# You get to go to a top apothecary in 1900--what do you buy? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 29, 2014, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-go-to-a-top-apothecary-in-1900-what-do-you-buy/702905 "2014-10-29T14:21:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-go-to-a-top-apothecary-in-1900-what-do-you-buy/702905/41 "2014-11-03T00:48:22Z")
Plenty of recipes on Wikipedia. [Laudanum - Wikipedia](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laudanum#/editor/2) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-go-to-a-top-apothecary-in-1900-what-do-you-buy/702905/42 "2014-11-03T03:36:40Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > I wouldn’t buy anything either, I’d take the $100 to a saloon. I want to know what Pabst, Miller, & AB brews tasted like back then. Bet they were at least a little different than now. Probably not as far off as you might think. Homebrewers have done the research, and apparently prior to Prohibition, they were quite a bit heavier and hoppier, but between the drinking culture changes that happened post-Prohibition and the significant number of women in the workforce during WWII, they gradually became lower gravity and less bitter over time. However, the basic recipes remained much the same, being composed of barley and corn or rice adjuncts, even if they’re now using less grain and hops per barrel of beer. So if you don’t like them now, I think it’s unlikely that you’d like them then- they’d just be stronger versions of the same thing. Also… [Coors’ Batch 19](http://www.batch19.com/) is supposedly the original pre-Prohibition recipe, so you can try it today, albeit with all the advantages of modern temperature and quality control, so it’s likely slightly better. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-go-to-a-top-apothecary-in-1900-what-do-you-buy/702905/43 "2014-11-03T03:41:52Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Plenty of recipes on Wikipedia. [Laudanum - Wikipedia](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laudanum#/editor/2) :dubious: Okay, phone, wtf? Try this one: [Laudanum - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laudanum) ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-go-to-a-top-apothecary-in-1900-what-do-you-buy/702905/44 "2014-11-03T05:35:18Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > This would be before the Pure Food and Drug Act - how sure am I that I am getting what it says on the label? Yay for government regulations. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-go-to-a-top-apothecary-in-1900-what-do-you-buy/702905/45 "2014-11-03T12:08:59Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Also… [Coors’ Batch 19](http://www.batch19.com/) is supposedly the original pre-Prohibition recipe, so you can try it today, albeit with all the advantages of modern temperature and quality control, so it’s likely slightly better. I made up a mix-six the other day and included a bottle of Batch 19 out of curiousity. Liked it, surprisingly good. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-go-to-a-top-apothecary-in-1900-what-do-you-buy/702905/46 "2014-11-03T18:28:05Z")
surprised that nobody has mentioned a bottle of ether. It has happened a few times in my life that I needed to humanely put down a mouse or a hamster. I’d like to have a bottle around for that purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-go-to-a-top-apothecary-in-1900-what-do-you-buy/702905/47 "2014-11-03T18:37:15Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > surprised that nobody has mentioned a bottle of ether. It has happened a few times in my life that I needed to humanely put down a mouse or a hamster. I’d like to have a bottle around for that purpose. Starting fluid would suffice if that is all you need it to do. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-go-to-a-top-apothecary-in-1900-what-do-you-buy/702905/48 "2014-11-03T18:57:34Z")
1900 might be just a tad early to pick up a bottle or two of adrenaline. I think the synthesis was discovered, but probably not sold yet. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-go-to-a-top-apothecary-in-1900-what-do-you-buy/702905/49 "2014-11-03T19:04:04Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > I would probably sample the Coca-Cola, if only to see what type of buzz a real cocaine infused drink would provide. According to [snopes](http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/cocaine.asp), it would be no kind of buzz. Plus, it’d be warm. :slight disgust smiley: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-get-to-go-to-a-top-apothecary-in-1900-what-do-you-buy/702905.md?page=2)