Wine trivia

It is against the law in Alaska to give alcohol to a moose, and in Ohio it is illegal to give alcohol to a fish. It is illegal to run a tab in Iowa, and in Indiana it is against the law for liquor stores to sell milk or cold soft drinks. No North Dakota bar or restaurant may serve beer and pretzels at the same time; no Nebraska bar may serve beer unless there is also a kettle of soup boiling.

The longest bar in the world is 684 feet (or about 208.5 meters) long and is located at the New Bulldog in Rock Island, Illinois.

Most vegetable, and virtually all fruit juices, contain at least a small amount of alcohol.

Non-alcoholic beers average about 94 percent less alcohol and 58 percent fewer calories then regular beer.

The Top 3 countries in the world with the highest tax rates on beer are Norway, Finland, and Canada.

The national anthem of the US, the "Star-Spangled Banner," was written to the tune of a drinking song.

Bourbon, which by act of Congress is the official spirit of the United States, takes its name from Bourbon County in Kentucky, where it was first produced in 1789 by a Baptist minister.

Beverage alcohol contains no fat or cholesterol of any kind.

Drinking lowers rather than raises the body temperature. There is an illusion of increased heat because alcohol causes the capillaries to dilate and fill with more warm blood.

Rhode Island never ratified the 18 Amendment establishing Prohibition.

The word "toast," meaning a wish of good health, started in ancient Rome, where a piece of toasted bread was dropped into wine.

Between 1980 and 1996, over 2,300 anti-drunk-driving laws were passed in the U.S. Which goes to show you: If laws could solve a problem, there wouldn't be any drunk driving today!

The Top 3 countries in the World in per capita beer consumption are the Czech Republic, Germany, and Ireland.

The average alcohol content of wine sold in the United States fell from 16.75 percent in 1950 to 10.49 percent in 1991 before rebounding slightly to 11.45 in 2002.

In English pubs drinks are served in pints and quarts. In old England, bartenders would advise unruly customers to mind their own pints and quarts. It's the origin of "mind your P's and Q's."

The county in Texas with the highest DUI arrests among young drivers is "dry;" that is, prohibits the sale of alcohol.

All 13 minerals necessary for human life can be found in alcohol beverages.

The favorite cocktails of several former U.S. Presidents are reported to include: gin and tonic (Gerald Ford); Martini (Herbert Hoover); rum and coke (Richard Nixon); scotch or brandy (Franklin Roosevelt); Bourbon (Harry Truman); and scotch and soda (Lyndon B. Johnson).

Each molecule of alcohol is less than a billionth of a meter long and consists of a few atoms of oxygen, carbon and hydrogen.

The consumption of alcohol was so widespread throughout history that it has been called "a universal language" by many people.

Dionysus was the Greek god of wine and vegetation. He showed mortals how to cultivate grapes and make wine. In 5th century B.C., he was worshipped at celebrations that became associated with licentiousness and intoxication.

Most wines do not improve with age.

Spirits may be served in a variety of ways, some of which include:
    * On the rocks — spirits are to be served and drunk over ice.
    * Straight up — the spirit is to be shaken or stirred with ice, but drunk by itself, with the ice filtered out.
    * Neat — the spirit is served and consumed by itself, with nothing added.
    * With a simple mixer such as tonic water, cola, etc.
    * With water

President Lincoln, when informed that General Grant drank whiskey while leading his troops, reportedly replied "Find out the name of the brand so I can give it to my other generals."

The first man to distill bourbon whiskey was a Baptist preacher in 1789.

The legal drinking age varies by country.  In most of Europe it is 16, Canada 18, most of Asia 20, and in the US it is 21.

Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the US, stated that "It has long been recognized that the problems with alcohol relate not to the use of a bad thing, but to the abuse of a good thing."