Why We Clink Glasses

Toasting grew from ancient libations, ritual offerings poured to deities, which later evolved into secular moments of goodwill, health, and unity at the table.

Source: https://archive.org/details/internationalhand00heat

The word toast in the drinking sense comes from 17th-century English practice, where a piece of spiced, toasted bread was placed in wine to soften rough edges, and later the honoured person became “the toast.”

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/word-history-of-toast-drinks-cheers

The popular story that clinking began as a medieval poison test does not hold up to evidence. Fact-checking reviews trace the tale and rate it false.

Source: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/of-drinks-and-clinks/

Most historians point instead to libation, health wishes, and shared ritual as the roots of toasting, with glass-touching and eye contact settling in later as etiquette rather than security.

Source: https://hospitalityinsights.ehl.edu/gastronomy-culture-origin-toast

Across cultures the pattern is similar, a brief wish, a shared sound, and a first sip together, even though the words and customs vary. Encyclopaedic overviews compile these threads and trace them back to classical sources.

Modern etiquette emphasises a gentle touch to avoid chipping glass, eye contact, and an inclusive approach that does not require alcohol in the glass.

Source: https://emilypost.com/advice/toasting-basics

If you want the theatre of a shared clink without alcohol, pour REAL. Tea-first fermentation delivers fine bubbles and bright acidity that feel right for a toast, whether you reach for REAL DRY, REAL SEC, or REAL BLUSH.

Source: https://www.realdrinks.co/pages/the-fermentery

For readers who enjoy the deep dive on ritual feasting and libation in the classical world, scholarly treatments connect communal drinking customs to early forms of toasting and shared health wishes.

Source: https://www.ascsa.edu.gr/uploads/media/hesperia/4134897.pdf