History of Bartending

The history of bartending is one of my favorite topics.

While no one can pinpoint to one era in history that marked the birth of alcohol, historical evidence has indicated that intentionally fermented beverages existed as early as the Neolithic Periods, which dates back to 10,000 B.C, while Egyptians made use of wine as evidenced in their hieroglyphs and pictographs, which date back to 4,000 B.C.

Basically, alcohol has been around since the dawn of mankind.

It is not surprising, therefore, that the serving of alcohol, or bartending, also dates back to ancient times, and can be found in Ancient Greek, Roman, and Asian societies.

In Europe, before the early 15th century, the majority of bartenders were either alehouse owners or female inn keepers who juggled various duties as inn keeper. These folks would also often brew their own beer.

Much of the social life in western European regions such as England, Germany, Ireland, and Scotland revolved around Public Houses, or pubs as we now refer to them.

Servers of beer and alcohol were considered as active members of the bourgeois and merchant class, and were revered as such.

History of Bartending in the Americas

Among the values and culture that the Americans, or pilgrims took with them when they arrived in the New World, were the similar concept surrounding bartenders and bartending.

Tavern owners and brewers continued to enjoy the status their European counterparts had established and set forth.

After all, these were the people who were part of the bourgeois class.

Prohibition

The prohibition era in the US history marked a major turning point for bartenders in that it attributed a mysterious, almost enigmatic quality to these select servers of alcohol.

As alcohol became scarce, bartenders who continued to serve it gained considerable power and status in the eyes of most alcohol-starved Americans. Moreover, bartending was, (and still is) seen as a highly lucrative business.

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