Drinking alcohol - part and parcel of the ancient Egyptian Civilisation
What is the George Washington story behind the word Cocktail?
According to About.com Washington and his men frequented a tavern where the drink glass was decorated with a cock's feather (a tail feather from a cock). Ironically Washington wore feathers in his hat and the cocktail originated when a fellow officer toasted to the "Cock's tail."
Drinking Alcohol began way ahead of any written history
Drinking has been an integral part of the Egyptian Civilisation since the earliest recorded archeological evidence. Residual traces of fermentation found in the ruins of the Egyptian city Hierakonpolis, has been linked to early brewing of alcohol. Brewing in
Hierakonpolis began as early as 3400 BC and the ruins are evidence of the oldest brewery ever found and had an estimated capacity of producing as much as 300 Gallons of beer per day.
Egyptians believed Osiris the widely worshiped Egyptian god had invented beer. Thus beer was considered an essential part of their lives.
Vessels from the predynastic period (4th millennium BC)
Shesmu - The God of Blood and Wine - source WikipediaIn ancient Egypt, beer and wine were both worshipped and offered to gods
Even the cellars and wine presses had a patron god, the Demon God Shesmu .
Shesmu , the œLord of the Blood. It is said that on Oisiriss order, he would chop off the heads of the evil doers and toss them into a winepress to create Blood wine, in a fashion similar to grape wine.
Shesmu (alternatively Schesmu and Shezmu) is an ancient Egyptian deity with a contradictory character. He was worshiped from the early Old Kingdom period.
He was considered a god of ointments, perfume, and wine. In this role, he was associated with festivities, dancing, and singing. But he was also considered a god of blood, who could slaughter and dismember other deities. It is thought possible that the ancient Egyptians used red wine to symbolize blood in religious offerings, explaining why Shesmu is associated with both blood and wine. - Wikipedia
The pharaohs sure loved their drink
There were at least 17 types of Beer and 24 varieties of Wine produced in ancient Egypt.
The most common was Hqt or Beer
Beer was generally known as Hqt (œheqet or œheket) to ancient Egyptians, but was also called œtnmw (œtenemu) and there was a type of beer known as haAmt (œkha-ahmet). The determinative of the word Hqt (beer) was a beer jug. - Ancient Egypt Online
According to financial records of Giza pyramid builders, beer was the common drink served to the labours. They were allotted a daily ration of one and one third gallons.
Beer and wine had a myriad application, they drank in pleasure, drank in rituals, drank as medicines, drank for nutrition and even remunerations were paid in beer or wine.
The wines found in tombs also suggests that they stored beverages in tombs of the deceased for their use in the after-life.
Egyptian hieroglyphics depict the pouring out of beer.
lack granite statue of the Goddess Sekhmet excavated in Thebes in the Ramesseum 1405-1367 BCE (Late 18th Dynasty) Egypt Penn MuseumEgyptian Beer was more nutritious than intoxicating
In the Egyptian Society, beer was enjoyed by both adults and children. It was the stable drink of the poor and wealthy alike. Gods were offered beer, and beer appears in offerings list and was part of the Offering Formula of ancient Egypt.
There is evidence that the staple beer of ancient Egypt was not particularly intoxicating, rather it was nutritious, thick and sweet. But when used in offerings and in rituals, evidence shows that the same beer could be made to be very intoxicating too. participants in the festivals of Bast, Sekhmet and Hathor would get very drunk as part of their worship of these goddesses.
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Any Glass
When there is no specific glass suggested for a cocktail, it's up to you to chose a glass.
Either you just go ahead and serve using any glass available to you following these simple rules
A. Go for Tall or Collins Glasses, Highball Glasses or even Hurricane Glasses for cocktails with loads of non-alcoholic mixes, and those that require crushed or cubed ices,
B. But if your cocktail is aromatic and liqueur based, and has a complex character that must reach the nose use a wide mouthed Cocktail Glass.
C. Red Wine Glasses for cocktails that have a Red Wine as the base spirit. Red Wine Glasses have a wider mouth and a long stem, so that the wine can be swirled an aerated to release the aroma while the long stem keeps the fingers away and avoid quick warming of the wine.
D. White Wine Glasses for cocktails with a White Wine base, since White Wines must not be aerated as much as a Red Wines, since they oxidise fast when in contact with air, White Wine glassware, in contrast to the wide mouthed bowl of a Red Wine Glassware, is narrow with a narrow mouth. A White Wine has much lighter and delicate notes and the narrow mouth and less surface area in contact with air helps retain the aroma.
E. If your cocktail is based on a Sparkling Wine like Champagne then a Flute Glass is more suitable since a Sparkling Wine is a White Wine with a secondary fermentation that produces the bubbles, and the narrow mouth flute prevents the bubbles from escaping.
F. If it's winter and you are in the mood for some hot cocktails like the Irish Coffee or Hot Toddy, go for the Irish Coffee Glass, it has a heat resistant glass and a handle.
G. Martini Glasses for Martinis or "Tinis" in general, but since these glasses have fallen off of favour these days, a Cocktail Glass will be good too.
H. IF you are serving Margaritas, don't look for Margarita Glass if you don't have one at home, Double Old Fashioned Glass or other glasses are more common these days, for serving Margaritas.
I. If you are the adventurous one, and are serving shots or shooters, of course the Shot Glass is your choice of glass,
J. Finally, if you are going all out and serving depth charges and car bomb shots, all you need is a Double Old Fashioned Glass or a Beer Mug for the beer and a shot glass to drop the bomb in.Simple Guide to Cocktail Glassware
When there is no specific glass suggested for a cocktail, it's up to you to chose a glass.
Either you just go ahead and serve using any glass available to you following these simple rules
A. Go for Tall or Collins Glasses, Highball Glasses or even Hurricane Glasses for cocktails with loads of non-alcoholic mixes, and those that require crushed or cubed ices,
B. But if your cocktail is aromatic and liqueur based, and has a complex character that must reach the nose use a wide mouthed Cocktail Glass.
C. Red Wine Glasses for cocktails that have a Red Wine as the base spirit. Red Wine Glasses have a wider mouth and a long stem, so that the wine can be swirled an aerated to release the aroma while the long stem keeps the fingers away and avoid quick warming of the wine.
D. White Wine Glasses for cocktails with a White Wine base, since White Wines must not be aerated as much as a Red Wines, since they oxidise fast when in contact with air, White Wine glassware, in contrast to the wide mouthed bowl of a Red Wine Glassware, is narrow with a narrow mouth. A White Wine has much lighter and delicate notes and the narrow mouth and less surface area in contact with air helps retain the aroma.
E. If your cocktail is based on a Sparkling Wine like Champagne then a Flute Glass is more suitable since a Sparkling Wine is a White Wine with a secondary fermentation that produces the bubbles, and the narrow mouth flute prevents the bubbles from escaping.
F. If it's winter and you are in the mood for some hot cocktails like the Irish Coffee or Hot Toddy, go for the Irish Coffee Glass, it has a heat resistant glass and a handle.
G. Martini Glasses for Martinis or "Tinis" in general, but since these glasses have fallen off of favour these days, a Cocktail Glass will be good too.
H. IF you are serving Margaritas, don't look for Margarita Glass if you don't have one at home, Double Old Fashioned Glass or other glasses are more common these days, for serving Margaritas.
I. If you are the adventurous one, and are serving shots or shooters, of course the Shot Glass is your choice of glass,
J. Finally, if you are going all out and serving depth charges and car bomb shots, all you need is a Double Old Fashioned Glass or a Beer Mug for the beer and a shot glass to drop the bomb in.
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About Us
Neel B and Mani, we are a team of two, originally from India and the United States. We are professional software engineers and passionate cocktail enthusiasts. We built this app because we saw a need for a more comprehensive and user-friendly way to find cocktails and bartending recipes. We hope you enjoy using our app as much as we enjoyed making it!We decided to use our technology skills to help others who were in the same position as us and wanted to experiment with making cocktails at home but didn\u2019t know where to start. We have been working together for more than two years and has managed to collect an extensive library of recipes as well as tips and tricks for making the perfect cocktail.
Neel B is an Electronics and Telecommunications Engineer and martial arts and fitness enthusiast. He is an avid reader, compulsive doodler, and painter. His love for cocktails arises from the art in it and the history that traces the ups and downs of modern civilisation over centuries.
Mani is an ERP and SaaS developer and architect by day and a cocktail enthusiast in her leisure. She holds a Masters in Computer Application and Programming. In addition to writing stories on the history of cocktails and alcohol, she has a special interest in cocktails in literature. She believes that the perfect cocktail can make any moment special.