National Beverage Day

What would our lives be without beverages? Even assuming we could survive without drinking anything, could you imagine a world without milk to go with cookies, coffee to go with cake, cold beer on a hot summer evening, or a glass of fine wine with a nice dinner?

How would we toast anything special occasions? What would we wash down our bacon and eggs with if not orange juice? And colorful straws would have no reason exist! The horror!

Regardless of what we like to drink and what we like to drink it with, beverages are a huge part of or lives. National Beverage Day allows us to explore our love for beverages a bit deeper and experiment a little. Let the fun begin!

History of National Beverage Day

Beverages have existed, in one form or another, almost since the beginning of mankind. Of course, people had to drink something, so before there was Coca-Cola there was water, simple as that. However, as the millennia went by, people began to create new and interesting types of beverages. Today, beverages are divided into at least 19 categories, including alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, caffeinated beverages, barley-based beverages, maize beverages, rice drinks and so on. The first recorded beers were made in ancient Egypt, where it was so weak that even children drank it.

However, it is suspected that beer could date back to the Neolithic period. The world’s first coffee as we know it today is thought to have been made by a Yemeni named Omar in the 16^th century. Coca-Cola, on the other hand, was created relatively recently, in the late 19^th century. Few among us can imagine our lives without at least on of these three beverages in it, which just goes to show how very important beverages are in our culture, and have been, for hundreds and thousands of years.

How to celebrate National Beverage Day

An interesting way to celebrate National Beverage Day would be to abstain from solid foods on his day and instead drink only beverages. This is not for the fainthearted, but it would definitely force us to discover new and interesting flavour combinations we have not tried before. Smoothies, for example, have become very popular over the last few years, so why not start your day out with a nutritious smoothie and then take it from there? Here is a simple recipe for a breakfast smoothie that is simply delicious and will give you the kick you need to get your day going:

Apple-Kale Smoothie recipe

Ingredients: (serves 2)

• 1-1/2 cup chopped kale, ribs and thick stems removed
• 2 small celery stalks
• 1 banana, chopped
• 1 cup apple juice
• A squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, about 20 seconds.

There are various other ingredients you could add to your smoothies to make them more nutritious, like flax seed, black avocados spinach…the list goes on. The most important things is that you find a smoothie right for you. And there are so many, it would be almost impossible not to!

You could also dedicate this day to trying new beverages that you have never tasted before, like beverages imported from countries far away. Come on, how bad can they be? And even if you do try something really disgusting, don’t worry—there’s always another beverage coming up after it to help wash it down!