Pub Quiz

• 1)What key event made Gin popular in England?
  • a)Edward III’s marriage to Philippa of Hanault (1328)
  • b)The end of the first Anglo-Dutch War (1654)
  • c)William of Orange’s Accession and the Glorious Revolution (1688)
  • d)The end of the Napoleonic Wars (1815)
• 2)George Washington was a big rum fan and loved making rum cocktails. Which of these was apparently one of his favourites?
  • a)Mount Vernon Eggnog
  • b)Daiquiri
  • c)Planter’s Punch
  • d)Hot Buttered Rum
• 3)The first record of labourers in England having their wages supplemented by pints of cider was 1204 and the practice continued. The Trucker Act put a stop to this in what year?
  • a)1812
  • b)1856
  • c)1887
  • d)1913
• 4)If you have unripe tomatoes, put them in a bag with what to speed up ripening?
  • a)A tablespoon of cider
  • b)A tablespoon of rum
  • c)A tablespoon of gin
  • d)1 ripe apple

(Answer: c) William of Orange’s Accession and the Glorious Revolution. While Gin (a more distilled version of Dutch Genever) had gained some popularity as a medicinal drink during the Stuart reign, but when the Dutch William II and Mary II became co-sovereigns of England, Scotland and Ireland, Gin production proliferated so much that it eventually it became the national drink.)

(Answer: a) Mount Vernon Eggnog was apparently invented by George Washington, although there is no real evidence of this. The recipe circulated as being George Washingtons includes: “One quart cream, one quart milk, one dozen tablespoons sugar, one pint brandy, ½ pint rye whiskey, ½ pint Jamaica rum, ¼ pint sherry – mix liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of 12 eggs, add sugar to beaten yolks, mix well. Add milk and cream, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture. Let set in cool place for several days. Taste frequently.”

I can only assume that this was a for a large party, but for the sake of my health, I am not going to test it out!

(Answer: c) The Trucker Act of 1887 prohibited cider being used as wages, but the practice took a long time to dry out (pun intended) and continued into the 20^th century.)

(Answer: d) 1 ripe apple. Apples release ethylene gas, which speeds up the ripening of tomatoes.