And to the online home of The Social History of Alcohol and Drugs: An Interdisciplinary Journal (SHAD). The site will be updated on a daily basis with news, publications, or resources of interest to members of our group. We encourage you to check back often. Keep reading to find out more about the site and how to contribute to it.
Prohibition and vagrancy in early 20th-cent. Finland (article)
Essi Tiittanen, "Drinking, immorality, and minor offenses: vagrant life in Oulu during prohibition," Faravid 31 (2007): 93-110. In Finnish.
US News interviews Amy Mittelman about beer during economic crisis
US News & World Report interviews historian Amy Mittelman here. Questions included why expensive craft beers are doing well now and whether they will continue do so during economic meltdown. This online interview will be followed by one about Boston Beer (brewer of Samuel Adams) in the print edition of the magazine.
Dogfish and other "extreme" beers
Maureen Ogle draws our attention to Burkhard Bilger, "A Better Brew: The Rise of Extreme Beer," New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2008, available here.
Americans uneasy about alcohol (article)
Peter
Carlson, “Uneasy about Alcohol,” American History 43/5 (December 2008): 32-39.
Youth smoking, drinking and citizenship in Canadian health textbooks (article)
Sharon
Anne Cook, “From ‘Evil Influence’ to Social Facilitator: Representations of
Youth Smoking, Drinking, and Citizenship in Canadian Health Textbooks,
1890-1960,” Journal of Curriculum Studies 40/6 (December 2008): 771-802.
Alcoholism among candidates for British colonial service (article)
Richard
Knowlton and Virginia Berridge, “Constructive Imperialism and Sobriety:
Evidence of Alcoholism among Candidates for the British Colonial Service from
1898-1904,” Drugs: Education, Prevention & Policy 15/5 (October 2008):
439-450.
Upscale Italian-based coffee shops in the USA
The Italian-based coffee house chain called Lavazza has a few coffee shops operating under that name in the USA. Now it has added a secondary chain called Espression. For more, from a Chicago vantage point, see here.
New wineries in old factories
The New York Times reports on new wineries opened in old factories and industrial showrooms instead of in countryside vineyards. For more, see here.
Why Gallo has succeeded
Based in part on interviews, this story lays out the success strategy of the winemaker Gallo. One detail mentioned in passing is that China has more acres of vineyards than does the USA.
Prohibition photographs from the Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune offers prohibition photographs here.
In hard-drinking Wisconsin, 15-year-olds can drink legally at bars
The New York Times leads a story about drinking in Wisconsin with a surprising fact: there is no minimum drinking age at bars as long as the youthful drinker is accompanied by a parent or guardian who gives consent. In this case, the bartender has discretion to serve or not to serve a youthful drinker. The story starts with a bartender serving a beer to a 15-year-old. For more, see here.
Jim Koch of Boston Beer (and Samuel Adams) interviewed
The October 2008 number of Modern Brewery Age includes an interview with Jim Koch, CEO of Boston Beer Company, maker of the popular Samuel Adams brand. Koch's firm is now the largest American-owned company that brews its own beer (as contrasted with Pabst that contracts with other brewers to do the brewing from a recipe). Despite its name, Boston Beer does much of its brewing in Koch's hometown, Cincinnati, Ohio. For the interview, see here. A thank you to Maureen Ogle for the tip.
Maureen Ogle writes about the Busch family
The sale of Anheuser-Busch to InBev prompted Modern Brewery Age to ask historian Maureen Ogle to write a retrospective essay about the Busch family available here.
Paying more for alcohol saves lives
Higher taxes on alcohol can make a night out more expensive but could save lives, according to a study released Thursday.
Each time the state of Alaska raised its alcoholic beverage tax, fewer deaths were caused by or related to alcohol, according to the study that examined 28 years of data.
Read more here.
Recession and (not) buying a fancy coffee maker
Michael Kinsley discusses (not) buying a fancy coffee maker even when it's on sale during a recession. For more, see here.
WHO report on global tobacco epidemic
Courtesy of Davie Trippel, here is the full text of WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2008.
Portland's prohibition tour
For Portland's prohibition tour, buildings associated with drink in Neal Dow's hometown, see here.
Anti-Saloon League records at Bentley Historical Library
Dave Trippel draws our attention to the Anti-Saloon League Records, described as a 7+ foot archive on 86 years of the Anti-Saloon League/American Council on Alcohol Problems (1883-1969) at the Bentley Historical Library of the University of Michigan. Details here.
Drug regulation and women's health, 10-2-2008 (dissertation)
Kathleen L. Wessels-Cruz, "A History of Drug Regulation in the United States, 1902-2008: Effects on Women's Health" (Ed.D. dissertation, Dowling College, 2008).
Smokers rejected as foster parents in several Scottish counties
Several Scottish counties will not allow smokers to serve as foster parents for children under age three or for children suffering from various medical conditions or for children who previously had lived with non-smoking adults. For more, see here.
Alcoholic sacramental nectar
The New York Times, 11 Nov. 08, reports a curious constitutional case in which a small sect called the Summum demands the right to place symbols of its religion in a public park that displays the Ten Commandments. The Summum, which blends ancient Egyptian and Gnostic ideas and practices, may be best known for the mummification of animals. What is relevant for this blog is that the Summum produce at its Salt Lake pyramid alcoholic sacramental nectar to be used in meditations about the Seven Aphorisms. The nectar is produced at Utah's only federally licensed winery.
Starbucks profit down 97% for quarter
As the result of declining sales in the USA and the one-time charge for closing underperforming outlets, the fourth quarter profit for Starbucks fell 97%. For details, see here.
Cocaine gene identified
For details about the discovery of a variant gene 25% more likely to be found among cocaine users, look here.
Tobacco in Russian history and culture (book)
Matthew Romaniello, Tobacco in Russian History and Culture: The Seventeenth Century to the Present (Routledge, forthcoming 2009).
American women poets and alcohol (book)
Brett Candlish Miller, Flawed Light: American Women Poets and Alcohol (University of Illinois Press, forthcoming 2009).
Beer and coffee (book chapters)
Jonathan W. Silvertown and Amy Whitesides, An Orchard Invisible: A Natural History of Seeds (University of Chicago Press, forthcoming, 2009). Includes chapters "John Barleycorn: Beer" and "Realm of Illusion: Coffee."
Beer sales go flat in so-called emerging economies
Beer sales have gone flat in many so-called emerging economies. The decline has been especially sharp in Russia, Colombia, and South Africa. There are exceptions, for instance, Peru. For details, see here.
Why do women drink too much?
Noticing that the age-old gap between male and female drinking has shrunk, the (London) Times asks why do (British) women drink too much? For details, see here.
Heroin treatment in Britain in the 1980s (article)
Alex Mold, "'Grave Cause for Concern'? Private Practice, Professional Disputes and the Treatment of Heroin Addiction in Britain during the 1980s," Contemporary British History 22/1 (2008): 67-88.
Law, sociology, and cocaine, 1880-1930 (dissertation)
James Judson Gillespie, "The Law, Sociology, and Strategy of an Illegitimate Organizational Field: Cocaine, 1880-1930" (Ph.D. dissertation, Northwestern University, 2006).
Cannabis and West Indian migration (article)
James Mills, "Cannabis, Colour and West Indian Migration to Britain, 1945 to 1960,"Revue Francaise de Civilisation Britannique 14/3 (2007): 103-114.
Alcohol and the Jews (article)
Sander L. Gilman, "Alcohol and the Jews (Again), Race and Medicine (Again): On Race and Medicine in Historical Perspective," Patterns of Prejudice 40/4-5 (2006): 335-352.
Advertising and alcohol in interwar France (article)
Sarah Howard, "The Advertising Industry and Alcohol in Interwar France," Historical Journal 51/2 (2008): 421-55.
More about whiskey
For an introduction to the types of whiskey, etc., see here.
Beer made healthful with Resveratrol
Rice University students are developing a BioBeer enriched with resveratrol, the healthy ingredient found in red wine. The objective is to produce a beer that will fight cancer and cardiovascular disease. Why beer?Because so many people drink it. For more, see here.
Chinese beer brand called Snow now the world's second largest by volume
The leading beer brands by volume are:
Bud Light (USA/InBev)
Snow (China)
Budweiser (USA/InBev)
Skol (Brazil)
Corona (Mexico)
Heineken (Netherlands)
Brahma (Brazil/InBev)
Coors Light (USA/owned by a Canadianfirm)
Miller Lite (USA/owned by SABMiller, based in London)
Tsingtao (China)
The largest beer markets are China, USA, Russia, Brazil, and Germany.
For more, see here.
Folgers coffee leaves P&G for Smuckers
Folgers coffee, long part of Procter & Gamble, has been acquired by Smuckers, best known for jams and jellies. Founded on the West Coast in 1850, Folgers has its major strength there and in the Midwest. Its rival Maxwell House is strongest in the east and southeast. For details, see here.
Chocolate from a Quechua collective
According to the New York Times, Quechua indigenous people in Ecuador's Amazonian rain forest now operate the only cacao growers' collective. Their chocolate bars called Kallari (kal-YAH-ri) are available in North America. For details, see here.
Speciality beers and a little history
For an introduction to speciality beers, with a little brewing history, see here.
America's inebriated election of 1840
The American Spectator, October 2008, discussed America's inebriated presidential election of 1840 here.
Russia to cut tea and coffee imports
In response to the worldwide financial crisis the Russian government has ordered a 20% cut in tea and coffee imports. For more, see here.
Consumers and consumption (article)
Sharon Zukin and Jennifer Smith Maguire, "Consumers and Consumption," Annual Review of Sociology 30 (2004): 173-197
Although not specifically about alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, or other drugs, this article may interest ADHS readers.
Local beers of Italy
The New York Times explores the local beers of Italy here.
Coffee and American presidents
For coffee and American presidents, from Washington to Reagan (and the current major party candidates), see here.
Brewing beer in Brooklyn again
As recently as 1960, Brooklyn brewed a fifth of the beer produced in the United States, but by 1976 there weren't any breweries in the borough. The lack of local brewers is no more; several companies brew in Brooklyn. For details, see here.
Cocaine and the Environment
A case study published in the Trade and Environment Database, at the American University in Washington, DC, reports that the production of cocaine in South America, especially the Andean region, has had a devastating impact on the environment. Find the full report here.
British tea and coffee cups, 1745-1940 (book)
Steve Goss, British Tea and Coffee Cups, 1745-1940 (Shire, paperback edition forthcoming, 2009). Originally published in 2000. A booklet-sized illustrated publication that focuses on ceramics decoration.
France weighs new laws to stop youthful binge drinking
The French Government is considering new laws to stop youthful binge drinking including raising the age at which one can purchase alcohol from 16 to 18. For details, see here.
Coffee conference: historical and social science sessions
The Coffee Conference: A Conference on the Moral, Economic, and Social Life of Coffee, held at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, on 31 October and 1 November 2008, includes many technical sessions. Historians probably will find most interesting:
after-dinner talk by Sidney Mintz, Johns
Hopkins University, "Why do Human Beings Like Psychoactive Substances? The
Social Side of Addiction."
and the following two sessions:
Continue reading "Coffee conference: historical and social science sessions" »
Mexican drug cartel leader arrested
Mexican police and troops arrested Eduardo Arellano Felix, allegedly head of a drug cartel, after a gun battle. Over 3700 people have died in a violent struggle among rival gangs for control of the drug traffic in Mexico. For more see here.