History Of Alchol and Wine IN Ancient India

Did you know that the alcoholic drinks you consume today had origin in ancient India? Beverage made from malted Barley were brewed in Sindh-Punjab region over 4,000 years ago? Red wines such as Syrah and Shiraz are based on ancient Indo-Aryan drink called Sura? ... moonshine Rum was distilled from sugarcane Punjab-Haryana region for over a thousand years, and Mead, a Norse beverage made from honey, was called Madhu or Madira, the favorite drink of our ancestors?

From the Vedic age to the Mughals and the Raj: The colourful history of alcohol consumption in India

                                 Mughal Emperor Jehangir with a cup of wine.

                                 A Monk Taste The Wine

In my opinion, Soma is none other than Bhang, a drinkable preparation of cannabis. It was used in drink as early as 1000 B.C. in the Indian subcontinent. Using mortar and pestle, the buds and leaves of cannabis are ground into a paste which can be added to foods. For a beverage it is mixed with milk and filtered, then often flavored with kusha grass, sugar, fruit, and various spices. Bhang is drunk as a holy drink during festivals such as Shivratri and Holi. Orthodox Sikh warriors, known as Nihangs also partake Bhang during Hola Mohalla.

Beer Vessels - Godin Tepe (Iran)

McGovern was also perplexed by crisscrossed grooves scratched into the bottoms of the containers. In the laboratory, he isolated calcium oxalate, known to brewers as an unwanted byproduct of beer production. Nowadays, breweries can filter the crystals out of their brew without any difficulty. Their resourceful predecessors, working 3,500 years B.C., scratched grooves into their 50-liter (13-gallon) jugs so that the tiny stones would settle out there. McGovern had discovered humankind's first beer bottles.

Distillation in Indus Valley

In Indian subcontinent, the earliest sign of alcohol production comes from the Indus Valley Civilization. The people living in the region that comprises modern India and Pakistan, practiced both fermentation and distillation of beverages using sweet and starchy items. Distillation vessels have been found from the ruins of Indus Valley.

Bacchus pours wine from a cup for a panther, while Silenus plays the lyre, circa 30 BC.

Kalals making Sura from Grapes in Northern Pakistan