Liquor at Events

[Hank Trent]

Re: Period Liquor for Alcoholics

It may have already been mentioned in this thread, but Jerry Thomas' 1862 Bar Tenders Guide is now online at http://www.theartofdrink.com/book/ .

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Campjacksonboy]

Re: Period Liquor for Alcoholics

Just to throw more information at the original post, Here in St. Louis the Lemp family (not Anheuser-Busch) were the prominent beer makers. They were pioneers in the Lagering process in the US. The beer was brewed. Then fermented and stored in caves below St. Louis City. This practice seems to date back to the early 1840's.

For those of you in St. Louis they still make Lemp beer, I saw a T-Shirt that said "Drink Lemp Beer or I'll kill myself" just last year.

In May 1861 a Militia man by the name of John McNamara mentions marching into Camp Jackson and buying Lager beer from the sutler.

"...Count off! Stack Arms! Break Ranks! Whoop! Hurrah! a rush to the sutlers. What foaming lager. How much stronger the third is, than the first. Smack! Now for unloading the wagons..."

He also mentions a flask of brandy that was hidden in the fork of a tree for those doing pickett duty.

During the civil war beer was available to soldiers in the Union army that were stationed in or around St. Louis. Just north of the city was Benton Barracks. A few miles away was Hyde Park and on the park was a Tavern. Around 1864 a bartender refused to serve soldiers from Benton Barracks because they had a habit of not paying their tab. This turned into a riot at Hyde park on the 4th of July during a hot air baloon demonstration. Evidenlty the baloon didn't work the soldiers were angry and a riot broke out. A company of cavalry was sent in and fired on a crowd and there were some civilian casualties.

Frank Aufmuth

[Becky Morgan]

Re: Period Liquor for Alcoholics

Rural northern PA makes sense because that's Welsh country. (We have a friend who went to school in Edwardsville. She and her sixth-grade classmates went to a county school assembly and were mightily embarrassed when the call to sing the National Anthem went out, because they honestly thought it was what they sang each morning, namely "Men of Harlech".)

Speaking of Welshmen, has anyone ever heard of any anthracite-area regiments making pasties? It should have happened, and they'd have had the ingredients, but I haven't seen that they did.

[reddcorp]

Re: Period Liquor for Alcoholics

Now, if someone will find appropriate documentation on the consumption of single-malt Scotch, my day will be complete.

Andy Redd

[dclarry]

Re: Period Liquor for Alcoholics

If you want more about the history of alcohol and drinking in America, I recommend: "Tastes of Paradise: A Social History of Spices, Stimulants and Intoxicants" by Wolfgang Schivelbusch (ISBN 0-679-74438-X) or "Drinking in America: A History" by Mark Lender and James Martin (ISBN 002-918570-X).

I just read a good book, "And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails" by Wayne Curtis (ISBN 978-1400051670) . While it does not deal directly with Civil War alcohol tastes, it is entertaining history reading, best enjoyed sipping one of the cocktails discussed in the book. While I have not produced a decent 'grog' lately, I enjoyed a very good Pirate's Cocktail (essentially a rum Manhattan) the other day.

While a period cocktail shaker is definitely out, a little wooden cask of grog might be just the ticket.