Fermentation is an art form, and countless African civilizations have nailed it for millennia. Learn alongside Kas about the beer, wine, and potent liquors that stemmed from the hard work of history's oft-forgotten brewers and distillers. Note: We're on Substack, not Patreon! Sources:<a href="https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/izd8yFIQEc/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Craft Beer &amp; Brewing, The Oxford Companion to Traditional Brewing in Africa</a><a href="https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/X1ewssVndu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Craft Beer &amp; Brewing, The Oxford Companion to Porridge Beers</a><a href="https://www.theiwsr.com/beverage-alcohol-in-africa-a-heady-mix-of-complexity-and-opportunity-in-2024/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IWSR: Beverage Alcohol in Africa: A Heady Mix of Complexity and Opportunity in 2024</a>Alcohol and Pleasure: A Health Perspective, edited by Stanton Peele and Marcus Grant; Part IIIHigh on the Hog by Dr. Jessica B. Harris<a href="https://goldstreetbusiness.com/2019/business/akpeteshie-the-local-gin-which-has-served-presidents-chiefs-and-commoners/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Akpeteshie: The Local Gin Which Has Served Presidents, Chiefs and Commoners</a><a href="https://food52.com/drinks/spirits-liquor/27501-african-made-spirits-liquor" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Delicious, Diverse World of Spirits From the African Continent</a><a href="https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/142889/1/2012%20lyumagabe%20Base.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Characteristics of African Traditional Beers Brewed with Sorghum Malt: A Review</a><a href="https://farmersreviewafrica.com/sorghum-beer-the-beer-that-celebrates-africas-rich-cultural-heritage/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sorghum Beer – The Beer That Celebrates Africa’s Rich Cultural Heritage</a><a href="https://beer-studies.com/en/world-history/Beer-and-religions/Islam-alcohol-prohibition/Beer-tradition-ottoman" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Traditional Beers From the Fringes of the Ottoman World</a><a href="https://www.dw.com/en/akpeteshie-the-trendy-drink-from-ghana/video-62647430" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Akpeteshie: The Tasty Drink From Ghana</a><a href="https://www.britannica.com/video/186467/beer-role-Egypt-brewing-process-yeast-microbe#:~:text=COCKELL%3A%20Egyptian%20beer%20was%20very,how%20they%20made%20their%20beers." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Making Ancient Egyptian Beer, Britannica</a><a href="https://www.jpost.com/arts-and-culture/food-and-wine/wine-talk-under-the-fig-tree" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wine Talk: Under the Fig Tree</a><a href="https://carthagemagazine.com/boukha-tunisian-jewish-fig-liquor/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Boukha: Tunisia’s “Water of Life” Fig Liquor</a><a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/592949" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">On the Possible Oriental Origin of Our Word Booze by Berthold Laufer (1929)</a><a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/palm-wine" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Palm Wine, Atlas Obscura</a><a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/palm-wine-in-united-states" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Battle to Bottle Palm Wine</a><a href="https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/spirits/nigeria-palm-wine-culture-history/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">In Nigeria, Palm Wine Celebrates the Human Experience</a><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2015/6/17/ghanas-anti-colonial-beverage-gets-rehabilitated#:~:text=It%20was%20legalised%20in%201962%2C%20five%20years%20after%20independence." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ghana’s Anti-Colonial Beverage Gets Rehabilitated</a>

Ancient African Ales (and Other Elixirs)

Long before Henry Ford, on the island of Barbados, an assembly line worked tirelessly and seamlessly to turn sugarcane into sugar, molasses, and rum. In today's episode, we talk about the enslaved people who created rum, the nuances of rum varieties, and, naturally, the Boston Tea Party. Sources:<a href="https://www.themanual.com/food-and-drink/types-of-rum-guide/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rum 101: An Enthusiast’s Guide to Understanding the Different Types of Rum</a><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/rum-liquor" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rum, Encyclopedia Brittanica</a>"Rum: A Social and Sociable History" by Ian Williams<a href="https://cocktailwonk.com/2020/05/non-history-of-jamaica-in-british-navy-rum.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A (Non-) History of Jamaica in British Navy Rum</a><a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-05-25-fi-1514-story.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Caribbean Rum Trade Blends History With Success</a>"Alcohol in Latin America: A Social and Cultural History" edited by Gretchen Pierce, Maria Áurea Toxqui<a href="https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1197958469" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Planet Money: The Billion Dollar War Behind U.S. Rum</a><a href="https://classbarmag.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/1321/Exploring..._Clairin%2C_the_grandfather_of_rum_.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Exploring... Clairin, The Grandfather of Rum</a><a href="https://distiller.com/articles/cachaca-peoples-spirit#:~:text=Cacha%C3%A7a%20dates%20back%20to%20the,juice%20in%20pot%20alembic%20stills." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cachaça: The People’s Spirit</a><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/you-know-rum-what-cachaca-180951700/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">You Know Rum—But What Is Cachaça?</a>"Rum Curious: The Indispensable Tasting Guide to the World's Spirit" by Fred Minnick<a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/cocktails-spirits/rum/brief-history-rum" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">9 Things to Know About the Dark and Stormy History of Rum</a>

Rum in the West Indies

Negative stereotypes surrounding Black people and alcohol were largely manufactured. In this episode, we get to the truth and uncover Black Americans' longstanding relationship with temperance. You can support the show over on <a href="cheersmxj.substack.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Substack</a>! Sources:<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/02/06/forgotten-black-history-prohibition-temperance-movement-461215" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Forgotten History of Black Prohibitionism</a><a href="https://www.museumofafricanamericanaddictionsrecovery.org/black-temperance-movement-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Black Temperance Movement&nbsp;</a><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/002193479502500303" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Historical Overview of Alcohol in the African American Community by Kenneth Christmon</a><a href="https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/ps.40.11.1120?journalCode=ps" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alcoholism Among Blacks by John E. Franklin, Jr.</a><a href="https://facesandvoicesofrecovery.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Addiction-in-the-African-American-Community-The-Recovery-Legacies-of-Frederick-Douglass-and-Malcolm-X.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Addiction in the African American Community: The Recovery Legacies of Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X&nbsp;</a><a href="https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/300004112" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Saloon and Bar Employees in Kentucky, 1870-1920</a><a href="https://www.americanheritage.com/blackface-sad-history-minstrel-shows" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Blackface: The Sad History of Minstrel Shows</a><a href="https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/second-ku-klux-klan-and-the-birth-of-a-nation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Second Ku Klux Klan and ‘The Birth of a Nation’</a>

Black Tropes and Stereotypes from Jim Crow to Prohibition

Meet America's first-ever celebrity bartender, and pull up a stool for several iconic mint juleps. Teddy Roosevelt makes multiple cameos while J. and Kas take a tour through America's favorite Black bartenders. Sources:<a href="https://bittersoutherner.com/a-history-of-black-bartenders" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A History of Black Bartenders</a><a href="https://daily.sevenfifty.com/the-history-of-black-bartenders/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The History of Black Bartenders</a><a href="https://www.ohlq.com/ohlq-hub/news-and-lifestyle/behind-the-bar/famous-black-bartenders-and-african-american-mixologists" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Famous Black Bartenders: Trailblazers and Pioneers</a><a href="https://www.eater.com/drinks/2015/5/6/8559047/five-unheralded-pioneers-of-the-american-bar" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Five Unheralded Pioneers of the American Bar Who Pre-Date "Professor" Jerry Thomas</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://revolutionarywarjournal.com/catos-road-house/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cato’s Road House. Colonial African American Tavern Owner who Originated the term Cocktail</a><a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv12fw94s" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Inn Civility: Urban Taverns and Early American Civil Society</a><a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/new-york-oyster-history" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Double Life of New York’s Black Oyster King</a>“Imbibe!” by David Wondrich“Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs, and Juice” by Toni Tipton-Martin

America's Black Bartenders

The prevalence of liquor stores in a neighborhood can often scare away businesses that would benefit the community. In this month's episode, J. and Kas talk about the journey from Black American third spaces to the redlining policies that hold back these communities to this day. Sources:“Liquorlining: Liquor Store Concentration and Community Development in Lower-Income Cook County Neighborhoods” by Ann Maxwell and Daniel Immergluck“Alcohol and Environmental Justice: The Density of Liquor Stores and Bars in Urban Neighborhoods in the United States” by Drs. John A. Romley, Deborah Cohen, Jeanne Ringel, and Roland Sturm“<a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/4/3212" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Neighborhood Alcohol Outlet Density, Historical Redlining, and Violent Crime in NYC 2014–2018</a>” by Sean Haley, Shari Jardine, Elizabeth Kelvin, Andrew Maroko, and Christopher Herrmann<a href="https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/power-health/liquor-stores-dispensaries-and-smoke-shops-our-neighborhood-is-killing-us" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Liquor Stores, Dispensaries, and Smoke Shops: Our Neighborhood Is Killing Us</a><a href="https://www.fdrlibrary.org/housing#:~:text=The%20color%20coding%20indicated%20places,insured%20mortgages%20in%20such%20areas." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FDR and Housing Legislation: 75th Anniversary of the Wagner-Steagall Housing Act of 1937</a><a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/05/03/526655831/a-forgotten-history-of-how-the-u-s-government-segregated-america" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A 'Forgotten History' Of How The U.S. Government Segregated America</a>“<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0003122420948464" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">We Built This: Consequences of New Deal Era Intervention in America’s Racial Geography</a>” by Jacob W. Faber“<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/45091629?read-now=1&amp;seq=6#page_scan_tab_contents" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alcoholism and Blacks</a>” by Bertha Mosley, Bobbie J. Atkins, and Michael Kelin<a href="https://depts.washington.edu/depress/jazz_jackson_street_seattle.shtml" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jazz on Jackson Street: The Birth of a Multiracial Musical Community in Seattle</a><a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/prohibition-harlem-night-clubs-maps?loggedin=true&amp;rnd=1719438037428" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">During Prohibition, Harlem Night Clubs Kept the Party Going</a>

From to Juke Joints to Jazz Clubs to Liquorlining

Join J. and Kas as they dive into the origins of cognac, its rise in popularity post-World War II, and the marketing strategies employed by brands like Hennessy to connect with Black communities.&nbsp;Find out why J. hates snifters, how much cognac the French actually drink, and what do all those letters (XO, VSOP, etc.) mean. Sources:<ul><li><a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/news/prohibition-legacy-100th-anniversary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How Prohibition Reinvented Drinking In America</a></li><li><a href="https://vinepair.com/articles/hennessys-popularity-is-not-due-to-hip-hop-the-story-is-much-deeper-than-that/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hennessy’s Popularity Is Not Due To Hip Hop. The Story Is Much Deeper Than That.</a></li><li><a href="https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/12/cognac-in-african-american-culture-the-long-history-of-black-consumption-of-the-french-spirit.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pass the Courvoisier</a></li><li><a href="https://medium.com/afrosapiophile/jazz-troops-and-cognac-8e44d471cec4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Why do Black Folks Love Cognac So Much?</a></li><li><a href="https://theconversation.com/from-black-gis-to-puff-daddy-how-african-americans-fell-in-love-with-cognac-208244" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">From Black GIs to Puff Daddy: How African Americans Fell in Love with Cognac</a></li><li><a href="https://zora.medium.com/hennything-is-possible-how-the-french-cognac-found-a-home-in-the-black-community-f5aeb83d1a8a" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How Hennessy Found a Home in the Black Community</a></li><li><a href="https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2019/08/16/hennessy-marshall-major-taylor-cycling" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Why A Cognac Brand's Marketing Plan Includes A Black Cycling Pioneer</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ebony.com/hennessy-blacks-straight-up/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hennessy and Blacks, Straight Up</a></li><li><a href="https://www.diffordsguide.com/encyclopedia/1001/bws/cognac-quality-age-classifications" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cognac Quality/Age Classifications</a></li><li><a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/cognac-vs-brandy-7570561" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">What's the Difference Between Cognac and Brandy?</a></li><li><a href="https://winefolly.com/deep-dive/the-guide-to-cognac/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Quick Guide to Great Cognac</a></li></ul>Full source list available on <a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/cheersmxj/p/all-mxd-up-s1ep6-the-black-power?r=46psaw&amp;utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;showWelcomeOnShare=true" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Substack!</a>

The Black Power Behind Cognac

In the season one finale, J. and Kas bring all the information together as they discuss the value of the Black palate around the world. You can find the full source list on Substack, but the interactive maps mentioned in the episode can be found at the following link: <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/alcohol-consumption" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://ourworldindata.org/alcohol-consumption</a> Thanks for joining us, and stay tuned for season two!

What's the Black Palate Worth?

All Mxd Up digs into the un/dertold stories of mixology. The first season is centered on what it means to imbibe as a Black person through the lens of the African diaspora, colonialism, and capitalism.&nbsp;

All Mxd Up

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