The Evening News. September 27, 1916.

8. Wine and Brandy In The Pueblo Days

Even before the coming of the Spaniards there were strong intoxicants on the "Plain of the Oaks." The Indians had a drink of deadly power, called pisbibata. It was made of powered calcined shells, wild tobacco juice, islais or wild cherry. All was ground together and shaken. Water was added till it was almost a salad. With this was mixed a fruit of easy fermentation. Pisbibata was equal in strength to rum, tobacco juice and opium.

The Indians seated themselves around a dish of their favorite drink in the hot sun. Their manner of imbibing it was not elegant, but effective. An Indian thrust his forefinger into the dish, then licked his finger and fell back drunk. Indians were forbidden by the Spaniards to manufacture their native drink. Spaniards brought with them cuttings of grapes, and wine succeeded pisbibata.

The Indians liked the new beverage. Often they stole grapes from the Dons and made their own wine. There was a law limiting the amount of grapes the Indians could have. Inspectors of the government were continually inspecting wine-vats. Always they were on the lookout for Indians secretly fermenting wine. When the natives were discovered they were flogged for violating the law.

In the Pueblo days, Indians were the wine makers. The method of manufacture was the primitive one still used in some parts of Italy. On a platform were placed clean hides and a mass of grapes, that was drawn off in buckets and allowed to ferment.

But the Spanish Governor believed in a "dry" province. Only with great difficulty in the early days did even the officials have intoxicants to drink. The Governor at Monterey in a letter rebuked the Alcalde of San Jose for having aguardiente in his house, as well as for having gambling there on Sunday.

The early records show that in some places brandy was for sale. Governor Arguello in 1823 wrote the Alcalde of San Jose that Antonio Sunol, one of Napoleon Bonaparte's veterans, had rum and honey in his house from which Mr. Sunol was making and selling illegally at retail an intoxicating drink. Even the grandees had "blind pigs." Pio Pico set up a dram shop and sold drinks at twenty-five cents each. His customers drank such large glasses that the business-like grandee later sold drinks in a deer horn with a movable wooden bottom. In 1828 the municipal receipts were $297, of which $213 came from the brandy tax. A sergeant at Monterey was permitted to sell Spanish brandy, but the permission was in line with the Oregon liquor laws of today. No person could buy more than two reales worth in the morning, and one in the evening. The brandy must be drunk standing in the presence of the person selling it.

There are many records showing that prominent citizens of the province made their own brandy, but the commandant had a thousand eyes. Time and time again he warned the self-indulgent against the quantity they are making and drinking.

The first person in San Jose given permission to make brandy was Don Manuel Higuerra, in the year 1805. The Higuerras were large landowners in Santa Clara County, gente de razon, and so, the commandant thought it safe to permit the head of the family permission to manufacture one barrel of peach brandy. In this language the commandant writes:

"The individual, Manuel Higuerra, has permission to make as much as one barrel of peach brandy.

Monterey, 19th of August, 1805.
NORIEGO."