The Best Medicine: “New Orleans Pharmacists”

By Kirsten Amann, freelance writer, lifestyle publicist, and founding member of the Boston chapter of Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails (LUPEC Boston).

White-coated pharmacists may be the last thing modern drinkers think of when mixing up a cocktail to sip casually. But did you know that many key ingredients of modern mixology owe their history to medicine? Consider the following.

Muslim scholars Geber and Avicenna made groundbreaking advancements in the technology of alcohol distillation in the 8th and 9th centuries. The Qur’an’s stipulation that “the righteous man does not drink wine” suggests these chemists weren’t imbibing, but rather messing around with stills and distilling in pursuit of medicine and perfume.

Some spirits were engineered with medicinal purposes in mind. Gin, for example, was created when Arnaud de Villanova sought to harness the healthful properties of the juniper berry, believed to be an excellent aid for the kidneys. And history’s first liqueurs were invented to combat intestinal problems and difficult digestion. The quinine ones also helped keep scurvy at bay.

Bitters were also born of medical necessity, perhaps most obviously because we still reach for it to aid stomach ailments today. In 1690, British apothecary Richard Stoughton began bottling his cure-all “Elixir Magnum Somachicum”, a.k.a. “Stoughton’s Great Cordial Elixir”, a highly concentrated tonic, made of a proprietary blend of ingredients and marketed to remedy just about everything. Allegedly capable of rectifying the stomach from its indispositions and cleansing the blood from its impurities, the stuff flew off the shelves. A teaspoon of that with a glass of beer, sherry, or a dram of brandy, was akin to taking your morning vitamins.

In the case of the Sazerac, the official cocktail of New Orleans, all roads lead back to the pharmacy: the back of Creole apothecary Antoine Amadee Peychaud’s pharmacy, to be exact. He served his mixture of Sazerac de Forge et Fils brandy (the spirit du moment) and his signature Peychaud’s bitters to fellow masons there in off hours in the 1830s.

Later generations added absinthe to the drink, a spirit that owes some measure of its popularity to healthful preservation, administered to French soldiers fighting in Africa as a treatment for malaria and to sterilize their water. Soldiers brought their newfound taste for the green elixir home to France, where the popularity of absinthe soared.

Share/Save/Bookmark

236 Responses to “The Best Medicine: “New Orleans Pharmacists””

  1. STANLEY says:

    Buygeneric meds…

  2. JOHN says:

    Buygeneric meds…

  3. earl says:

    :arrow:

    thank you :idea:

  4. TIMOTHY says:

    Buygeneric pills…

  5. HUGH says:

    .

    Buydrugs without prescription…

  6. ALEX says:

    .

    Buynow it…

  7. LOUIS says:

    .

    Buyno prescription…

  8. maurice says:

    :shock:

    good info :?:

  9. Valuable information. Lucky me I found your website by accident, and I am shocked why this accident didn’t happened earlier! I bookmarked it.

  10. Have u started your Christmas shopping yet, I promised myself I would have it done before Thanksgiving. SO todays the day!

  11. Owning read through this It’s about time exceptionally entertaining. My partner and i like a person deliver greater and to include in this article alongside one another. One time i for a second time uncover too expenditure means by which to lots of time each of those scanning and even posting comments. Having said that so what exactly, it had become now worth the time!

  12. Hey There. I found your weblog using msn. This is an extremely smartly written article. I’ll be sure to bookmark it and return to learn extra of your helpful information. Thank you for the post. I’ll definitely comeback.

  13. I like when you talk about this type of stuff in your blog. Perhaps could you continue to do this?

  14. Excellent website. Plenty of useful info here. I am sending it to some friends ans also sharing in delicious. And obviously, thanks for your effort!

  15. Henry Cragan says:

    Its like you read my mind! You appear to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a bit, but instead of that, this is magnificent blog. A fantastic read. I’ll definitely be back.

  16. DWainkdag says:

    Techniques for Unlock Iphone 4 f Anyone who possesses an apple iphone should can be exposed for you and in addition they will have unlock iPhone 4 gr points, frequently associated with amazing software programs which is certainly in addition obtain.Nonetheless, it might be pretty depressing to open a person’s we mobile should you not locate the best newer iphone4 detaching the fastening relating to job application.Web site about commercials everywhere you look, however, without unique knowing available in the market, truly contained, thus a few options quite a few significant hard cash involving absolutely nothing. korvax

  17. BrarZocuB says:

    Systems for Unlock Iphone 4 gary Anyone who is the owner of an apple iphone has got to tend to be revealed back to you and so they need unlock iPhone 4 w tips, commonly regarding the wonderful computer programs that’s as well acquire.Even so, it may be very troublesome to be able to uncover an individuals i just mobile phone if you don’t find very good brand-new apple iphone4 treatment of secure upon practical application.Web site for classified ads every place, however, without having specified being familiar with out there, thoroughly confined, therefore options are numerous quite a few big revenue in regard to not a thing.
    How to unlock iPhone 4

  18. I think this site holds some very excellent info for everyone. “Few friendships would survive if each one knew what his friend says of him behind his back.” by Blaise Pascal.

  19. BrarZocuB says:

    Where by Unlock iPhone Way is Ideal for you Unlock iPhone Yet there’s lots of mobile devices while in the planet which is often for the reason that well-liked and properly called the Iphone.The exact issue is til you have the acquire along with the formal agencies regarding iPhones, that you’re most likely version of hopeless whenever you use the iphone 4g and it is precisely just what the online community take into account.In actual fact you can actually Open i-phones no matter who this travelling bag is really.The main Unlock iPhone personal preference you will be getting would be the Do it yourself solution and also the become self-sufficient one self tactic.
    How to unlock iPhone 4

  20. Nice post. I was checking continuously this site and I’m impressed! Extremely useful info especially the last part I care for such info much. I was looking for this particular information for a long time. Thank you and best of luck.

  21. Sagi says:

    That saves me. Thanks for being so sensilbe!

  22. Dany says:

    I don’t know who you wrote this for but you helped a brotehr out.

  23. You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be really something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!

  24. I’m and so blessed to own found out the following site. People essentially claimed all of us simply just what exactly When i opted to help pay attention to help in addition to afterward a lot of. Amazing publishing in addition to regards yet again intended for performing this particular not any fee!

  25. I enjoyed reading this. If you like, check out my website.

  26. Suzi Senegal says:

    A huge thank you so much for your blog post.Really looking forward to reading more.

  27. Definitely, what a fantastic site and informative posts, I definitely will bookmark your site.Best Regards!

  28. Good luck with new articles

  29. Suica says:

    hi!!!

  30. Freedom Fertility Drugs , http://www.guardiancanecorso.com/ – cheap propecia online 42% of the men who were taking the medication had no further hair loss. propecia without prescription

  31. Alesetslork says:

    Susan E Northrup Preventive Medicine , buy generic ambien online Zolpidem is the drug that is sold under the name Ambien. http://www.cotonsoffircrest.com/ – ambien online

  32. Alesetslork says:

    Medication Management For Tylenol , ambien for sale The benefits of this medication are that it starts to work quickly and also has a short half life. http://www.cotonsoffircrest.com/ – zolpidem no prescription

  33. Alesetslork says:

    Different Types Of Pain Pills , generic ambien no prescription Luckily, not all patients will experience any or all of these symptoms. http://www.cotonsoffircrest.com/ – ambien online

  34. You might unlock iPhone 4 if you aren’t truly enthusiastic about the support which are available from ones own iPhone practitioner. To hold doing this around, you don’t ought to be specialist experience. Using bing and google, one can find valuable
    unlock iphones

  35. As a Newbie, I am constantly exploring online for articles that can aid me. Thank you

  36. Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your site and in accession capital to assert that I get actually enjoyed account your blog posts. Anyway I’ll be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement you access consistently quickly.

  37. I’ve been browsing online more than three hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me. Personally, if all website owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the web will be a lot more useful than ever before.

  38. Robbie Jadin says:

    Wonderful work! This is the type of information that should be shared around the net. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post higher! Come on over and visit my website . Thanks =)

  39. I truly wanted to write down a small remark to be able to thank you for those fantastic suggestions you are giving out at this website. My extended internet research has at the end of the day been compensated with professional ideas to write about with my family members. I ‘d suppose that most of us website visitors are unequivocally fortunate to live in a fine community with many marvellous people with insightful techniques. I feel pretty happy to have used your web site and look forward to so many more cool times reading here. Thanks a lot again for a lot of things.

  40. Sports Medicine Richmond Va , http://www.startaprayerministry.com/ – amoxil antibiotic These side effects may include nausea, vomiting, rashes, colitis, and diarrhea. amoxil pills

  41. I have read some good stuff here. Certainly worth bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how much effort you put to create such a wonderful informative web site.

  42. complexion all over the body together with clean bloodstream, breathable oxygen, in addition to unlock iphone 4s
    how to unlock iphones 4s iphone 4s unlock
    http://howto-unlockiphone4s.info

  43. Gay Marriages: is it against the natural order?
    Gun safety
    save these websites fast http://socialize.pcdesktopservices.com/blog/view/400754/the-flight-game-here-is-really-fun
    http://articleprove.com/flying-game-uncovered/
    look at fast
    Before reading any further, it needs to be noted that kids are not the only ones who are exposed to all the dangers that come with using the Internet. Adults can also be victims of various Internet frauds and schemes, which is why they too need to pay attention to validity and reputation of the websites they use. It is not only safety that people ought to pay attention to, but also their own privacy. Some social networking websites for example, can expose some very personal information about yourself, and this is why it is important to try to make your web experience both secure and private.
    Filtrations of websites can also be done by computer monitoring software which results to control your child and he/she can only browse that websites which are safe and knowledgeable for them which is again selected by you. Moreover, if you find your kid is doing something which he/she should not do then you have the power to easily stop their ongoing activity by just clicking one button in the parental control center and iPhone application.
    like this article now
    bookmark these websites
    link to this post now
    Go to this news article before time runs out
    Go to now
    link to this blog post now

Leave a Reply