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Drinksgiving
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WedNov 27

DrinksGiving – November 27, 2024

Celebrated the night before Thanksgiving, November 27 this year, DrinksGiving is the ultimate homecoming celebration. Local bars are packed as adults returning home for Thanksgiving weekend meet up with friends and family and catch up over drinks and laughter. It’s like a Springsteen song plays out in real life every year. Remember, drink responsibly and assign someone to be D.D. If you‘re driver is drinking…well...thank god for Lyft and Uber!

History of DrinksGiving

Drinksgiving may have an unofficial history but if you’re doing it right nothing gets recorded (or remembered for that matter). However, the history of alcohol is something we can talk about. The world’s oldest brewery was discovered in 2018 in a prehistoric burial site in a cave near Haifa in Israel. Researchers found residue of 13,000 year-old beer that they believe might have been used to honor the dead. The traces of wheat and barley based alcohol were found in stone mortars carved into the cave floor. It had originally been thought that beer making originated in Babylon 5000 years ago, however this new discovery precedes that by about 8000 years! 

Evidence of alcoholic beverages has also been found dating from 5,400-5,000 BCE in Hajji, Firuz Tepe in Iran, 3000 BCE in Babylon, 2000 BCE in pre-Hispanic Mexico, and 1500 BCE in Sudan. According to Guinness, the earliest firm evidence of wine production dates back to 6000 BCE in Georgia. Wine was consumed in Classical Greece is breakfast or at symposia, and in the 1st century BCE it was part of the diet of most Roman citizens. Both the Greeks and Romans generally drank diluted wine, which varied between being one part wine and one part water to one part wine and four parts water.

The medicinal use of alcohol was mentioned in Sumerian and Egyptian texts dating back to about 2100 BCE. The Hebrew Bible recommends giving alcoholic drinks to those who are dying or depressed so that they can forget their misery.

In Europe during the Middle Ages, beer (of very low strength) was an everyday drink for all classes and ages of people. A document from the time mentions nuns having an allowance of six pints of ale each day. Cider and pomace wine were generally widely available — grape wine was the prerogative of the higher class. 

This is all a long winded way of saying that grabbing some beers with your buds is about as ancient a tradition as there is. Cheers.

DrinksGiving timeline

1673
White Horse Tavern

The oldest bar in America, White Horse Tavern, first opened in 1673 in Newport, Rhode Island. 

1858
Historical winery 

California's oldest winery, Gundlach Bundschu Winery, was opened in Sonoma, CA by Jacob Gundlach.

1950
Russian water

Vodka, though unknown to the US just a few years prior, became the popular white spirit of choice among American consumers.

1981
America's most popular beer by sales

Corona, the popular Mexican lager, made its stateside debut.

DrinksGiving FAQs

How do you drink socially and not get drunk?

The best way to drink socially and not get drunk is to limit yourself to one or two drinks and nurse those drinks for the rest of the night. 
 

What is considered an occasional drinker?

An occasional drinker is someone who has no more than 3 drinks on a night out and no more than 8 drinks a week. 
 

Does drinking water sober you up?

Drinking water does not make you any less drunk, but it does decrease the effects of a hangover. Though there are lots of tips on sobering up, many of them are myths. The best thing to do is to drink a large glass of water and keep a refill next to your bed if you wake up in the middle of the night. Being hydrated will make you feel way better in the morning! 
 

DrinksGiving Activities

  1. Meetup with childhood friends at your hometown's local bar

    That bar you were too young to drink at growing up? Yeah, you're old enough now. You won't even get carded, sorry bud. Gather around the adult hang out spot, now that you're all officially adults yourself. Talk about old times, the present, and the future as you think to yourself, "Man. Was high school really that long ago?"

  2. Invite people over and make your own mixed drinks

    Not going to your hometown for the holidays? No worries, because home is where the heart is. And your heart is currently in your kitchen as you make homemade mixed drinks for your friends. Show off your bartending skills and experiment with whatever is in your fridge. Somehow, last minute fridge treasure hunt drinks are always the best drinks.

  3. Dust off your favorite drinking games

    Let's be honest, we haven't gone this crazy since college, so make sure you have a few bottles of water on standby to keep your wits about you. Everyone enjoys a social drinking game, even the one friend who doesn't drink but has a cup of soda to play along. 

Why We Love DrinksGiving

  1. It's a chance to catch up

    It's probably been a year or two since we've last seen our childhood friends. Life gets in the way and adulting takes up all of our time. Not to mention the cost of travel — this is the time to catch up in person, share our respective tales of responsibility, and recollect on childhood shenanigans.

  2. We get a moment with our friends before a full day with our families

    Sure, we love our families. But sometimes we need a moment to breathe and decompress before we spend an entire day with a large amount of them at a time. And who better to commiserate with than the friends who grew up with us? 

  3. It's another day to celebrate

    We can never get enough holiday cheer, especially when there's a day specifically meant for us to have fun with our friends. Get out there and embrace the holiday spirit!

DrinksGiving dates

YearDateDay
2020November 25Wednesday
2021November 24Wednesday
2022November 23Wednesday
2023November 22Wednesday
2024November 27Wednesday

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