Scatter Brained

C H A P T E R   7

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180
S C A T T E R B R A I N E D
Hangover Factor:
 high. Drink it in the winter, so you don’t 
have to face the sun.
Fun Facts:
 Th
  ose with respect for their elders prefer to call it 
“Lappish Grandmother’s Love Potion.”
CENTRAL ASIA
Drink:
 kumis
Invented:
 by Tartars, 13th century
Made from:
 fermented mare’s milk
Tastes like:
 bile, by most accounts, but supposedly you get 
used to it
Cocktail:
 Probably almost any mixer could help.
Hangover Factor:
 extremely low. It’s about 4 proof.
Fun Facts:
 Traditionally, it’s made in a horsehide container 
called a 
saba.
COASTAL AFRICA
Drink:
 palm wine
Invented:
 lost in the mists of time
Made from:
 palm tree sap
Tastes like:
 candied dates
Cocktail:
 No.
Hangover Factor:
 low, but it’s occasionally distilled extra 
long to create a sort of palm whiskey called arrack that should 
mess you up nicely
Fun Facts:
 so beloved, West Africans named an obscure, nearly 
extinct genre of guitar music after it: palm wine music

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181
GREECE
Drink:
 ouzo
Invented:
 by Ottoman Turks. Descendant of Turkish liqueur 
called raki
Made from:
 grapes or raisins
Tastes like:
 anise
Cocktail:
 Hairy Armpit—one shot mixed with grapefruit 
juice over ice
Hangover Factor:
 moderate to high
Fun Facts:
 similar to the legendary French liqueur absinthe, 
minus the wormwood, the green fairies, and the inquisitive 
customs offi
  cers
NORTHERN EUROPE
Drink:
 mead
Invented:
 by benevolent Norse gods
Made From:
 honey and yeast
Tastes Like:
 honey
Cocktail:
 Mead Stinger, with bourbon and ice
Hangover Factor:
 low
Fun Facts:
 the original Anglo-Saxon wedding beverage, and 
probably the source of the word 
honeymoon.
 Which brings us 
nicely to . . .