The Tasting Panel magazine

July 2015

Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/537687

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 114 of 136

1 14  /  the tasting panel  /  july 2015 EXHIBITS F rom the start, we were a nation of drinkers. The Spirited Republic exhibit starts with our country's early settlers, in a segment called "Good Creature of God." The name is taken from a 1673 published sermon called "Woe to Drunkards" by the Reverend Increase Mather. It states, in part: "Drink is in itself a good creature of God, and to be received with thankfulness. But the abuse of drink is from Satan. The Wine is from God, but the Drunkard is from the Devil." In the heady days of our growing country, alcohol was a staple in the American diet, a revenue source for an expanding nation and an industry of innovation that fueled commerce within our borders and in emerging markets. "Good Creature of God" explores this time, using gems from the National Archives that one doesn't normally get to explore. Emblematic of the American struggle with alcohol, while drunkenness was frowned upon, the consumption of alcoholic beverages was widely accepted. According to the Archives, each drinking-age American was drinking 7.1 gallons of alcohol per year by 1830. Considering that we now consume about 2.3 gallons, Good Creature of God THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES' SPIRITED REPUBLIC CELEBRATES AMERICA'S DRINKING CULTURE PHOTO: JASON CAMPOS FOR THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES FOUNDATION David Suro-Piñera, President of Siembra Azul Tequila and owner of Tequilas Restaurant. This story is one in a series about the Spirited Republic exhibit at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC. The exhibit runs from March 6, 2015 through January 10, 2016, and is partially sponsored by THE TASTING PANEL. by David D. Denton, CSS, CWE, IBWE

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Tasting Panel magazine - July 2015