Great piece, inspiring actually, on the current state of drinking in America

Cameron_Hughes · June 2, 2021, 6:20pm

Hey All - thought you would enjoy this piece in The Atlantic Drinking Too Much Is an American Problem - The Atlantic

Don’t let the headline turn you off…its a nicely balanced piece and not meant to be an intervention
…I like the thinking around drinking context and the why and how we, as a species, have evolved to our drinking selves today. I do think the recommendations (if you can call them that, more admonitions, I guess) are especially pertinent in a post-COVID (hopefully) world. Anyhow, its a 10 minute read. I enjoyed it and thought it would provoke some useful conversations.

Mark_Mo_rr_i_ss_ette · June 2, 2021, 11:53pm

Cam, you must be a lot faster reader than me!

But, I agree, that was a really interesting and well written article. A great history of drinking, and the role it has played in society. Well worth the time. If nothing else, I learned a few fun facts I can share next time I am drinking with friends!

Thank you for passing it along.

Dav1d_Sawyer · June 3, 2021, 1:02am

I enjoyed this article as well. The discussion on social vs. solitary drinking was thought provoking.

Stan_Y · June 3, 2021, 1:35am

Like those rather unique flasks I had never imagined.

Adam_Frisch · June 3, 2021, 1:50am

The US is not the only country that had such a problem with drinking it indirectly resulted in prohibition - there are many more. My native Sweden is one. We also had a prohibition during roughly the same time, although not a complete ban. You had to have a “passport” or book, called Motbok, where you could get a tiny ration of aquavit bought each month. The remnants of that are still there today as the state owned monopolies were installed to be able to check on consumption and it’s still the only way to buy alcohol. The moral overtones, shaming was everywhere during that time, just like the temperance movement here. And probably for a good cause, too - Stockholm slums had one pub for every 17 inhabitants during the late 1700’s and 1800’s. Alcoholism was rampant.

An interesting socio-anthropologic observance: It’s funny that there is a clear northern longitudinal band across the world where hard liquor is preferred. The US is in this regard very similar. The US is much more of a brown liquor nation, whereas the northern hemisphere countries are more clear liquid consumers. That said, it seems to expand a lot further south in the New World - Mexico is a great example of where the Spanish Crown actively discouraged winemaking and forced population into hard liquor and various mead-like drinks.

Peter_Petersen · June 3, 2021, 2:09am

I’m tempted to recommend the movie “Another Round” which is one of the more entertaining movies by Vinterberg.
The article resonates with my impression of this country, but I feel that it is very easy for people to judge and paint this in black and white. For better or worse the US is a very fast moving society and has been for centuries, it is not an easy environment for most people I imagine.

Jay_Miller · June 3, 2021, 2:24am

Thanks, that was well worth the read.

ToddFrench · June 3, 2021, 3:23am

Fantastic piece (which one would expect from The Atlantic, frankly) - truly informative

ToddFrench · June 3, 2021, 3:24am

The US is not the only country that had such a problem with drinking it indirectly resulted in prohibition - there are many more. My native Sweden is one. We also had a prohibition during roughly the same time, although not a complete ban. You had to have a “passport” or book, called Motbok, where you could get a tiny ration of aquavit bought each month. The remnants of that are still there today as the state owned monopolies were installed to be able to check on consumption and it’s still the only way to buy alcohol. The moral overtones, shaming was everywhere during that time, just like the temperance movement here. And probably for a good cause, too - Stockholm slums had one pub for every 17 inhabitants during the late 1700’s and 1800’s. Alcoholism was rampant.

An interesting socio-anthropologic observance: It’s funny that there is a clear northern longitudinal band across the world where hard liquor is preferred. The US is in this regard very similar. The US is much more of a brown liquor nation, whereas the northern hemisphere countries are more clear liquid consumers. That said, it seems to expand a lot further south in the New World - Mexico is a great example of where the Spanish Crown actively discouraged winemaking and forced population into hard liquor and various mead-like drinks.

Interesting to consider if the climate plays a part in this? Wouldn’t barrel-aged spirits (brown liquors) age far more slowly in cold climates? (assuming, of course, they are not temperature controlled)

Markus_S · June 3, 2021, 3:13pm

I never knew you were Swedish! The US-brown liquor connection must be an old one, because vodka is the most popular spirit now. And what are the ‘mead-like’ drinks of Mexico? I’m sure it’s not pulque. Don’t forget also that the Spaniards introduced grapes and winemaking to many parts of the world simply to supply the chalice of Roman Catholicism.

B_Stewart · June 3, 2021, 5:47pm

The US is not the only country that had such a problem with drinking it indirectly resulted in prohibition - there are many more. My native Sweden is one. We also had a prohibition during roughly the same time, although not a complete ban. You had to have a “passport” or book, called Motbok, where you could get a tiny ration of aquavit bought each month. The remnants of that are still there today as the state owned monopolies were installed to be able to check on consumption and it’s still the only way to buy alcohol. The moral overtones, shaming was everywhere during that time, just like the temperance movement here. And probably for a good cause, too - Stockholm slums had one pub for every 17 inhabitants during the late 1700’s and 1800’s. Alcoholism was rampant.

An interesting socio-anthropologic observance: It’s funny that there is a clear northern longitudinal band across the world where hard liquor is preferred. The US is in this regard very similar. The US is much more of a brown liquor nation, whereas the northern hemisphere countries are more clear liquid consumers. That said, it seems to expand a lot further south in the New World - Mexico is a great example of where the Spanish Crown actively discouraged winemaking and forced population into hard liquor and various mead-like drinks.

Interesting to consider if the climate plays a part in this? Wouldn’t barrel-aged spirits (brown liquors) age far more slowly in cold climates? (assuming, of course, they are not temperature controlled)

It definitely plays a part. Whiskey production began with Scottish and Irish monks. The climate limited the grains they could grow. When England went Protestant, the monks gave way but the distilling stuck. Scottish and Irish immigrants brought whiskey making to the American colonies from the get go. Climate made the grains much easer to grow than in the old country, especially in the South (Kentucky, Tennessee), plus wheat and corn could be added as well. Whiskey was cheap to make and easy to transport.

Similar origin stories for vodka, et al in regions too cold and/or too wet to grow wine grapes. But whiskey got the big head start as immigration from the vodka / aquavit parts of Europe came much later.

Worth noting that in 17th/18th C England, whiskey, the brown spirit, was a relative niche player. Gin, another clear spirit, was cheap and the English drank oceans of the stuff. IIRC, the arrival of tea “saved” England from drinking itself to death as people switched from gin to tea (hence “teatotaler”).

Re: barrel aging in colder climates. It’s interesting. Whether extended barrel aging in frigid Scotland vs barrel aging in, say, Kentucky produces different results, it seems like the answer is a yes, but I’ll defer to someone more knowledgable on that. In my experience, older Scotch has more complexity than older Bourbons. Different climates, though also different mash bills, distillation techniques, etc. Either way, I will happily drink both.