One of the world's oldest known alcoholic drinks was a cocktail of rice, honey and hawthorn.

7000 BC

Residues on 9,000-year-old pottery from Jiahu, China, point to a cross between beer, wine and mead.

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The event

• The flutes and brew of Jiahuc. 7000 BC–5700 BC · Henan, China. The Neolithic village of Jiahu yielded 33 flutes made from crane wing bones, up to 9,000 years old and among the oldest playable instruments. Its pottery held traces of a brew of rice, honey and hawthorn, a cross between beer, wine and mead.

Prehistory

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