"I am not one who was born in the custody of wisdom. I am one who is fond of olden times and intense in quest of the sacred knowing of the ancients." Gustave Courbet

26 November 2008

A Wee Nip O' The Ol' Rattle-Skull


This time of year always makes me reflect. I revel in the memories of the past; time spent warmly with family and friends. Growing up in a home of German ancestry, our family always enjoyed a "snort," as dad called it, now and then. I remember cold duck around Christmas, Grandma Chenoweth's egg nog, Uncle Fred's Crown Royal (taken as the whole family stood together in a circle), Mom's mulled wine, my sister's Mount Gay and tonic (a constant throughout the year), shovelling snow with a beer (held in a snow bank, a bottle will form a layer of ice in its neck as it is consumed -- a pleasure not to be missed), and the explorations made with friends from my restaurant past into the world of Christmas Ales, Champagne, Calvados (handed over the counter to me over during a Candlelight Tour Past), tawny port (with crumbles of Colston-Bassett stilton pulled from an 18 lb. wheel, . . .

This morning I was inspired to explore the topic and came across a wonderful article on Colonial American drinking habits on the official site of Colonial Williamsburg.

Prost!

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