Episodes

  • Ancient African Ales (and Other Elixirs)

    Ancient African Ales (and Other Elixirs)
    Aug 21 2024
    Fermentation is an art form, and countless African civilizations have nailed it for millennia. Learn alongside Kas about the beer, wine, and potent liquors that stemmed from the hard work of history's oft-forgotten brewers and distillers. Note: We're on Substack, not Patreon!Sources:Craft Beer & Brewing, The Oxford Companion to Traditional Brewing in AfricaCraft Beer & Brewing, The Oxford Companion to Porridge BeersIWSR: Beverage Alcohol in Africa: A Heady Mix of Complexity and Opportunity in 2024Alcohol and Pleasure: A Health Perspective, edited by Stanton Peele and Marcus Grant; Part IIIHigh on the Hog by Dr. Jessica B. HarrisAkpeteshie: The Local Gin Which Has Served Presidents, Chiefs and CommonersThe Delicious, Diverse World of Spirits From the African ContinentCharacteristics of African Traditional Beers Brewed with Sorghum Malt: A ReviewSorghum Beer – The Beer That Celebrates Africa’s Rich Cultural HeritageTraditional Beers From the Fringes of the Ottoman WorldAkpeteshie: The Tasty Drink From GhanaMaking Ancient Egyptian Beer, BritannicaWine Talk: Under the Fig TreeBoukha: Tunisia’s “Water of Life” Fig LiquorOn the Possible Oriental Origin of Our Word Booze by Berthold Laufer (1929)Palm Wine, Atlas ObscuraThe Battle to Bottle Palm WineIn Nigeria, Palm Wine Celebrates the Human ExperienceGhana’s Anti-Colonial Beverage Gets Rehabilitated Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    43 mins
  • Rum in the West Indies

    Rum in the West Indies
    Sep 19 2024

    Long before Henry Ford, on the island of Barbados, an assembly line worked tirelessly and seamlessly to turn sugarcane into sugar, molasses, and rum. In today's episode, we talk about the enslaved people who created rum, the nuances of rum varieties, and, naturally, the Boston Tea Party.


    Sources:

    Rum 101: An Enthusiast’s Guide to Understanding the Different Types of Rum

    Rum, Encyclopedia Brittanica

    "Rum: A Social and Sociable History" by Ian Williams

    A (Non-) History of Jamaica in British Navy Rum

    Caribbean Rum Trade Blends History With Success

    "Alcohol in Latin America: A Social and Cultural History" edited by Gretchen Pierce, Maria Áurea Toxqui

    Planet Money: The Billion Dollar War Behind U.S. Rum

    Exploring... Clairin, The Grandfather of Rum

    Cachaça: The People’s Spirit

    You Know Rum—But What Is Cachaça?

    "Rum Curious: The Indispensable Tasting Guide to the World's Spirit" by Fred Minnick

    9 Things to Know About the Dark and Stormy History of Rum


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    40 mins
  • Black Tropes and Stereotypes from Jim Crow to Prohibition

    Black Tropes and Stereotypes from Jim Crow to Prohibition
    Oct 16 2024

    Negative stereotypes surrounding Black people and alcohol were largely manufactured. In this episode, we get to the truth and uncover Black Americans' longstanding relationship with temperance.


    You can support the show over on Substack!


    Sources:

    The Forgotten History of Black Prohibitionism

    Black Temperance Movement

    Historical Overview of Alcohol in the African American Community by Kenneth Christmon

    Alcoholism Among Blacks by John E. Franklin, Jr.

    Addiction in the African American Community: The Recovery Legacies of Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X

    Saloon and Bar Employees in Kentucky, 1870-1920

    Blackface: The Sad History of Minstrel Shows

    Second Ku Klux Klan and ‘The Birth of a Nation’


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    35 mins
  • America's Black Bartenders

    America's Black Bartenders
    Nov 21 2024

    Meet America's first-ever celebrity bartender, and pull up a stool for several iconic mint juleps. Teddy Roosevelt makes multiple cameos while J. and Kas take a tour through America's favorite Black bartenders.


    Sources:

    A History of Black Bartenders

    The History of Black Bartenders

    Famous Black Bartenders: Trailblazers and Pioneers

    Five Unheralded Pioneers of the American Bar Who Pre-Date "Professor" Jerry Thomas

    Cato’s Road House. Colonial African American Tavern Owner who Originated the term Cocktail

    Inn Civility: Urban Taverns and Early American Civil Society

    The Double Life of New York’s Black Oyster King

    “Imbibe!” by David Wondrich

    “Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs, and Juice” by Toni Tipton-Martin



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    55 mins