Welcome everyone. There are many things in our life that we would call indisposable. And among them, many will name a good drink. Today, we can enjoy a multitude of beverages – after class, that is. However, every one of them had a beginning. Today, I will tell you about one of them. I’m quite excited…
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No booze for the islanders
Alcohol was not very popular on the ancient Twelve Islands. The inhabitants would make basic fermented beverages of fruit or other plants, but they were treated as simple enjoyment rather than art, and so the islanders did not reach high advancement in the field. Moreover, they never created any technology of distillation, so they were limited in the strength they could achieve. There was little change for centuries – until the nation spread its influence.
Learning the ropes
Arrival at the continent and early interaction with the other inhabitants greatly broadened our people’s perspective when alcohol is concerned. It was mostly due to the special role of alcoholic beverages in Southern culture. While the explorers had near to no knowledge about the craft, the autochtones were experts. They could produce dozens of different drinks, mainly by fermentation of various juices.
Eastmen greatly enjoyed their drinks, and would spend large sums on buying the exquisite Southern wines. Soon, it became one of the most important parts of continental trade. While some of the wines retained very high quality, many poorer ones appeared in order to satisfy the growing need. Some of our people called for wine to be produced in the East, hoping it would bring new quality and reduce rapidly growing prices.
In consequence, some farmers and craftsmen abandoned their previous business and started to experiment with wine production. It took many failed attempts – in fact, hundreds of people, and possibly thousands of trials – to create successful drinks.
Getting ahead
Eventually, the brewers did not only reproduce what was made in the South – many added modifications to the recipe, resulting in the creation of a few new kinds of beverage, most notably sanal – a low alcohol beverage produced from fermented forest fruit with herbs. The new inventions gained recognition slowly, but after some time won the market due to their good prices. I think there is no better proof of that than the number of varieties you can buy nowadays.
With that, I have just scratched the surface of the issue. I will continue it in the future, and leave some for your individual exploration. Thank you.
Aedilër 