Non-Alcoholic Beverages in the Old West

Added: 2026-05-10

[00:00:00]Hey there folks, Santee at the Arizona Ghost Riders here.

[00:00:03]We got mail.

[00:00:07]Hey Santee, can you cover non-alcoholic drinks in the Old West? Dog House Dave.

[00:00:13]Non-alcoholic beverages in the Old West.

[00:00:16]Like this lemonade here.

[00:00:21]Woo.

[00:00:22]Looks like I put a little alcohol in there.

[00:00:25]Yeah, kind of defeats the purpose of being a non-alcoholic beverage.

[00:01:01]You do not have anything to drink. Can I get you a tasty refreshment? Yes. I have covered a lot of booze on this channel, but Dave pointed out a very important topic.

[00:01:11]Many times I hear, "They had to drink alcohol because all the water was bad."

[00:01:15]Well, that simply is not true. If that were the case, they would all have died of complications surrounding dehydration.

[00:01:23]The Old Westeans understood how to clean water that might be contaminated with cholera, typhoid, or dysentery bacterias.

[00:01:30]Charcoal, boiling water, and sand filtering were practiced.

[00:01:34]Although we still see those pathogens making entire settlements sick, that didn't make folks just turn to alcohol.

[00:01:42]Ice cold lemonade here. Nothing like a refreshing lemonade on a hot summer day.

[00:01:47]This drink goes back to at least the 10th century, where it was known as qatarmizat.

[00:01:52]Although that basic recipe of lemon, sugar, and water hasn't changed, many have added to it. Heck, in the mid-1800s, people were adding carbonation to it. Oh, and lemon trees grow in many temperate zones, so they were there in the expanding West.

[00:02:08]Were they served cold? Yes, in many instances, they were kept cool in pottery. Some drinks were iced. Ice was around in some towns, but I think it was more of a luxury back then.

[00:02:19]Other refreshers would be orgeat and switchel.

[00:02:22]Orgeat is pulverized almonds, sugar, and rosewater, and that syrup gets thinned out with regular water.

[00:02:29]Switchel is water, molasses, and ginger stirred up with cider vinegar.

[00:02:34]Tea and coffee, just like today, were essential beverages for folks starting their days.

[00:02:39]Add hot chocolate to that, because it was becoming quite the phenomenon around then.

[00:02:43]Thanks to the Transcontinental Railroad, all of these items could be purchased pretty easily. Yes, people were adding sugar and cream, if available, to these.

[00:02:52]Caramel ribbon crunch? Yeah, yeah, maybe not so much. I mean, let me tell you something. I don't know what they call that stuff, but that little like caramel, man.

[00:03:01]Yo, let's stop playing. I mean, if they give me one right now, tear it up live.

[00:03:05]Not all teas, by the way, were imported from British colonies.

[00:03:08]Native Americans used steeped roots and herbs that were readily available to them, and not just for medicines.

[00:03:15]Mixtures of fruit juices were thought to be helpful medicinally, and adding sugar, and eventually carbonation, made them the soda pops we drink today.

[00:03:23]Thanks to the temperance movement, mocktails were also in vogue.

[00:03:27]We have the popular name of punch given to many alcoholic mixtures, but leaving out that ingredient gave you that sweet refreshing drink we all know and love.

[00:03:35]Kool-Aid, Kool-Aid, tastes great. You'll love Kool-Aid. Don't wait.

[00:03:41]America's favorite drink in an envelope, Kool-Aid.

[00:03:47]This is stupid.

[00:03:50]It's important to note that all of these beverages and more were tinkered with by the many cultures enjoying them.

[00:03:56]That variety led to new tastes and concoctions that put a smile on many 19th century faces.

[00:04:02]You just wouldn't know it in the photos.

[00:04:07]Well, folks, that's it for another episode. Thanks for watching.

[00:04:10]As always, please like, share, and subscribe.

[00:04:13]And we'll see you on down the trail.

[00:04:40]>> [music] [music] >> You mind if I have some of your tasty beverage to wash this down?

[00:05:13]Go right ahead.