FOOD TRIVIA: Hooch

When Alaska was purchased in 1867, Congress prohibited the sale of alcohol in this new territory. The indigenous Tlingit Indians, living in a village named, "Hoochinoo, on Admiralty Island, Alaska, started making their own, illegal alcoholic drink made out of molasses, yeast and flour. They called this drink,"Hoochinoo". In the 1890 Alaska Gold Rush, gold miners shortened "Hoochinoo" to "Hooch" which became the word to describe any illegal or poor quality alcoholic drink.