After reading another thread about a different, yet similar subject, I thought about what sort of drinks races, countries, and secret societies ( ) might have. So what are the different types of drinks your races enjoy? And are there any laws about certain drinks, such as the poor can't have milk, or only the poor can have milk, etc.? Or are there new consumable liquids that can't be found in this world because of a plant you added?

Well, I must admit this is (yet) another thing I've neglected in Vadra...but I wanna help get this going and I do have some ideas.

I'm thinking about having my ultra-woodsmart Rangers use different teas and broths, etc to nourish, heal, and even help overcome depression or stress.

Then in Palaces and stuff there'll probably at least sometimes be wine, and in army camps there might be beer, but I will try to formulate details about those to keep from being steriocliche...

Have you thought of any beverages for your world yet?

Ooh, and another thing I just thought of, some sort of "elixir" to help increase courage and strength (in other words, it's a drug that renders you unable to know you can't do stuff, so you do it anyway) only my badguys and neutral guys will use this though. The good guys will have instincts that do this (like adrenaline, but even "better").

Another thing I need to work on in Tevo.

I have several drinks that pop up during the course of my books. Some of them have names, others do not.

For example, Eniya, who is a healer, is constantly pouring a tonic down Tierin's throat, after he has been poisoned by a shahard dart. She also gives medicinal liquids to others during the course of the three books. Eniya also has medicinal drinks that can help put energy back into your body, kind of like a shot of sugar, but eventually you will crash from it.

In the first book we are introduced to typical wine, Tierin's family dabbling in the vintner business. The wine shows up in several places, and in the beginning of my third book we are introduced to Cider, aged and fresh.

My favorite drink in my books, though, is my firewater. It is very potent, the smell of the beverage burns Airianna's nose, in fact. It is highly flammable and often used by the Fire Breathing Fools in the festivals.

Here is an excerpt where wine is depicted in my story:

That's cool, it sounds like you've put more thought into fantasy beverages than I have. Neat scene, too. I like the idea of being able to counter poisons...hadn't thought of that. *adds antidotes to mental list of things to be inspired about*

I live on a vineyard, so likely there will be wine in my stories.
I love the idea of the "elixir" Running Wolf...

Thanks, I like it too, I must remember to add it to my notes before I forget about it...

One fact about wine that I learned from an article (which I posted in a thread that inspired this thread) was that grapes growing in a harsher environment are fewer, but have more flavor because the vine has to work harder to make them (since you live on a vineyard, do know this to be true? I have to do more research before I would write about it...)...so that might be something we could all benefit from...I can just see a little homestead out in the harsh wilderness, underfed at times, and often under-equipped, but always armed with wine better than that produced by the king's own vineyards! A fun contrast to make, that would be, good wine served in tin mugs around a beat-up table while the king drinks inferior wine in a fancier setting.

Drinks? * thinks * Yes, I know of few.... One of the most striking to my memory, though, is a healing juice. It is the fluid in the stems of a certain plant which I do not know the name of – * goes and finds out * So, Ǿuufree is the name of the liquid, but I still don't know the name of the plant. It is a red colour, a little stringy and thick and sticky, and it tastes absolutely horrible. Not only that, but it burns even worse. And it has some very bad affects upon ingestion – makes you ill, fever and muscle spasms and things like that. However, so far as anyone knows, it is the only thing that can serve as an antidote to the bite of the ring-snake. And it's not a sure cure, either. But it's sort of like giving someone alcohol when he's been bitten by a snake – the alcohol may not be good, but if the fellow's going to die in an hour anyway if you don't do something, it's worth a try.

The only difficulty is convincing the bitten person to drink it. It is awful stuff.

The only other drink I can think of off the top of my head is also spicy (I wonder if that means something...); it is used beyond the Hand, eaten with their meals. It's almost like they drink their hot sauce instead of putting it on their food – they take little sips of it while they eat the blander parts of the meal, like the breads and the grains.

O, there is another interesting drink that I just found out about...I'm not sure where it's used, but it is almost a syrup, with a slightly bitter or tangy flavor sometimes. It is very sweet. The sweetness varies rather like the strength of coffee – there's Indian coffee, then there's espresso. The drink can go from so sweet it is painful if you are not used to it (sometimes even if you are), to the strength of tea with a lump too much sugar in it. It is addictive, rather like coffee and liquor, and a very common refreshment.

That's all I can think of.

Those are fascinating drinks, Juliet.

Thank you.