#Modern Malt

[wolfgirlandfarmboy]

In the Modern AU, what made Jack decide to get a motorcycle instead of a different mode of transportation?

Because he can't be riding around on Malt's back in the city...

I MEAN HE COULD but he would like to avoid bringing attention to himself and he doesn't particularly like how driving a car feels.

A motorcycle is as close to cow power the farm boy can get.

[techdriveplay]

The Rise of Australian Whisky

George Bekarian, Head Mixologist at Cardea & Spirit Specialist for Barrel Lane Whisky Club As the head mixologist at Cardea and spirit specialist for Barrel Lane Whisky Club, I’ve witnessed the evolution of Australian whisky firsthand. It’s a journey that spans centuries, shaped by rich history, innovation, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. When we talk about Australian whisky, we can’t…

[askwhatsforlunch]

The Modern

The Modern, which is still thoroughly so, was born in the 1900s! It remains a deliciously refreshing and beautiful cocktail, the heart notes delectably lingering on your palate! A most delightful way to begin the weekend! Happy Saturday!

Ingredients (serves 1):

1 teaspoon caster sugar

1 1/2 lemons

45 millilitres/1 1/2 fluid ounces (3 tablespoons) good Aged Single Malt Whisky (like India's Amrut)

45 millilitres/1 1/2 fluid ounces (3 tablespoons) sloe or Damson Gin

2 dashes orange bitters

1/4 teaspoon absinthe

8 ice cubes

a maraschino cherry, for garnish (optional)

Spoon caster sugar in a shaker. Thoroughly squeeze in the juice of the lemons, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved.

Add Whisky, Damson Gin, orange bitters and absinthe.

Fill the shaker with ice cubes, close tightly and shake energetically until thoroughly chilled.

Strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with maraschino cherry, if desired.

Enjoy The Modern immediately. Cheers!

[florencechase]

can we just talk about how august is one of the most well-written antagonist characters in modern media? he’s done some unforgivable things but you still see him as human. he’s not just an evil person to make the storyline more interesting, he’s so much more complex than that. from a writer’s perspective i absolutely love his character and his storyline so much. also props to malte gårdinger for playing him so well. wow. just. wow.

[azyracrowleyseb]

Instagram: anastasiasoare 💖🥳

The Leading Man Party, hosted by Los Angeles Magazine, will honor the men who helped shape modern Hollywood and their November 2024 Movie Issue that kicks off awards Season.Colman Domingo, SEBASTIAN STAN (I am here to support my godson ★), and John David Washington - The Lead Actors, the Men of Merit, plus the exceptional talent both in front of and behind the camera featured in the issue. Great event !! And love my outfit because Laurant is a Saint @ysl And my #lipvelvetmatte in Kiss with malt lip liner - and spice palette that I love so much. I had fun #anastasiabeverlyhills #losangelesmagazine

[niteshade925]

April 11-14, Xi'an, China:

Some pictures of the cultural landmarks of Xi'an and some miscellaneous pics to wrap up the posts about my Xi'an trip:

First is the Bell Tower/钟楼 and Drum Tower/鼓楼 of Xi'an. The Bell Tower and the Drum Tower of Xi'an were built in 1384 and 1380 respectively, during the reign of Emperor Taizu of Ming (personal name Zhu Yuanzhang, aka that one emperor who was a beggar). Both towers were rebuilt during Qing dynasty, then repaired extensively in the latter half of 20th century.

This square-ish tower is the Bell Tower:

The hotel we stayed at was fairly close to the Bell Tower so I was able to get a couple more pictures of it, but we didn't go inside either towers though. I kind of regret that, but I regret not being able to go to the Shaanxi History Museum more.

Side note: the Tang-era Jingyun Bell/景云钟 used to be inside this tower (hence the name), where it would sound in the mornings to signal the beginning of the day. However, the Jingyun Bell was moved to Beilin Museum in 1953 for conservation purposes, which was also where I saw the real thing (see my earlier post about Beilin Museum), but a tour guide told me it would be moved again soon to another (indoor) museum, where it would stay for the foreseeable future. The bell that is inside the Bell Tower right now is a modern working replica of the Jingyun Bell.

And now the rectangular Drum Tower. The drums in the tower used to sound in the evenings, signaling the end of the day. This is summed up in the term 晨钟暮鼓, or "morning bell tolls and evening drum beats".

The bian'e/匾额 sign on the south side of the Drum Tower reads 文武盛地 (traditionally Chinese reads from right to left when written horizontally), which translates to "the place where literary and martial arts flourish". The bian'e itself is 8m (~26.2 ft) long and weighs 2-3 metric tons (about as heavy as a SUV). The bian'e on the north side of the Drum Tower reads 声闻于天, which translates to "a sound heard even in the heavens", referring to the sound of the drums. The phrase itself came from the poem "A Crane Cries" (鹤鸣; translation may vary depending on the translator) from the Classic of Poetry/《诗经》.

On to notable souvenirs from random shops:

Tang-era style Thicc Beefcake Horses 👌

Left: figurines of (mostly) Tang-era girls. Right: a type of candy from Sichuan called "dogshit candy"/狗屎糖 (yes that's really the name lol) made from soy beans, peanuts, and barley malt syrup (called maiyatang/麦芽糖). The smaller text on the bottom of the bag reads "eat dogshit candy and you will have dogshit luck", which actually means good luck btw, because the chances of stepping on dog doo-doo is actually kinda low if you think about it

And last but not least, the ancient city walls of Xi'an. The city walls that we see here were built at the beginning of Ming dynasty (latter half of 14th century), but analysis of the cross section revealed that it also contained sections of the Tang-era (618 - 907), Song-era (960 - 1279), and Yuan-era (1206 - 1368) city walls within it in layers. These walls are 12m (39.4ft) tall and the top of the wall is 12-14m (39.4-46ft) wide, enough to pass multiple horse-drawn carts at once, which was important for the defense of the city. Below is the Anyuan Gate/安远门 (the north gate), and this used to be where the Tang-era Taiji Palace/太极宫 (not to be confused with Taiji Hall of the Forbidden City) wall connected with the Eastern Palace/东宫, where the crown prince resided:

Coming around the side gate of Anyuan Gate. There's also a moat (护城河 in Chinese, lit. "protect city river"), but I didn't take pictures of it.

Outside the Shangwu Gate/尚武门. 尚武 roughly translates to "respect of the martial". There used to be draw bridges outside these gates as well, but for ease of modern transportation, most of them have been rebuilt as fixed bridges with roads on top for vehicles and pedestrians. The only draw bridge that has been rebuilt (that I know of) was the one outside the Yongning Gate/永宁门 aka the southern gate.

Leaving Xi'an city. These are the corner towers of the city wall:

Two cute sculptures inside the Xi'an Xianyang International Airport/西安咸阳国际机场, the left one represents Shaanxi's Qinqiang/秦腔 folk opera, and the right one is, of course, the famous terra cotta soldier:

Goodbye Xi'an! Hopefully I can come back in the future and go to Shaanxi History Museum..........

[memories-of-ancients]

The Hymn of Ninkasi

The Ancient Sumerians loved their beer.  In fact they loved their beer so much that thousands of years later ancient recipes and artwork depicting beer making and beer drinking survive to this day. Many of these recipes are being recreated and brewed thousands of years later by crafted breweries today.  They drank it for ceremonial and religious reasons, they drank it for nutritional reasons, and they drank it for the same reasons we drink it today. You know ... to get pissed.

The Sumerians were so serious about their beer that they had their own deity devoted to the beverage named Ninkasi.  Ninkasi was the goddess of beer and alcohol, who brewed the beverage daily to  to “satisfy the desire” and “sate the heart.”  One of the earliest known devotions to Ninkasi was a hymn written on clay tablets dating to 1800 BC.  Called “The Hymn to Ninkasi” it was more than just a devotional script or prayer, it was a recipe and procedure for brewing, written as a poem so that it would be easy to remember in an age when most people were illiterate.  The beer that was produced was a very sweet beverage with around 3.5% alcohol by volume, created by brewing with malt and a twice baked honey bread (bappir) that had the taste and consistency of granola. It would have been very sweet compared to modern beer as the Sumerians lacked hops which gives the bitter flavors of beers today.  Traditionally the beer was stored in clay pots and sipped using long drinking straws to filter out left over particulates.

The Hymn of Ninkasi

Borne of the flowing water,  Tenderly cared for by the Ninhursag,  Borne of the flowing water,  Tenderly cared for by the Ninhursag,  Having founded your town by the sacred lake,  She finished its great walls for you,  Ninkasi, having founded your town by the sacred lake,  She finished it’s walls for you,  Your father is Enki, Lord Nidimmud,  Your mother is Ninti, the queen of the sacred lake.  Ninkasi, your father is Enki, Lord Nidimmud,  Your mother is Ninti, the queen of the sacred lake.  You are the one who handles the dough [and] with a big shovel,  Mixing in a pit, the bappir with sweet aromatics,  Ninkasi, you are the one who handles the dough [and] with a big shovel,  Mixing in a pit, the bappir with [date] - honey,  You are the one who bakes the bappir in the big oven,  Puts in order the piles of hulled grains,  Ninkasi, you are the one who bakes the bappir in the big oven,  Puts in order the piles of hulled grains,  You are the one who waters the malt set on the ground,  The noble dogs keep away even the potentates,  Ninkasi, you are the one who waters the malt set on the ground,  The noble dogs keep away even the potentates,  You are the one who soaks the malt in a jar,  The waves rise, the waves fall.  Ninkasi, you are the one who soaks the malt in a jar,  The waves rise, the waves fall.  You are the one who spreads the cooked mash on large reed mats,  Coolness overcomes,  Ninkasi, you are the one who spreads the cooked mash on large reed mats,  Coolness overcomes,  You are the one who holds with both hands the great sweet wort,  Brewing [it] with honey [and] wine  (You the sweet wort to the vessel)  Ninkasi, (…)(You the sweet wort to the vessel)  The filtering vat, which makes a pleasant sound,  You place appropriately on a large collector vat.  Ninkasi, the filtering vat, which makes a pleasant sound,  You place appropriately on a large collector vat.  When you pour out the filtered beer of the collector vat,  It is [like] the onrush of Tigris and Euphrates.  Ninkasi, you are the one who pours out the filtered beer of the collector vat, It is [like] the onrush of Tigris and Euphrates. 

[mrs-stans]

@anastasiasoare: The Leading Man Party, hosted by Los Angeles Magazine, will honor the men who helped shape modern Hollywood and their November 2024 Movie Issue that kicks off awards Season.Colman Domingo, SEBASTIAN STAN ( I am here to support my godson ❤️⭐️), and John David Washington — The Lead Actors, the Men of Merit, plus the exceptional talent both in front of and behind the camera featured in the issue. Great event !! And love my outfit 🫶🏻because Laurant is a Saint @ysl 🎉And my 💋 #lipvelvetmatte in Kiss with malt lip liner - and spice palette that I love so much . I had fun 💫#anastasiabeverlyhills #losangelesmagazine

[fayes-fics]

Okay - Kinktober Request!

Anthony + Modern + Anonymous Sex

This could range from vanilla to completely unhinged lol. Do your worst, darling.

Kinktober: Anthony + Anonymous / Intercrural Sex

Kinktober 2023 Masterlist

Paring: Anthony Bridgeton x fem!reader, modern AU

Warnings: 18+ smut, minors DNI, anonymous sex with a stranger, non-penetrative (intercrural) sex.

Author’s note: hi lovely 🫶 thanks for this ask; it was a fun one. I also went WAYYYY over a drabble, but The Viscount is worth it, right? 😁 Enjoy! 🧡

You've never been so bold in your life.

Trailing the most beautiful man you have ever met. Known only to you as “The Viscount”, according to the bartender anyway. He is apparently the owner of this upscale establishment and the person who brought you the drink that you hold. Eyes meeting in an almost cliched manner across the bar.

You allowed him to grab your hand and lead you away wordlessly. Away from your friend who was barely cognisant of your departure, glued to their phone due to boyfriend drama—it's always something with those two. The man stops short by a heavy wooden door, which opens to reveal a whisky room, wood-panelled, oversized leather chairs, and walls lined with artfully lit bottles.

“My private collection,” he explains, releasing your hand to spin around and hold his arms out demonstratively. “I hope you are enjoying the spoils,” he winks, nodding at your expensive lead-crystal glass.

You nod back and smile demurely. Something about this man feels inevitable. So when he takes your glass and places it aside, drawing you in for a passionate kiss, it feels right. You don't even know his name; he never asked for yours. But as your tongues parry, all you can think is that he tastes of smoky single malt, zinging mint and utter sin. 

He backs you into the wall, the panelling moulding to your bottom as the fiery kisses continue, grabbing your hands and holding them pinned at head height.

“What is it about you? You alluring mystery…” he rumbles, pupils blown, moving his nose to trail up your neck as he sniffs you, almost obscenely. 

“Fuck me,” it tumbles from your lips unbidden, honesty and need bubbling up from your depths.

He growls and presses his whole being into you, something hard poking your lower belly as he does so.

“I want to,” he confesses, roughly tugging your fitted dress up over the swell of your hips, warm fingers sliding boldly against the lace of your underwear. “So wet,” he groans, bucking against you another time.

You reach for his zipper, and with trembling hands, you lower his fly as he keeps teasing you with a maddeningly slow stroke of a singular digit. Somehow you are not surprised when a sizable, delicious rock-hard cock springs forth, no underwear in sight. You go to touch it, but he again grabs your wrists and pins them to the wall, this time far above your head. Then slowly, he leans in, and you feel that hot cock slide over your underwear, catching your clit, making you moan softly.

“I don't fuck on a first date,” he breathes, sinking his fingers between yours and grasping with a fist, “but I will make you come.”

A shiver runs through your entire being at that loaded promise, sealed with another filthy, open-mouthed kiss.

“Cross your feet,” he smiles decadently over your lips, and you can't help but do as he says.

You squeak into his mouth as that sizeable cock slips bluntly and hot between your squeezed thighs. Then he begins to move, slow at first, then steady and strong, each pass rubbing your clit, the tightness and scratch of lace arousing for both of you.

“Perfect,” he moans into your mouth, still holding your hands caged, your entire being swamped by him. Part of you wants him to rip away your underwear and fuck you for real. “We will fuck one day, just not here,” he pants as if he can read your mind. 

“Please…,” it's a whimper as your clit burns white-hot from the frottage, nudged heavily with each stroke.

He kisses you repeatedly, surging you into the wall with the snap of his pelvis, making each priceless bottle rattle in its fancy metal cage. Your arousal coats your inner thighs, giving him easy passage.

He moves to suck on that sensitive spot on your neck that makes your knees weak; you have to lock them to stop yourself melting to the floor. All the while, his hands don’t let go of yours, a signet ring on his little finger leaving an indent in the gap between your fingers. 

He speeds up, the passing of his cock a heavy weight that makes you moan lightly. He is grunting softly, as drunk on the sensation as you are. The tug low in your belly signifies a few more strokes are all you will need, your breath a staccato over his stubbled jaw as he nibbles your earlobe.

“I can tell you are close,” he murmurs low and richly into your ear. “Come on, beautiful, give it to me.” 

And you do. Allowing yourself to tip over that edge, shuddering as your entire being fractures around him, slumping into the wall and crying out, eyes screwed shut, clit throbbing. He groans lewdly, and while you float, he invades your mouth, his groan vibrating against your tongue as, after a few hitching noises, he slams between your legs, stilling. A warm liquid splashes down the back of your bare thighs as he comes, too.

After a few moments of heavy breathing, he slowly releases your hands. Asks you to turn around, and as your leg muscles twitch, he kneels behind you and gently cleanses your legs of his cum with a bar towel. When he is done, he tenderly kisses the swell of your bottom before pulling down your dress again.

You flip around, and seeing him on his knees before you makes you aching for him again. 

“Take me home,” you challenge, a hand shooting out to cup his jaw. It’s an order, not a request.

“With pleasure, my lady,” he responds, knowing he will be breaking his first-date rule.

Later that night, you learn his real name. But you always refer to him as The Viscount. That’s his name in your phone, and sometimes the title you bestow when he is fucking you so good it’s a transcendental experience.

No taglist as these drabbles are so short

[alpaca-clouds]

What is a Templar? (Or: The Knightly Orders of the Crusades)

(Well, only kinda. But let me explain.)

Something that has surprised me ever since I have entered the Castlevania fandom is the fact, that people do not know what the heraldry of the Knights Templar is. People know they existed, but even with them showing up in a lot of English language media (especially treasure hunting adventure stuff), a lot of folks apparently do not know that in general a red cross on white ground means Knights Templar. Maybe this is to be expected, though, because in the end of course those adventuring media does not really go into the Templars outside of the mythology and conspiracy stuff that folks later on associated with them.

So, let me talk about the Knightly Orders of the Crusades.

First on, I talked about the crusades earlier today. But a quick rundown once more: Muslims were in control of Jerusalem. But while they happily allowed Christian pilgrims to visit the city, political reasons made folks in Europe try to take Jerusalem, which created a very, very chaotic first crusade.

One of the reasons why it was so chaotic, was that there were basically three kinds of folks participating: Pilgrims, just normal folks riled up, and knights. Now, it should be kept in mind: There were few people at the time who were educated in battle. Because most kings did not have a standing military. And because those people participating in the crusades being a bunch of chaotic folks who did not know what they were doing, things... went so chaotic.

So, in came the Knights Templar. So, let me explain the five Christian Knight Orders.

Okay, let me quickly explain the picture above.

We have the Sepulchers (founded in 1099). What we have here as the "Malte", are the Knights Hospitaller of the Order of St. John (founded in 1099). Then we have the Knights Templar (founded in 1119). Then the Order of Santiago (founded in 1170). And finally the Order of Teutonic Knights (founded in 1190).

It should be noted that there were some other Knight Orders associated with the Crusades, but those five are usually considered the most influencial.

But, okay, let me step back. Why were those orders founded?

Mostly to protect the crusades and the pilgrimages that followed. They provided a plethora of services to the pilgrims and crusaders, which might include fighting - but did not necessarily do so.

Let me start with the Knights Templar. Not because they were the first one or the most important one, but because they are just the ones most well known. People have all sorts of ideas, what they did. But mostly they acted as two things: Bodyguards and bankers. They arose from the monk Order of Christ. The idea was basically as following: Both those rampaging bands of crusaders and the pilgrims took a lot of risks to get to the Holy Land. Because this was the middle ages, and there were wars and bandits and all other things on the way. So, when you went to visit the Holy Land, you might actually not want to carry your valuables on you. Because they might get stolen (and you might get killed for them). So the Templars basically invented modern banking. You gave your money to the Templars where you started your journey, they gave you a ledger, on your way you could visit other Templar Monasteries and get your money from the ledger. Against a fee, of course. And if you died, the Templars kept the money. Which was part of the reason they became so rich. Now, did the Templars also pillage? Yes. Did they participate in crusading battles? Yes. But it was not their main goal. This was also the reason, why they had to get very creative when it came to making their money, after the main crusades had ended. It is also why they officially disbanded in the 14th century. Though I say officially for a reason, as the Knights Templar just merged back into with the Order of Christ, and it took a long while, until there was nobody around wearing the colors and heraldry of the Knights Templar. So, while technically disbanded, they did in fact participate in colonialism for a while. (And yes, this did include slavery. Both of white slaves from Eastern Europe, as well as later on non-white slaves from Arabia and Africa. Mostly because they had strong ties to Portugal, who were a leading force in early slavery.)

After this, let's go through the orders by years of founding.

The Knights of the Holy Sepulchre have a simple, yet complicated history. They are tied to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, where there was a monk order living. Now, in the early 11th century, there were religious conflicts within Jerusalem, that ended with the original church being destroyed. Just a bit later the Calif allowed it to be rebuild. But... then the crusades happened and religious fevor and when Jerusalem was taken, they decided they should defend some of their holy sides. As during the crusading battles some monks were knighted, they turned this... into a thing. These Knights first existed to defend the holy sides, then Jerusalem. They later participated in some of the battles. I should note, too, that a variation of them is still around today.

I talked about the Knights Hospitaller before, so I make this quick: They existed mainly to offer hospitality and medical services to crusaders and pilgrims. Like all of the knights they would, however, still participate in some battles.

Now, the Order of Santiago is a bit of an odd one out. Because they were not founded for the crusades but rather to fight the Muslims on a different front. As their name suggests: They tie back to Spain. And as I have talked about several times before, a good chunk of the Iberian peninsula at the time was in fact under Muslim rule. And yes, this order of church ordained knights originally fought the Muslims here. But they also quickly became drawn into the crusades. Other than protecting pilgrims, they also were ordained to provide any of the religious services pilgrims might need. (And yet, they were the odd one out between the Orders, because their vows were different. But about that in a bit.)

The Order of the Teutonic Knights was also a bit of a weird one. They started out as a religious fraternity, then did a bit of crusading, founded their knightly order in Jerusalem and then... preceded to Christianize the Balcans. As the name suggests, they were German in origin. And other than the other four orders, they actually had a big focus on fighting during the crusades (and later the "misionary work" in Eastern Europe).

Something to understand about the Orders is, that they were not knights, who lived a monestary lifestyle, but rather monks, who were knighted. As such many of these knights would actually start out early as monks (again, back in those days teenagers and at times kids would already enter the monastery life for all sorts of different reasons), make their vows and then train in fighting to take up the mantle of the knight.

But as parts of those religious orders, they usually gave the three main monastic vows: A Vow of Poverty, a Vow of Chastity, and a Vow of Obedience. The one exception was the Order of Santiago, who did not give a vow of chastity and were in fact allowed to marry and have family.

And... I think that is it for now. This one turned out pretty darn long.

If you wanna know anything about the other knightly orders, just write a comment or let me know otherwise. I will... do a write down if there is any interest.

[whencyclopedia]

Samuel Adams

Samuel Adams (1722-1803) was a prominent Patriot leader in the American Revolution (1765-1789), and a Founding Father of the United States. He was one of the most vocal opponents of 'taxation without representation', was a founding member of the Sons of Liberty, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the fourth Governor of Massachusetts (served 1793-1797).

Adams was a lifelong resident of Boston, Massachusetts, who, prior to the Revolution, had failed at every career he tried. It was not until the Stamp Act crisis of 1765 that he found his political voice, writing anti-British essays in colonial newspapers; the "simplicity, purity, and harmony" of his prose quickly elevated him to one of the most influential Patriot leaders in the New England colonies (Schiff, 72). He worked tirelessly in the defense of colonial rights, keeping the revolutionary flame alive even when others would not. A radical and early supporter of independence, he helped unify the Thirteen Colonies by setting up a system of committees of correspondence in 1772, played a leading role in the leadup to the Boston Tea Party, and helped draft the Articles of Confederation and Massachusetts Constitution.

His propensity to resort to propaganda, as well as his association with the Sons of Liberty, has turned him into a controversial figure, with his critics accusing him of instigating mob violence to achieve his ends; he was a "Machiavelli of chaos", according to his rival Thomas Hutchinson (Schiff, 7). Other contemporaries praised his zeal and political shrewdness, with Thomas Jefferson calling him "truly the Man of the Revolution" (Boatner, 8). Whichever was the case, Adams was certainly steadfast in his principles, stemming from his Calvinist upbringing, which led him to eschew financial gain in favor of maintaining virtue. His shadow loomed large over the revolutionary era, and he played a major role in prodding his fellow Americans onto the path toward nationhood.

Early Life

Samuel Adams was born on 27 September 1722 in Boston, the largest city in the British colony of Massachusetts Bay. He was one of twelve children born to Samuel Adams Sr. and Mary Fifield Adams, of whom only three would live past infancy. The elder Samuel Adams wore many hats; he was a deacon at the Old South Congregational Church, he was a local politician who served in an informal, populist organization called the Boston Caucus, and he operated a malthouse that had been in the Adams family for generations, providing Boston with much of the malt it used to brew its beer. The Adamses were by no means rich, but owned a sizable chunk of property and a modest home on Boston's modern-day Purchase Street.

The younger Samuel Adams attended Boston Latin School before enrolling in Harvard College in 1736 at the age of 13. He graduated four years later after an unremarkable academic career; the most noteworthy thing about his undergraduate education was that he was once fined by the school for "drinking prohibited Liquors" (Middlekauff, 165). After graduation, he tried his hand at several careers but failed at every one. He was first apprenticed to a merchant but was sent home after showing little aptitude for the trade. He next borrowed £1,000 from his father to start his own business but gave up after he lost the money. He even toyed with the idea of becoming a minister but quickly gave up on that as well. As he bounced between prospects, he found steady work at the malthouse, eventually becoming a partner in the family business.

Continue reading...

[maniculum]

Meadmaking

Hey all, Zoe here - the other half of this blog, and I decided to try my hand at posting - particularly my little mead-making project. Even though Mac is the medieval drinks expert, I just like mead as a drink and I feel like a potion-brewing witch when I make it. Beer was the more popular drink during the middle ages, as it was cheaper and more widely available, but I think it's nasty and who doesn't want to feel like Early English royalty?

As I dug into mead-making, I fell into a SUPER deep medieval-mead-making rabbit hole. I'm not a mead expert, and I'd highly recommend Susan Varberg's blog, Medieval Mead & Beer, for a very, very in-depth look at how to make medieval mead. HOWEVER, all that said, I did collect some research and played with it myself. Plus, I made some of my own recipes.

So. Mead. What is it? Fermented honey water, in its most basic form. Honey-wine, it can be called to those who aren't familiar. There's a lot of other names mead has when it's mixed with other things:

Mead – water, honey and yeast

Sack Mead – mead made with extra honey

Short Mead – low honey and low alcohol yeast to be drunk quickly

Hydromel – watered down mead (in period, another word for mead)

Braggot – (period) ale refermented with honey; (modern) malted mead

Melomel – mead made with fruit

Mulsum – mead made with fruit

Cyser – mead made with apples

Metheglin – mead with spices

Pyment, Clar – mead made with grape juice

Hippocras – spiced wine, sweetened (but not fermented) with honey

Botchet — caramelized honey mead

Really, though, when you see it on the shelf, a pumpkin melomel will be marketed as "Pumpkin Mead," so really only the brewmasters get into the weeds on the names. I was really curious as to how the ingredients were sourced in the middle ages - nowadays, brewers get really into where they source their ingredients (there's a bazillion different yeasts you can use!), but after doing some research, turns out the medievals were too!

Honey.

The medievals categorized honey in different ways. The best quality honey was called "life honey" and was the honey that dripped freely from the wax when pierced. Grades of honey diminished as the honey became harder to get out of the hive. The dregs of honey (collected by heating the frame in water to blend the honey but not melt the wax) was given to servants and was not preferred. Honey was also categorized by location - Egyptian honeys were very popular and expensive. Honey from different regions in Spain were considered of different quality - one merchant got particularly fussy when one of his batches was "spoiled" by mixing honey from a better region with that from a worse region. Finally, honey was categorized by flower type. One monetary requested honey made only from lavender. Since hives were highly mobile frames or skeps, it would have been possible for apiarists to move their hives to lavender fields.

Water.

Water is, well, water. Right? Not quite. Medieval recipes do specify using fine, spring water. The water and honey were often boiled together - likely to kill bacteria. However, the wording on "boille" is not super clear. Mead-masters knew that honey shouldn't be boiled (it kills natural yeast), so whether or not the must (the water/honey mix) was boiled in the modern sense or just warmed is unclear. Perhaps the need for "fine, spring, fresh water."

Yeast.

While modern brewers and vintners have a wide variety of yeasts to choose from, medieval brewmasters didn't have as many options. There were a few different options, however. Baking yeast (like a sourdough starter) was one option, while other recipes call for the leftover lees of wine/mead batches. Hops were also used. Of course, yeast is also naturally occurring, so brewers could fairly reliably rely on the natural yeast to kick-start itself.

I'll dump my own mead pics here and then get into the details of a Middle English mead recipe in part two, I guess. I'll talk a bit about the mead-making process, too. Mead is made by mixing honey and water into a must. Then, yeast is added. Modern mead-makers also add yeast nutrients and other additions to ensure their batch doesn't get infected.

A newly made bottle of mead. Notice the cloudy colour characteristic of new mead. As the yeast eats the sugars, they'll create a bottom layer of debris and the mead will clear, as seen below.

After the primary fermentation has occurred (you can tell when the bubbles of gas, telling you the yeast is eating, have stopped), mead-makers will re-reack their mead. This involves moving it from one jug to the next.

At this point, the mead can be put into a closet and age for a while. The best meads have high clarity - that is, they're clear! The example below is only about 2 months old. It has a way to go, but has good clarity already. Notably, the sagas state that the best, oldest, clearest meads were served to Odin and the gods.

Anyway - that's the basics of mead-making. I'll make a part two about older recipes! Sources:

Beekeeping in late medieval Europe: A survey of its ecological settings and social impacts. Llu.s SALES I FAVÀ, Alexandra SAPOZNIK y Mark WHELAN

Trade, taste and ecology: honey in late medieval Europe. Alexandra Sapoznik, Lluís Sales i Favà & Mark Whelan

Of Boyling and Seething: A re-evaluation of these common cooking terms in connection with brewing. Susan Verberg.

[allysdinos]

(sorry for my bad english, english is not my main language)

I had a headcanon about each batfamily member's perfumes...

Bruce Wayne: Zaad Santal Eau de Parfum Zaad Santal Eau de Parfum brings the warmth and sophistication of Sandalwood to enrich the routine of the man who does not give up an intense and elegant perfume. The result is a sophisticated masculine fragrance that contrasts the strength of wood with the freshness of spicy notes.

Dick grayson: Malbec Noir Deodorant Cologne Malbec Noir was inspired by the nightly ritual of harvesting Pinot Noir grapes. This Spicy Woody fragrance is striking and irresistible and was made for the modern man who wants a long-lasting perfume. It combines the seduction and mystery of nightlife, leaving an intriguing masculine trail that seduces and conquers.

Jason todd:Malbec Deodorant Cologne Malbec brings inspiration from the world of wine to men's perfumery. Wine alcohol, obtained through grape fermentation, is aged in French oak barrels, the same as those in which the best wines in the world rest. Made of fresh and woody notes with a base of Plum, Oak and Vanilla, Malbec Deodorant Cologne represents masculinity in a unique way.

Tim drake:It smells a lot like coffee. Coffee Man Duo Deodorant Cologne For charming and modern men, Coffee Man Duo is ideal. It has a Woody Fougère fragrance that mixes freshness and mystery, one that stands out and is not forgotten. Its top notes are fresh, but soon find the woody heart and strength of the Café au Cream Accord. Its amber notes flirt with Patchouli, accentuated with a Leather note, bringing a unique and extremely seductive perfume.

Damian wayne: Egeo Blue Deodorant Cologne Egeo Blue is an oriental woody fragrance for men, young and exuding sensuality. In its composition it has warm and velvety notes such as Black Pepper. The notes of Malt with Cardamom and Woods are denser and show a striking personality. The combination results in a delicious and addictive fragrance.

[mugman64]

Percy Jackson Headcanons Pt.2

(Some of these tie into the first part)

-Powers

The gods adapt to modern day but only partially, they reflect the way their domains were in ancient Greece or Rome more than how they are now. Their children on the other hand have adapted. Poseidon remains the god of the old sea, the unexplored, the terrifying depths that few would dare to enter.

Percy is the son of a much newer sea, one that has been home to all manners of beings. Millenia of people coexisting and traveling the ocean has given it some newer powers. When Percy needs help and does not have the energy to raise a storm he can sing, the songs of pirates, of sailors, he can funnel the lives of all those who lived and died by the sea into magic. A magic that belongs to the sea, that has become one with the sea. Some even rumor that the Princess Andromeda was pursued by the ghost ship herself, The Flying Dutchman, the seas wrath wrought upon it by Percy’s hand.

Clarisse has a similar power. The Spartans her father swears by never did get much into things outside battle. But as times changed so did war. During capture the flag when all seems lost its been said that the songs of marches seems to emanate from the children of war, empowering their allies. When they are beat down and tired, they die with their backs strong, a distant chant of "a Hell of a way to die" blowing in the wind. And when Silena Beauregard perished the battlefield fell silent as a memorial for a fallen friend rang through the air.

-Appearance

Most demigods use the mist to hide their blemishes. Percy is no different, he hides his scars, some from monsters, some from accidents, and some from Gabe. But the biggest thing he hides is his skin. Percy has fought many gods, titans, immortals, you name it. They have left their mark on him. When Percy defeated Hyperion the golden ichor that fell from his wounds never washed away, when he fought more titans in the pit it added to it. His body has always been an amalgamation of scars and tattoos, now it has splashes of the golden blood of immortals and the green blood of the more powerful monsters he killed thrown in the mix.

Him and Annabeth have theorized why it only happens to him and struggled to find an answer. It was only after Thanatos informs them that he understands. The fates wanted to remind the gods that they aren’t infallible. How better to do it than to mark their savior, the most pertinent demigod of all, with the blood of the immortals he’s beaten on the quest to save them. After all it isn’t only titans whom Percy has made bleed

-Vendetta

Percy frequently had to fend off fights from gods before the war. Every other week it’s either Ares or Athena wanting a fight. At least Artemis stopped after he hit her with his car and Dionysius after he broke his knees with a brick thrown at Mach 1. But these two are so persistent it doesn’t matter if it’s knives, swords, spears, fists. He even beat Athena with a waffle iron once. They just never seem to give up. It doesn’t help that Phobos,Deimos,and Enyo seem insistent on fighting him too.

-Trauma

(t/w: suicidal thoughts, Substance Abuse, and Self Harm mentioned )

After the second Titan War Percy and Clarisse where fast on the track to self-destruction. It all came to a head when they encountered each other in their old bunker, hidden deep in the woods. It was a place where they would hang out and have fun with Beckendorf, Silena, and Lee. All of them gone. Percy saw Clarrise holding a bottle of malt liquor, he himself had just felt a bullet break against the impenetrable skin of his temple, the only way to feel. They saw each other and made a pact to keep each other alive, to confide in each other and help each other until eventually they got past self inflicted wounds and survivors guilt. Both of them were supposed to be generals, supposed to be strong. So they were weak as friends, in private, until they became strong. Many think that only Annabeth or Chris could help them through an episode, but when it’s really bad it’s Percy or Clarrise coming to help the other.

-Parenting/Family

Annabeth is the full blown mama bear in the mortal world, she's at every parent teacher conference, every open school night, holiday parties, EVERYTHING. Gods help the school that tries to shun her kid for having ADHD and dyslexia, she will rain hell on them. She makes sure to listen to her kids side of the story before making up her mind.

Percy on the other hand is pretty laid back, until the Greek side of the family gets involved then all hell breaks loose. No child of his is going a quest before they're fourteen, thank you very much. Aphrodite needs to find her hairbrush for the 12th time this decade? She can go hook up with some actor and make a kid to do it for her, his child won't be risking their life for a fucking hairbrush.

Thalia, Piper, and Reyna are all in equal competition for the cool aunt title. It’s a much less intense competition than the vine riddled flaming skeletal mess that is Grover, Nico, and Leo’s competition to be the favorite uncle. (In reality Frank and Hazel have already claimed the titles)

Grandma Sally is a favorite of all the kids, and both Annabeth and Percy find family dinner where Athena glares at Poseidon from across the table very amusing.

-Protectiveness

Percy has always had a “me and mine” mentality. That is to say he’s fiercely protective of his friends and himself. That is why he fought in the wars. That is why he mouths off to the Olympians. Everything he does is to protect his friends and family, not the gods who sit and watch, but his siblings who fight next to him, who he protects with each battle.

His rage during the Battle of Manhattan was equally about his sorrow for losing members of his family as it was about protecting Annabeth. Even to this day demigod veterans remember his anger when he found that the enemy rolled a Panzer tank through HIS PEOPLE into HIS CITY. -Safehouse

Sally has an open door policy to all demigods. If you’re on a quest and you need a safe place to sleep or a meal you’re welcome to stay. Even the Hunters have taken advantage of such a boon. Not once had there ever been a monster attack on the apartment.

A couple people have theorized on how this works and the best answer is Percy is so terrifying to the monsters that know to stay away from his mother. And they’d be partially right, but Sally Jackson knows better. Because she’s the one who put the shotgun with celestial bronze ammo next to the door. Percy got his protectiveness from somewhere, and it wasn’t the God of the Seas.

[that-other-blob]

Hws Scandinavians: a list of alternate name ideas

Keep in mind my human au

🇳🇴Norway

Canon/fanon name: Lukas Bondevik

Name ideas: Magne, Ingvar, Yngve, Kristian, Ola/Ole, Lars, Sigurd, Lukas

Potential surnames: Amundsen, Larsen, Eide, Moen, Fossheim

Other: used to go by more traditional names before, chooses more evangelical/modern names in modern times

Fem/nyo: Sunniva, Synnøve, Nora, Ingrid, Ida, Freja, Siv

🇩🇰Denmark

Canon/fanon name: Mathias Køhler (German???)

Name ideas: Magnus, Mikkel, Anders, Søren, Christoffer, Christian, Tage, Malte, Mathias is fine

Potential surnames: Christoffersen, Rasmussen, Andersen, Nielsen, Sørensen

Other: Magnus is an older name of his, currently uses Mikkel

Fem/nyo: Mette, Maren, Monica, Margrethe, Mathilde, Louise, Idun

🇸🇪Sweden

Canon/fanon name: Berwald Oxenstierna

Name ideas: Björn (similar meaning to his canon name), Örjan, Carl, Olle

Potential surnames: Simonsson, Svensson, Bergström, Blomqvist, Eklund/-ström

Other: Björn is honestly the perfect name for him. And it’s so common he could def get away with using the same one for decades

Fem/nyo: Annika/Anniken, Agnes, Ylva

I didn’t do Finland and Iceland bc I found names using Norwegian, Swedish and Danish websites and I don’t understand the two other languages lmao

[scotianostra]

On June 8th 1865 the Glenfarcas distillery was acquired by John Grant, marking the beginning of a period of major expansion.

Glenfarclas means “glen of the green grassland,” or if you want to dilute it fiurther, Valley of the green grassland, Glen being the word we use for Valley.

Over the last hundred years, many family distilleries have been bought up by drinks corporations, and, as with any acquisition, many of the unique signifiers and family trappings have faded and disappeared. Not so here. Robert Hay founded the Glenfarclas Distillery in 1836, but John Grant bought it in 1865 and the distillery has passed from father to son ever since.

The distillery sits in the middle of open farmland at the end of a short road that connects the distillery to the A95. It has to be said that Glenfarclas is not the prettiest of distilleries and it gives the impression of being mainly built in the 1950’s.

The visitor centre is quite a modern building, with lots of tartan, buthas been described as lacking in “soul”. That said, there is a lovely tasting room the “Ship’s Room” that has wood panelled walls and furniture taken from the 1910’s cruiser the RMS Empress of Australia. The Grants were the first to open a visitor centre in a distillery in 1973

Where Glenfarclas scores points is the friendliness of its tour staff. Unlike some of the big name Speyside distilleries, which run tours like a production line, Glenfarclas is a more intimate set up where the tours are for small groups and the people that guide them are not rushing to keep to a schedule.

Six generations of Grants have shaped Glenfarclas, from 1865 until today. This guaranteed a constancy of quality and foresight that a durable product as whisky needs. There is hardly another distillery that has as much high quality and old whiskies in its warehouses as Glenfarclas.

The distillery has approximately 68,000 casks maturing on site, in traditional dunnage warehouses, with stock from every year from 1953 to the current year. Going back before the Grants took over there is evidence that the distillery started production in 1791, it’s first liscence to distill whisky was granted in 1836 when it was run by Robert Hay.

More recently in 2011, the 40-year-old 46% volume malt was named "Scotch Whisky Single Malt of the Year" in the 17th Annual Malt Advocate Whisky Awards.

In 2022 thieves broke into the distillery's visitor center and stole more than £1000,000 worth of whisky. Distillery bosses said those responsible “knew exactly what they were looking for” in a statement posted online after an inventory taken later that morning found some of the rarest items had been stolen. The haul totalled around 20 bottles of whisky, they knew exactly what to take.Last year one of the managers said he believes they have hidden it away somewhere, and that auction houses all over the world are on the look out, if and when it resurfaces.