The Connection

The Harvest Drinks

"The Connection" and "The Last Heat" are Grayburn's representative drinks of the first and second harvest festival respectively. The Last Heat is an overall term covering any type of hot spicy drink. Meanwhile, The Connection follows an overall recipe that is the same everywhere, even if ingredients and brewing methods differ. As such, no matter whether one is at Goldrock, Greenwood, or anywhere else in Grayburn, these drinks always taste familiar.

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History

Due to cost and terrain complications, not many long railroads exist in Grayburn. This caused a problem when the north and the south coasts were only connected by the Twin River, causing travel to take two weeks. Unfortunately the terrain between Blackdune and Mauvebay proved extremely unfit for railroads, so a direct route proved impossible. To solve this conundrum, two families decided to show off and challenged each other to build railroads along the Twin River to Roottown, located at its solitary root.
Construction started in 268 SY. When it finished in 272 SY, setbacks had not only almost bankrupted the two families, but also five others that had joined in. It took all families involved several decades to financially recover to the point where they were considered proper members of the upper class again. Out of respect, nobody mentions the exact families that were involved in this disastrous show-off attempt.
During the first harvest season of 272 SY, the two railroads finally connected at Roottown. The construction workers decided to stick around for the harvest festival, and celebrate together. For this, they had brought a lot of different liquors from all over Grayburn. These were mixed in both successful and horrible concoctions. One that proved most popular was a mixture of cloudberry liquor from the far north, sugarcane liquor from the far south, and green apple liquor from Roottown.
After way too many drinks and a few dozen rejected names, the construction workers and villagers agreed to call it "The Connection". The drink stuck around and the recipe and tradition spread, as a symbol of the unification of Grayburn.

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Observance

The Grayfolk have two harvest seasons, the first just before the hottest period of the year, the second shortly before the Cold season. In both harvest seasons, after trading at towns, harvest festivals take place at all settlements. During the first harvest festival, The Connection mix is very popular and should be drunk at least once a night. During the second harvest festival, hot drinks called The Last Heat are consumed instead.
Trade towns will often use variants of the three liquors, brewed with local ingredients. Villages will either use local versions or bring some from the trade towns. In the cities, the rich will often mix the original liquors, showing off their ability to afford the transport costs. Those not that obsessed will import from the local trade towns instead.

Three Liquors

• Sweet berries, traditionally cloudberries (soaked in flavorless liquor for three seasons)
• Fermented sugarcane or sugar beet (either bottled and consumed shortly after production, or aged for one to three years)
• Fermented hard fruit, traditionally green apples (fermented for anywhere from one season to three years)

Additionals Ingredients

• Chopped pieces of hard fruit
• Animal milk with honey
• Squeezed fruit or fruit syrup
• Cool water or ice

Additional ingredients are used to soften the taste and reduce the alcohol content, allowing for people to keep drinking. The softer taste also makes it more suitable for those with a milder palate.

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Related Ethnicities

• The Grayfolk