Liquors Summary

Alcohol was first used for medicinal purposes, before antiseptics or anesthesia were developed. Alcohol, in moderation, produces feelings of well-being, but in great quantities becomes destructive. Even some animals and birds purposely become drunk on fermented fruits. Arabs developed the technique of distillation.

In ancient times, the Greek and Roman gods of wine, ecstasy, and eroticism figured prominently in society, with many festivals in their honor. In the Bible, God punished Sodom and Gomorrah for their orgies in the streets, all but Lot. Lot, the only just man, was allowed to escape after offering his two virgin daughters to an angry mob. Following his escape, the same daughters got him drunk in order to seduce him and have his children. Lot was said to be drunk out of his mind and unaware of what he was doing, but if that's the case, the...