Whenever hearing the name Martin Luther King Jr. four other words will immediately pop into one’s head: “I have a dream”. Possibly the most famous phrase from any speech ever held. The Christian minister King (1929-1968) is a worldwide icon in the fight for equal rights for coloured people. Shot dead at the age of…
The story of the Highlander and the Devil is an old Scottish folk tale. It reminds a bit of the encounters the Beer King Gambrinus and the Serbian saint Sava had with Satan, but as it plays in Scotland of course this is a whisky story. Unlike the formentioned folk tales from Belgium and Serbia…
Without a doubt Jim Morrison (1943-1971) was one of the biggest icons in modern music. As frontman of the legendary band The Doors his songs are still played on a daily basis by radio stations all over the world. And whenever a list of greatest rock songs in history is made, be sure The Doors…
In our serie of stories on historical drunkards we usually report about the drunken escapades. Not this time though, Robert Glenn Johnson Junior, better known as Junior Johnson, rather supplied people with tasty handcrafted booze. He kept a fine family tradition going as he was making and moving moonshine from a young age. As a…
In many countries the name Pat Eddery might not ring too many bells, but in the United Kingdom and his homeland Ireland he was quite famous. The jockey was a horse racing legend. And since everything that has four legs and can be trained is pretty much adored in Britain, this silent man from Newbridge became a star.…
When you think of successfully defending a town in 17th century, what comes to mind is brave soldiers in epic battles fighting with guns and bodies till their last breath to ward off the enemy. However, this is not how then-mayor of the German town Rothenburg ob der Tauber saved it. His heroism involved a…
Halloween is coming up tomorrow and all around the world people will seize this celebration as an opportunity to dress up, get drunk and act silly. But what few people know is that the one of Halloween’s most famous traditions also originates from a mythical drunkard. This is the story of the jack-o’-lantern, the carved…
As this is our 500th post on Lords of the Drinks, we wanted to do a special story. And what better than the great legend of Gambrinus, the King of Beer. You might have seen him before, as he is the fine gentleman you see in the LOTD-logo. This mythical figure was known from folklore tales…
If the Historical Drunkards section has taught us anything it must be that many influential people in the past were quite fond of alcoholic beverages. Things weren’t different in 8th century China during the Tang Dynasty. In fact the eight most brilliant minds of this immense country were quite the wine enthousiasts. The alcohol consumption…
Most people can probably tell you who Dionysus or Bacchus is, since ancient Greek and Roman mythology are quite well spread in the Western World. But have you ever heard of an African colleague of these Wine Gods called Mbaba Mwana Waresa? Well, the Zulus believe that this Goddess created beer and taught people how…
Lords of the Drinks 