National Beverage Day
Try a liquid-only diet for a day to appreciate the versatility of beverages. Smoothies, juices, and other drinks can provide much of your needed nutrients.
What would our lives be without beverages? Even assuming we could survive without drinking anything, could you imagine a world without milk to go with cookies, coffee to go with cake, cold beer on a hot summer evening, or a glass of fine wine with a nice dinner?
Regardless of what we like to drink and what we like to drink it with, beverages are a huge part of or lives. National Beverage Day allows us to explore our love for beverages a bit deeper and experiment a little. Let the fun begin!
How to Celebrate National Beverage Day
Enjoy Beverages All Day
An interesting way to celebrate National Beverage Day would be to abstain from solid foods on his day and instead drink only beverages. This is not for the fainthearted, but it would definitely force us to discover new and interesting flavour combinations we have not tried before.
Smoothies, for example, have become very popular over the last few years, so why not start your day out with a nutritious smoothie and then take it from there?
Try New Beverages
You could also dedicate this day to trying new beverages that you have never tasted before, like beverages imported from countries far away.
Come on, how bad can they be? And even if you do try something really disgusting, don’t worry—there’s always another beverage coming up after it to help wash it down!
History of National Beverage Day
Beverages have existed, in one form or another, almost since the beginning of mankind. Of course, people had to drink something, so before there was Coca-Cola there was water, simple as that.
However, as the millennia went by, people began to create new and interesting types of beverages. Today, beverages are divided into at least 19 categories, including alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, caffeinated beverages, barley-based beverages, maize beverages, rice drinks and so on.
The first recorded beers were made in ancient Egypt, where it was so weak that even children drank it.
However, it is suspected that beer could date back to the Neolithic period. The world’s first coffee as we know it today is thought to have been made by a Yemeni named Omar in the 16th century. Coca-Cola, on the other hand, was created relatively recently, in the late 19th century.
Few among us can imagine our lives without at least on of these three beverages in it, which just goes to show how very important beverages are in our culture, and have been, for hundreds and thousands of years.
National Beverage Day FAQs
What ancient laws governed beverage consumption?
In Babylon, King Hammurabi’s Code included strict regulations for beer sellers.
If tavern keepers overcharged customers or watered down beer, they faced the death penalty. This shows how seriously ancient societies valued honesty in the trade of beverages.
What’s the weirdest beverage-related competition in history?
In Finland, the annual “World Wife-Carrying Championship” has a fun twist: winners receive the wife’s weight in beer.
This quirky tradition started in 1992 and draws competitors from around the world for laughs and libations.
What’s a rare beverage made from animal products?
In Mongolia, kumis is a traditional drink made from fermented mare’s milk.
It’s mildly alcoholic and believed to have health benefits. Nomadic communities have been enjoying kumis for centuries as a staple of their diet.
Did pirates really drink rum all the time?
Pirates favored “grog,” a mix of rum, water, lime, and sugar. This diluted beverage prevented scurvy and conserved alcohol supplies.
It also kept sailors hydrated when fresh water on ships turned brackish.
What is the role of beverages in ancient art?
Greek pottery often depicted symposium scenes, where people drank wine in social gatherings. These artworks provide insight into cultural practices and show how beverages fostered community and intellectual discourse.
How do extreme climates influence unique beverages?
In the Arctic, Inuit communities make “aqpiq juice” from cloudberries. This sweet drink provides essential vitamins during harsh winters. Such beverages often stem from the need to survive in extreme conditions.
What’s an unexpected origin of modern beverage containers?
The pop-top can, ubiquitous for soda and beer, was invented in 1963 by Ermal Fraze.
The innovation made beverages more accessible and eliminated the need for a separate opener, revolutionizing drink packaging worldwide.
What beverage is associated with spiritual enlightenment?
In India, soma, a sacred Vedic drink, was believed to grant immortality and divine wisdom. Though its exact ingredients are lost, ancient texts describe it as central to religious rituals and poetry.
How did prohibition shape beverage culture?
During U.S. prohibition (1920–1933), soda fountains thrived as alternatives to saloons.
People gathered to drink non-alcoholic options like root beer, creating a cultural shift toward soft drinks as social staples.
What’s the history behind “cheers” in toasts?
Toasts date back to ancient Rome, where people clinked glasses to ward off poison.
The gesture ensured no one tampered with drinks, adding trust to communal celebrations. Today, “cheers” continues as a global tradition of camaraderie.
Bonus: Apple-Kale Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients: (serves 2)
- 1-1/2 cup chopped kale, ribs and thick stems removed
- 2 small celery stalks
- 1 banana, chopped
- 1 cup apple juice
- A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Directions:
Put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, about 20 seconds.
There are various other ingredients you could add to your smoothies to make them more nutritious, like flax seed, black avocados spinach…the list goes on. The most important things is that you find a smoothie right for you. And there are so many, it would be almost impossible not to!
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