The Origins of Alcohol

Where did that drink come from? A boozy journey through fermentations, rituals, and distillations.

A Kasa de Franko Spanish Social Event
(This conversation will be conducted entirely in Spanish)

🗣️ What to Expect

This isn’t your boring history recap. It’s a guided, unfiltered conversation in Spanish where you’ll:

• Practice real Spanish while exploring how alcohol has shaped cultures from prehistory to today.
• Learn vocabulary around fermentation, alchemy, rituals, trade, and more.
• Discover how ancient drinks like beer, wine, and chicha connected humans to the divine.
• Dig into the cultural and social impact of alcohol across time… without holding back.

💥 The Spirit in the Story

From fruit fermenting by accident to medieval alchemy and Andean chicha, alcohol has always been there — in celebrations, rituals, and even conflicts.

We swapped water for brew, invented gods of wine, and turned it all into economic fuel. And it all started with one tiny yeast cell and human curiosity.

🧠 The Big Questions

• When and how did humans first discover fermentation?
• What role did alcohol play in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Mediterranean?
• How did distillation change the game in the Middle Ages?
• What did chicha mean for Andean civilizations?
• How do we talk about alcohol today — through history, culture, and science?

📖 Light Theory, Heavy Conversation

We’ll touch on:

• The Hymn to Ninkasi — Sumeria’s beer “recipe.”
• Wine as the backbone of Greek and Roman life.
• Al-kuḥl — the Arabic alchemy word that gave us “alcohol.”
• Maize fermentation in the Andes and pulque in Mesoamerica.
• Beyond ethanol: politics, economics, and cultural identity.

No heavy theory. Just stories worth debating — in Spanish — with curiosity and maybe an imaginary glass in hand.

🎯 This Event Is for You If…

• You want to practice Spanish through historical and cultural conversations.
• You’re curious how one tiny yeast changed the course of entire civilizations.
• You like mixing culture, science, and a dash of ancient mystery.
• You’re ready to explore from barrel to myth.

🎤 What’s Going Down?

• A quick journey through alcohol’s key moments — from happy accidents to distillations.
• Guided conversation with vocabulary support and thought-provoking questions.
• Laughter, curiosity, and maybe a strange nostalgia for that first ancestral sip.

👥 Group Size Policy

🕗 1 attendee: 7:00 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.
🕗 2 attendees: 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
🕗 3+ attendees: 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

✨ Why Don’t You Join Us?

Don’t come if you’re looking for a standard history lecture.
Come if you’re ready to drink in knowledge that spans centuries, cultures, and chemistry.

Bring your curiosity. Leave traditional classes at the door.
And get ready to discover that alcohol is more than a beverage — it’s human history, bottled.