Category: Yesterday

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Back Bar - Jack Who?

Women have been making cider and brandy for centuries - so where are they in the history books? A look at who gets written into and out of history through the lens of one of the most enduring apple brandy cocktails of all time, the Jack Rose.

In ancient times making alcohol was seen as a mystic art, something done to commune with the divine and heal the sick. In colonial America, it was done to preserve surplus harvests and keep produce from going to waste. In each case, and every millennium in between, the work was done by women. Now we see alcohol as a male-dominated field, both when it comes to producing and serving. By looking at the Jack Rose, which has changed in its own way over the years, Greg and his co-host Jess look at how women were written out of the story and how they could be written back.

Our guests on this episode are Dr. Nicola Nice of the Women’s Cocktail Collective, Diane Flynt of Foggy Ridge Cider in Virginia, Jen Querbes of Brandy St. Louise, and Lisa Laird Dunn, a ninth-generation apple brandy distiller from New Jersey. And you can find more amazing music from Jess, who wrote the music for and performed the eua de vie recipe here!

The books referenced on this show were Imbibe by David Wondrich, Meehan’s Bartending Guide by Jim Meehan, and Jones Complete Bar Guide by Stan Jones.

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Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us every two weeks as we talk about history's favorite drinks and how what we drink shapes history. To see what's coming next follow Greg on instagram @100ProofGreg. #drinkinghistory

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Back Bar by becoming a member!

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Byzantium And The Crusades - The Fall of Constantinople Episode 7 “The Heroes of Constantinople”

As the Turkish army approached Constantinople in 1453, the Byzantine defenders were joined by a handful of Genoese, Venetians and other adventurers prepared to join the fight to save the great Christian city.

Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.

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Curious City - Chicago Is Where Black Cinema Took Root

Chicago was like Hollywood before Hollywood became the movie capital we know today. And Black directors were an important part of that early industry. In 1913 Willam Foster became the first Black director to make a film with an all Black cast. Yet most people have never heard of him. Reporter Arionne Nettles shares his story and the legacy he left behind.
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Curious City - Chicago Is Where Black Cinema Took Root

Chicago was like Hollywood before Hollywood became the movie capital we know today. And Black directors were an important part of that early industry. In 1913 Willam Foster became the first Black director to make a film with an all Black cast. Yet most people have never heard of him. Reporter Arionne Nettles shares his story and the legacy he left behind.
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Byzantium And The Crusades - The Fall of Constantinople Episode 6 “Gunpowder and Cannons”

By 1452, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II had decided to launch a huge attack on the ancient city of Constantinople. But as he gathered his army from all over his dominions, he knew that he would need more than soldiers. To breach the ancient walls he would need gunpowder and cannons!

Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.

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Curious City - The Pilsen Episode

Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood was first settled by Irish and German immigrants who were soon supplanted by a large influx of Czech immigrants. They gave the neighborhood its name but it’s known today for its Mexican and Mexican American population who first began moving in during the 50s and 60s. Pilsen continued to be a port of entry for decades and since then, many have fought to maintain the neighborhood’s identity, culture, and its community. In this episode we answer several questions about Pilsen’s history -- about the role murals have played in creating that sense of community, how the people rose up and came together to fight for a new high school, and how residents of Pilsen took a Chicago housing peculiarity and made it their own.
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Curious City - The Pilsen Episode

Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood was first settled by Irish and German immigrants who were soon supplanted by a large influx of Czech immigrants. They gave the neighborhood its name but it’s known today for its Mexican and Mexican American population who first began moving in during the 50s and 60s. Pilsen continued to be a port of entry for decades and since then, many have fought to maintain the neighborhood’s identity, culture, and its community. In this episode we answer several questions about Pilsen’s history -- about the role murals have played in creating that sense of community, how the people rose up and came together to fight for a new high school, and how residents of Pilsen took a Chicago housing peculiarity and made it their own.
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Byzantium And The Crusades - The Fall of Constantinople Episode 5 “The Call to the West”

With the Ottoman Turks closing in on Constantinople, the Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologus made a last desperate appeal to the West for help. But would it be too little and too late?

Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.

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Curious City - Three Buildings That Survived The Great Chicago Fire

The Great Chicago Fire, which lasted from October 8th to October 10th, 1871, destroyed most of Chicago from what is today Roosevelt Road up to Fullerton and from the Lake west to the Chicago River. Almost 100,000 Chicagoans lost their homes and several hundred lost their lives. And while the Chicago Water Tower has become an important symbol of what survived the destruction of the fire, it’s not the only building that made it through. Historian Paul Durica tells us about three other “survivors” and what happened to them decades later.
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Curious City - Three Buildings That Survived The Great Chicago Fire

The Great Chicago Fire, which lasted from October 8th to October 10th, 1871, destroyed most of Chicago from what is today Roosevelt Road up to Fullerton and from the Lake west to the Chicago River. Almost 100,000 Chicagoans lost their homes and several hundred lost their lives. And while the Chicago Water Tower has become an important symbol of what survived the destruction of the fire, it’s not the only building that made it through. Historian Paul Durica tells us about three other “survivors” and what happened to them decades later.