Drinking cultures - Part 3 of 3
A historical review of how we brand, package, market, and sell a promise to make it the most appealing.
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Beer played a role in the movement from a hunter-gatherer way of life to an agricultural one, and in the development of the first systems of writing and accountancy. It signaled the growing importance of cereal grains.
Wine was initially used for medicinal purposes. The civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome flourished thanks to the libations of gods Dionysus and Bacchus. Wine played no small role in Christian mythology.
Spirits are related to the Colonial period, though they were first developed much earlier. They were the first global drinks, because they could be transported on long journeys without spoiling.
Alcohol of all kinds has always attracted opposition. Because people under the influence often act like idiots. But you’d be mistaken if you thought it was just about the alcohol.
Coffee, tea, and soft drinks also brought controversy. Because it’s not about alcohol. The conversation is about culture and values, which then translate into value. Each of these inventions was associated with a specific period in History.
See if you can guess the period in which these alcohol promotional slogans came out (key at the end of the article):
‘Live life on the rocks.’
‘Let your tastes travel.’
‘Raise One to Right Now.’
‘Afore ye go.’
‘Welcome to the top shelf.’
‘Only a Few Can Tell.’
‘Taste the seduction.’
‘Grrrasp the moment.’
‘Live Every Drop.’
‘The Spirit of Sharing.’
You can likely see category branding. It’s a bit harder to distinguish one brand from the other. However, the overall themes are quite easy to infer, aren’t they? With a healthy dose of irony, and a bit of humor.
My disclaimer—I’m not qualified for nor providing any advice, health or otherwise, nor do I have strong opinions on either end of the spectrum. My place on the spectrum is the occasional drink with a meal or in social gatherings.
Regardless of your take on alcohol, drink made a difference in each time period. Social status determined which wine you got to drink at a Roman drinking party. Gilgamesh learned what it meant to be a human through drinking.
The choices of American farmers to distill their grains into whiskey helped Hamilton’s plans to empower the federal government. The greater durability of rum compared to raw sugar helped encourage the slave trade.
In Part 1, I covered a brief review of the history of drinking, that of the places where we consume alcohol, and the role of specific glasses in culture.
For Part 2, I switched more firmly onto historical roots of the benefits to society, customs, and some interesting experiments from around the world.
Part 3 is a historical review of how we brand, package, market, and sell a promise to make it the most appealing, with selected libations from Northern Italy and Europe—including my favorite wines, beers, and digestive liquors.
We’re social animals, we love to get together. Meals in general, and dinners especially, tend to be the best gatherings for being with others in a relaxed mode. Conversation flows freely in a small group over fine food and libations.
Like our ancestors, after a bottle of wine we feel relaxed. Late in the night, we might even reveal more of ourselves and what we know, ‘whatever you imagine it to be, it’s 10x worse’ kind of revelations.
What’s all the fuss about?
Every year, we consume about 446 billion liters (117 billion gallons) of beer, wine, and spirits around the world. The majority are beer, lagers, and cider (nearly 400 billion liters), followed a distant second by wine (26 liters) and third spirits (23 liters.)1
In 2021, the global alcoholic beverages market size was valued at $1624 billion. With alcoholic beverages market size projected to reach $2036.6 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 2.2 percent from 2022 to 2031. Asia-Pacific held the largest share in 2021.2
In 2019, the United States was the second largest country in worldwide beer production with an amount of nearly 211 million hectoliters, second only to China. While Italy, Spain, and France—in this order—lead the global wine production.3
It’s looking good for beer and liquors, both show signs of growth in different regions. Wine is holding its own, but at a (relative) smaller part of the market. As you can see, we’re talking big business. Looking closer reveals more.
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