktail mixologist or prefer to stick to light beer and hot dogs, chances are you’ve learned a thing or two about booze, and about your personal drinking preferences along the way.

As with any particularly enjoyable pastime, however, drinking alcohol is still filled with an abundance of fascinating historical traditions as well as its fair share of mystery. Fortunately, we’re here to uncover a little of the mystique with our collection of lesser-known facts about all things booze.

 

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Booze

 

#1 The average minimum legal drinking age in the world is 15.9 years old.

The United States, however, along with Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Iraq, Kiribati, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Samoa and Sri Lanka, have the highest minimum drinking age in the world at 21 years old.

The majority of countries – currently approximately 116, in fact – are set between 18 and 19 years of age, while 19 countries have no minimum legal drinking age at all.

10 things you didn't know about booze

 

#2 Malaria is partially responsible for the modern day gin-and-tonic.

British colonists in the late 19th century were plagued with malaria, often due to the exploration of tropical territories. During this period, quinine, a drug obtained from the bark of a South American tree, was the only known treatment. Unfortunately it was extremely bitter, so several companies began producing an easier way to drink the concoction: enter tonic water. The colonists soon discovered that not only was tonic a more acceptable mixture for quinine, but also worked well with the naturally flowery flavors of gin. Thus, the gin-and-tonic was born.

history of gin and tonic

 

#3 Alcohol “proof” levels began with sailors igniting gunpowder in alcohol.

A tactic employed by the British Royal Navy, sailors would once mix gunpowder with their rum to determine whether a certain alcohol was worth purchasing, and not too watered down. When lit, drinks with a favorable proportion of rum-to-water would catch on fire, offering ‘proof’ that it was, indeed, up to their standards of acceptable alcohol content.

interesting facts about drinking

 

#4 Ferdinand Magellan supposedly spent more money on sherry and wine than weapons during his round-the-world voyage in 1519.

Though he didn’t survive the journey, the 5 ships that set off on Magellan’s expedition were stocked with over 400 wineskins and over 250 kegs of sherry. While only 1 ship made it back to Spain, Magellan’s legacy is still celebrated in the Phillipines every year on the day of his death – April 27th – as Lapu-Lapu Day, where residents and visitors partake in a booze-fueled celebration.

ferdinand magellan sherry history

 

#5 Drinking rituals of Russian Tsar ‘Peter the Great’ are largely responsible for ambassadors traveling in pairs.

In the early 1700s during the reign of Peter the Great, it became a tradition for foreign dignitaries who arrived late to the feast to drink from a goblet – named the ‘Big Eagle’ – which contained more than a liter of vodka. Custom dictated that you finished the drink in one gulp, which prompted many ambassadors to begin traveling in pairs so that at least one of the attendees could discuss politics while the other one could pass out in peace, if necessary.

interesting facts about drinking

 

#6 Walgreens may not have succeeded without Prohibition.

During Prohibition, the government ban on the sale of alcohol did not include whiskey that had been prescribed by a doctor and sold in a pharmacy. Walgreens, which stocked whiskey at the time, grew from 20 stores at the beginning of Prohibition to over 525 stores by 1929.

prohibition fun facts

 

#7 Hangover cures have existed almost as long as alcohol (and still don’t work).

The ancient Greeks ate boiled cabbage, the ancient Romans consumed wild boar or the ashes of a burnt swallow’s beak, the English had a barrel of oysters, the Americans drank cold clam juice and the French may still put a dab of salt in their morning coffee, but there’s one thing that’s for sure – hangovers still exist, much to the dismay of humans around the world.

historical hangover cures

 

#8 The saying “mind your p’s and q’s” began in English pubs.

This still-popular phrase has its roots in the pubs of England, which served drinks in both pints and quarts. When customers became obnoxious and unruly, the bartender would tell them to “mind your own pints and quarts,” meaning mind your manners, which was eventually shortened to p’s and q’s.

interesting drinking facts

 

#9 Prohibition is partially responsible for the ‘booze cruise.’

By the early 1920s, boat trips, often dubbed a ‘Cruise to Nowhere,’ would take passengers out to international waters, or even on longer journeys to the Bahamas or Havana, Cuba, to circumvent the drinking laws. Guests could drink to their heart’s content, and thus began the wondrous modern day activity of booze cruises. Mahalo, Prohibition.

cool facts about booze

 

#10 President Harding liked to drink at home.

While technically a violation of the 18th Amendment, 29th U.S. President Warren G. Harding transported his entire inventory of alcohol into the White House prior to Prohibition. Who says drinking at home can’t be just as fun.

cool alcohol facts

 

Thanks for reading, and if you have a fun drinking fact we have missed, be sure to let us know! Also remember to browse our available craft tours and book your spot early.

share it tweet it
<< previous postnext post >>

TASTE OF THE MONTH

POG Hard Seltzer
Taste it on Our Tour!
  • TripAdvisor

LET’S TALK

Contact Us!
Call: 808.633.1801
Newsletter Signup!
Meet @: 1670 Honoapiilani Hwy, Wailuku

LATEST NEWS

  • Taste of the Month: POG Hard Seltzer by Maui Brewing Co.
  • 10 Local Game Day Beer Picks!
  • Tasty Tuesday: Pineapple Ginger Punch
  • Take 5: Rebecca Woodburn-Rist of Haleakala Creamery
© 2021 MAUI CRAFT TOURS | a doodle dog brand and website