Liberation and Libations: A celebration of African American history in a shot glass

https://greatist.com/eat/recipe/black-american-contributions-to-distilling-wine-and-mixology?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=social-sharebar-referred-desktop

"A few weeks ago, I was watching “Moonshiners,” a docudrama series about illegal liquor makers (most of whom are white and male) and their lives in Appalachia. I was intrigued when the show suddenly introduced a Black moonshiner from Louisiana, who talked about the history of moonshining in the Louisiana bayou and how their regional recipes came to be.

In his part of America, moonshining history has roots in Blackness. After that episode, I was all in. I wanted to learn everything I could about the history of Black liquor making in America. And with Juneteenth approaching, I want us to celebrate this history as fully as possible, drinks and all! So grab a glass and let’s uncork it.

I started my research with Kenneth Christmon’s “Historical Overview of Alcohol in the African American Community.” I’ve learned so much from his work, which starts at pretty much the beginning.

Black wine and beer making traces back to precolonial Africa, with palm wine and beer that was typically made from millet, guinea corn, or barley. These drinks were integral to many religious and secular ceremonies, including ancestral devotions, sacrifices for a good harvest, and more. And of course, there was plenty of turn-up time too.

The history of alcohol in the United States is deeply connected to the Transatlantic slave trade, specifically through rum. The selling and trading of enslaved Africans, molasses (which most rum is made from), and rum itself was a lifeline in keeping the slave trade alive and well."...(more)