Lone Star Menu: Tastes of Texas
In This Exhibit: Chips and Salsa | Surf and Turf: Seafood | Surf and Turf: Beef | On the Side | Something Sweet | Wash it Down | Lone Star Recipes | Take Away | HOME
Wash it Down
There are many options on the Texas beverage menu beyond sweet iced tea. Texas originals like Dr Pepper and Shiner Bock beer have made a national name for themselves. While many still drink Dr Pepper today, how many have tried the beverage hot? We have photographic evidence of this effort from a few decades ago. The brewing industry has its roots in nineteenth century Texas, with the Spoetzel Brewery in Shiner just one example of many that later developed around the state.
Hot Dr Pepper, staff meeting in Houston, March 1971. Texas Department of Agriculture photograph collection, 2001/078-15-71-20. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
Texas viticulture (grape cultivation for wine-making) gained prominence in the 1970s with the Llano Estacado Winery in Lubbock helping to establish the surrounding region as an American Viticultural Area (AVA). As the map illustrates, “wine country” spread throughout the state. In recent years, Fredericksburg has become a destination for winery tours and tastings. The Texas Department of Agriculture supports the wine industry with marketing and development assistance.
Map of the Texas Wine Country, Texas Wine: Toast a Rising Star, 2003. Texas Documents Collection. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
Beer bottle labels for Lone Star and Pearl brand beers, 1935-1950. History of beer brewing in Texas and nationally, 1935-1975. Texas Brewer’s Institute records, 1977/035-3. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
Beers that made Texas famous! Brewing in Texas has a long history, with mid-nineteenth-century breweries mainly associated with German immigrants and lager style beer. The evolution of brewing in Texas produced major brands such as Lone Star and Pearl out of San Antonio. Shiner beer from the Spoetzel Brewery in Shiner, Texas, has gained more recent notoriety in the twenty-first century.
Letterhead, Texas Breweries, about 1930s. Texas Brewers' Institute records, 1977/035-2. Click or tap on links and images to view larger versions.
The records of the Texas Brewers' Institute (TBI) at the State Archives capture the activities of this organization that was formed by 10 Texas breweries operating after the 1933 repeal of Prohibition to promote and protect the interests of the beer industry. During Prohibition (1920-1933) alcohol sales were outlawed in the United States. The records also help document the history of brewing in Texas.
Photoshoot with Chef Jeff Blank for “Bringing Texas to the Table (with Wine)” magazine, 2008. Texas Department of Agriculture Assistant Commissioner of Marketing records, 2013/113-1. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
Publication from the Texas Department of Agriculture helping to raise awareness about the state’s wine industry. Jeff Blank was the executive chef at the Hudson’s on the Bend restaurant in the Hill Country.
Dr Pepper Display, about 1970s. Department of Agriculture photographs, 2001/078-20 72-019.
Click or tap on image to view larger version.
A beloved beverage with Texas roots is the soft drink known as Dr Pepper. Originating in Waco by a pharmacist using fruit syrups, the drink was served at the store’s soda fountain beginning in 1885.
Governor’s Mansion Tea Punch, ca. 2001-2015. Texas Governor Rick Perry First Lady Anita Perry's files, 2015/067-2815. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
One refreshing summer drink that has become a staple to serve at the Texas Governor’s Mansion is a peach tea punch. The recipe, seen here from the files of Anita Perry, specifies the Knudsen’s brand of peach nectar and says that it should “not be substituted!” with any other product.