DRINK THINKc. 700 BC
Gordion, Türkiye
At the funeral feast for a Phrygian king, often linked to Midas, the guests drank one drink made from grape wine, barley beer and honey mead all at once. Archaeologists found its traces in the bronze bowls.
Issue 01 · November 2026
The Rabbit Hole
What were we drinking 9,000 years ago?
This is our wee time-travel portal. Long before the cocktail, before the bar, before writing itself, people were already fermenting whatever they could find. Fall back through time with us to reconnect with what our ancestors drank, and remember why. Keep scrolling until you hit the bottom.
c. 1800 BC
Sumer, Iraq
The Hymn to Ninkasi, goddess of beer, doubles as one of the oldest written recipes. Sumerians shared beer from one big vessel, sipping through long straws to get past the grain floating on top.
c. 2500 BC
Giza, Egypt
The pyramid builders were paid partly in beer. It was thick, cloudy and nourishing, closer to food than to the pint you know, and part of every worker's daily ration.
c. 3500 BC
Godin Tepe, Iran
Clay jars at a trading post in the Zagros mountains held the residue of both wine and barley beer. Traders on the move were drinking both.
c. 4100 BC
Areni-1 cave, Armenia
The oldest known winery: a floor for treading grapes, a vat for fermenting and cups for drinking, all inside a cave.
c. 6000 BC
Gadachrili Gora, Georgia
The oldest known grape wine, found as residue inside large clay jars. Georgia still makes wine in buried clay vessels today.
c. 7000 BC
Jiahu, China · the bottom
The deepest point we know of. Pottery jars held traces of a fermented drink of rice, honey and fruit, probably hawthorn or grape. It's around 9,000 years old: a mixed drink before anyone had written a word.
You've hit the bottom · make it at home
Gordion Grog
Our modern nod to the king's funeral feast: wine, beer and honey in one glass.
- 75ml dry white wine
- 25ml honey syrup (2 parts honey, 1 part warm water)
- 75ml crisp wheat beer, to top
- A few strands of saffron (optional)
Stir the wine, honey syrup and saffron over ice in a tumbler. Top with the beer and finish with a lemon twist.
Not done falling?
The Time Machine
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Set the dial
Pick a year, any year, and we'll drop you at the nearest bar we know of.
The debate
Beer before bread?
Some archaeologists think we first farmed grain to brew with, not to bake. Did drink build civilisation?
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Ice: the frozen lakes that built the bar.