It is believed that the Arabs first got alcohol in the 7th century. In the old days, it was assumed that from wine during distillation its spirit is released, in Latin - spiritus. Hence the name - alcohol. This liquid was also called "water of life" (aqua vitae) and was used mainly as a medicine for all diseases …
The great Greek poet Homer attributed the invention of alcohol to the Thracians who inhabited southern Europe.
Drunkard Polyphemus
In the famous epic about the wanderings of Odysseus, the king of the Greek island Ithaca, Homer tells how his hero and his friends got into the cave of the giant, the one-eyed Polyphemus.
The monster wanted to feast on human flesh. It filled up the exit from the cave with a huge stone and first devoured several of Odysseus's comrades alive. Wanting to take revenge, the cunning Odysseus planned to pierce the cannibal's liver with a copper sword, but realized in time that they would not be able to roll off the huge stone that was blocking the entrance to the cave. Then he decided otherwise: he poured a full cup of the wine that he had prudently taken with him and turned to the cannibal:
The Cyclops drank the cup and was pleasantly surprised by the unusual taste of the wine. After that he "caught up" with two more full bowls and, expressing unspeakable pleasure, promised Odysseus to eat him last as a reward and asked his name. “My name is Nobody,” the wise Odysseus answered.
And then Odysseus and his companions pierced the only eye of Polyphemus with a burning stake. The cannibal howled wildly in pain. The cyclops neighbors rushed to the cry. They surrounded the cave, asking: "Who is destroying you here by deception or by force?" - "Nobody!" - blinded Polyphemus roared in response. Hearing these words, the cyclops dispersed to their homes. In the morning, the giant began to release his herd from the cave, feeling the backs of the rams, but the Greeks slipped out of captivity under their belly.
Divine drink
What amazing wine did Odysseus treat Polyphemus to? It is known that the Greeks drank a weak red dry grape wine, strength 8-10 degrees, without much harm to themselves. In addition, they diluted it heavily with water before use. The sweet wine was weak too. It was obtained by insisting wine on raisins. Cyclops drank so much that he turned inside out, after which he fell into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, the text of the "Odyssey" contains information that allows us to assume that in ancient times, drinks were born much stronger than dry wine, and Homer told about this in detail. It turns out that Odysseus, when returning from Troy, plundered the settlement of Ismaru, in which not Greeks lived, but Kikones - one of the Thracian tribes. The priest of the Kikones Maron, in gratitude for the fact that the Greeks spared his house during the robbery, gave Odysseus an unusual gift. He treated him to a drink that was not weak, dry or sour, but “strong divinely sweet, fiery, sparkling, gold and honey”, and “having poured into a glass of wine twenty times more water - the smell from the bowl was unspeakable: no one here could abstain from drinking. " This nectar, unseen by the Greeks before, was, apparently, not known to the Kikons themselves, for it was carefully hidden from everyone. Even in the house of the priest of Maro, "none of the slaves and slaves knew about him, and none of the household, except for the owner, a clever mistress and a faithful housekeeper." Obviously, Maron was the first moonshiner in history.
But what do the words cited by Homer mean - "strong, fiery, golden, honey." Do they mean that he was so strong that he could burn? The golden color is, of course, the color of honey, which gave an aromatic sweetness and a strong pleasant smell, and the strength and smell were preserved even when diluted 20 times! It turns out that it was "gorilka", or "rakiya" - Thracian mead with a strength of at least 70 degrees.
Homer notes that the burning drink was prepared by the Thracians, for whom, unlike the Greeks, winemaking was an unusual occupation. But in the collection of wild forest honey and its processing they had no equal. However, they apparently kept the technology of making moonshine in the strictest confidence. The drink was rare and highly prized.
Mikhail EFIMOV