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In Praise of Red Drink: The Origin Story Behind Soul Food's Most Iconic Beverage
https://firstwefeast.com/drink/2015/06/in-praise-of-red-drink-soul-food-origin-storyIn Praise of Red Drink: The Origin Story Behind Soul Food's Most Iconic Beverage
Referred to as 'liquid soul,' red drink is not just a color, it's a flavor—and one whose supremacy is being challenged by a rising purple drink contingent.
Adrian Miller Jun 23, 2015
Adrian Miller, aka the Soul Food Scholar, is the author of the James Beard award-winning book, Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time.
Like Jarritos at a taqueria or Lucozade at a chippy, red drink is the marker of a legit soul-food restaurant—the crucial element that separates the real from the fake.
What exactly do I mean by “red drink?” Well, in soul-food culture, red is not just a color, it’s also a flavor. We soul-food aficionados don’t get caught up in describing a drink as “cherry,” “strawberry,” or “tropical punch,” and we don’t say it has “hints of cranberry.” It’s just “red.” Red drinks have such a special cultural resonance that whenever African Americans gather together, there’s usually a red drink in the mix. In short, it’s liquid soul.
So why is there such a fundamental love for red drinks in the African-American community? And last week, why did millions of African Americans celebrate the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth with barbecue in one hand and some sort of red drink in the other? Historically speaking, the answers flow back to West Africa. There, red drink often marks a special occasion; enslaved West Africans transferred the same social “punch,” if you will, to the Americas. Although this heritage may be unfamiliar to most, you’ve probably had two of these prized red drinks at social gatherings without even knowing it.
[....]
Referred to as 'liquid soul,' red drink is not just a color, it's a flavor—and one whose supremacy is being challenged by a rising purple drink contingent.
Adrian Miller Jun 23, 2015
Adrian Miller, aka the Soul Food Scholar, is the author of the James Beard award-winning book, Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time.
Like Jarritos at a taqueria or Lucozade at a chippy, red drink is the marker of a legit soul-food restaurant—the crucial element that separates the real from the fake.
What exactly do I mean by “red drink?” Well, in soul-food culture, red is not just a color, it’s also a flavor. We soul-food aficionados don’t get caught up in describing a drink as “cherry,” “strawberry,” or “tropical punch,” and we don’t say it has “hints of cranberry.” It’s just “red.” Red drinks have such a special cultural resonance that whenever African Americans gather together, there’s usually a red drink in the mix. In short, it’s liquid soul.
So why is there such a fundamental love for red drinks in the African-American community? And last week, why did millions of African Americans celebrate the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth with barbecue in one hand and some sort of red drink in the other? Historically speaking, the answers flow back to West Africa. There, red drink often marks a special occasion; enslaved West Africans transferred the same social “punch,” if you will, to the Americas. Although this heritage may be unfamiliar to most, you’ve probably had two of these prized red drinks at social gatherings without even knowing it.
[....]
