6. The Age of Hard Liquor

The discovery of alcohol eventually led to the Age of Hard Liquor - the Whiskey Age.

Large scale industrial stills developed in the early 1800s

However there was a lag time of centuries between the discovery of alcohol and its wide spread consumption. This was because the distillation process as opposed to the fermentation process was not that simple. For one a high heat needs to be maintained for distillation to occur while only natural heat is needed fro fermentation. Further the extraction of alcohol after it has been distilled is no easy process. The Arabic alchemists advanced the distillation technology by cooling a chamber where the distilled alcoholic gas had collected. But the big advance occurred in the early 1800s when, relatively simultaneously, in England and France large scale continuous stills for the recovery of alcoholic liquors were developed. These enabled the industrialists to produce inexpensive alcohol for the masses on a large scale. This was to have large-scale social ramifications.

Overdoing our liquor

As humans we are prone to extremes. The same holds true of our consumption of alcohol. With the introduction of hard liquor, heavy drinking became a problem like it had never been before. On the most extreme level the working class began literally drinking themselves to death in one sitting. This had never occurred with wine and beer because one consumed so much liquid along with the alcohol. Further as it was introduced, not coincidentally, at the beginning of the Industrial Age, it contributed to the breakdown of the working class society, especially in England.

Undermined the position of the father in the family

It especially undermined the father’s position in the family structure. After a hard day at the factory he was more likely to be found at the bar getting seriously drunk than at home. Then when he did come home and his wife complained he might just as soon beat her. The extreme immediate effects of hard liquor numbed the father to his familial responsibilities as well as encouraging a violent response to criticism. These negative social ramifications eventually led to the extreme Prohibition movement in the US, which banned all alcohol, including wine and beer.

Wine and beer consumed with food

Why the extreme reaction to hard alcohol? Humans had been drinking alcohol in wine and beer for thousands of years and getting drunk, as is testified to in the Bible. But the primary function of both beer and wine was as a liquid to consume with food. Hence wine and beer were part of feasting and celebrations. There are countless ancient festivals that the agricultural peasantry had participated in for centuries of which wine and beer were a part. The consumption of beer, wine and food went hand in hand.

Liquor disassociated from food

With the distillation of alcohol into higher concentrations, called whiskey or liquor, the liquid became disassociated from food. Very few cultures regularly drink hard alcohol with food. Whiskey became more associated with getting drunk and less associated with feasting. Indeed in the fine dining environment, Hard Liquor, with concentrations of alcohol 20% or higher, are rarely consumed with dinner. Scotch, Bourbon, Whiskey, Brandy, Cognac, Rum, and Vodka are normally consumed before or after eating rather than during eating. The present Classic is to have a Martini before dinner, made with Gin or Vodka, Wine with Dinner and Dessert, and then Cognac, Scotch, and the like after dinner.

Highly concentrated alcohol kills taste buds

This is not just custom. Pure alcohol is used as a disinfectant and antiseptic agent because it is so powerful in killing germs. Alcohol in heavy concentrations also kills taste buds. The food needs to have strong flavors if it is to break through a tongue that has been saturated with gin or any other whiskey, which temporarily numbs the taste buds.

Someone who has been drinking martinis should not even taste the wine until his tongue has been neutralized by a piece of bread for it will probably taste bitter or sour. Taste is such a contextual sense experience that what went before influences the sensation. Sophisticated diners rarely mix liquor with food.

Beer and wine to condition palette for food

Taste is in no way absolute. In many ways beer and wine are used to condition the tongue and palette to more easily accept the food. On the other hand hard liquor must be neutralized before consuming food or wine. Wine and beer enhance the taste of food, while hard liquor detracts from the taste of food.

Liquor to get drunk

Because food neutralizes the intoxication from wine and beer the drunkenness doesn’t tend to be so extreme. On the other hand because whiskey isn’t normally consumed with food, the drunkenness tends to be far more extreme.

Liquor License vs. Beer and Wine License

This difference is even reflected in our liquor licenses in California. There is a Beer and Wine license, which is readily available to anyone who has a restaurant. Then there is the highly treasured Liquor License, which is heavily regulated. While there is no limit on the number of Beer and Wine Licenses in a given area, the state only allows a certain number of liquor licenses in a geographic area based upon population. While many restaurants survive just fine with only a Beer and Wine license, bars, with few exceptions, need a liquor license to survive. The only point being that hard liquor is primarily used t&˛'ˇ3°+ˇÇ˛˛†˝ß˝;˛à˛Å˛›˛Ñˇ ˇDˇ>˛J˝«¸°¸ï¸Ò¸¥˝}˛]ˇG4»hy⁄ˇwˇˇı˛gˇ˚ˇ0áfˇBx!\„§âÅoJ)|Ÿw$∫+:qàKdBQ·–»Òå\"Ìôµ-j»fC¢SØ◊ç¨à‚iQÖÈ¥Ã¡ † «‚E ∏√ ë # m ó j ß UÉ≠ Y <Ô÷∫ÌkÒp L ¶í£ û≥ÚÀ¬@†˘˙Y(Yzœûz#Œ^^üæt "uf3ç°i<£ˇCˇEˇîˇπB‡|VR3JˇQ˛Ç˝e˝£˝v˝6˝ó˝?˛<˛i˝M¸a˚˚;˚m˚Ë˚¿¸™˝Ñ˛Äˇ{ı©‹ˇ5ˇÃ˛b˛f˛÷˛Â˛±˛Á˛UˇVˇ§˛p˝b¸Ø˚4˚ˇ˙˚5˚†˚#¸ë¸ı¸˝r¸`˚@˙`˘ø¯y¯ª¯˘¯…¯Œ¯\˘¡˘i˘s¯p˜ƒˆÑˆàˆØˆ;˜,¯˘ı˘Ì˙∫˚ﬁ˚i˚¸˙å˙Û˘ƒ˘7˙≠˙≈˙ı˙¶˚b¸r¸Æ˚ë˙Í˘÷˘‡˘Ú˘e˙:˚¸›¸¶˝j˛ç˛»˝Â¸&¸q˚˚8˚©˚ê˚c˚Á˚∞¸‘¸¸˚}˙L˙[˙ì˙Ú˙–˚˝˙˝≤˛≤ˇ^sˇ˝˛Ä˛˛1˛¬˛⁄˛î˛Ÿ˛ãˇ≥ˇ˚˛‹˝¡¸„˚˚y˚Õ˚p¸¸¸s˝&˛˛1ˇü˛™˝›¸&¸V˚˚W˚f˚2˚d˚¸\¸Û˚(˚M˙†˘e˘™˘˙Å˙h˚´¸¿˝¬˛∏ˇ¸ˇÉˇˇ{˛¶˝c˝„˝˛Ω˝†˝(˛u˛ˇ˝ˆ¸π˚…˙W˙"˙B˙∏˙g˚$¸Ô¸Ú˝Œ˛Ï˛M˛ó˝*˝ª¸\¸¸˝¸>˝\˝˛$ˇlˇœ˛!˛π˝ò˝¿˝&˛Ê˛¸ˇ ≥õ†L>®⁄À´‡83N≥P1t˚úwp;¥Ä≤⁄0ÆûUb∑É/,àÀ}µ6◊æ¯.S † ∫’i T Å ∏ u Y ∆ )“ … áu“ò≤IÀB Æ ≈ ı0ÖÑ˘Ù¨ºÿÃÌ£Çè‚ÄYQOxCÜ›QK¨Ñxj†5ø…[:S∫]“èˇØŒÂ=”ˇ˝ˇ'⁄ˇçˇÍˇT∑ˇ}˛k˝π¸w¸t¸∫¸t˝b˛AˇÒƒÔVç˜ˇeˇˇeˇ¥ˇêˇ[ˇöˇ¿ˇ•˛H˝/¸w˚˚Û˙I˚›˚Ç¸˝ô˝$˛˛˚¸ÿ˚˚C˙ê˘s˘©˘t˘˘Y˘Õ˘•˘ﬁ¯‹˜˜öˆéˆ∫ˆ8˜¯˘Ÿ˘¥˙™˚/¸∏˚‡˙K˙¿˘/˘7˘œ˘˙·˘1˙Â˙ˆ˙(˙˘$¯z˜H˜~˜Ï˜µ¯∞˘£˙°˚è¸!˝¸¸R¸ù˚˚¿˙≤˙€˙˚ ˚¸˙h˚œ˚l˚y˙ö˘˘€¯!˘û˘_˙Ä˚Ø¸∫˝—˛ŒˇåˇÕ˛#˛π˝§˝ˆ˝D˛"˛˛g˛‚˛¬˛Î˝∑¸∑˚J˚6˚<˚Ñ˚C¸˝ÿ˝´˛eˇ{ˇÈ˛*˛|˝æ¸F¸b¸∏¸ß¸Z¸§¸K˝/˝N¸V˚~˙ ˙*˙ô˙˚‰˚ˇ¸˛˝˛˚ˇâb÷ˇ9ˇ£˛3˛E˛»˛ˇ·˛ı˛wˇöˇ·˛ó˝1¸4˚Õ˙∏˙⁄˙V˚¸‘¸∫˝ñ˛-ˇˇQ˛ï˝˝ö¸â¸˝~˝ú˝ª˝z˛GˇGˇ´˛Ú˝v˝q˝˘˝µ˛ãˇ∂oΩﬂ1¥Aˆw3Ç‰Ãï‰g7-Á»ØÀN·ñs[ïˆ \“RXƒ‰œ≈Ç}«üÁ[QƒÇ ” †´EÊ ë S d — ˝ osª z 4`˜øÿX‘{ : ∆ y å •“Üò∑wGÇ∆Éôå◊ÑÃnmwTO , ó∏ÓG’‰ˇó2UÅÂ•/ﬁ%„ˇßˇæˇ_ñc=´À˛>´ˇìˇŸˇŸˇèˇ∂ˇ><aˇ5˛+˝z¸C¸B¸é¸l˝~˛qˇaOÚ’RÕˇKˇˇbˇwˇ ˇ‡˛7