Even cheap alcohol is much much better than it used to be. Mulled wine was so popular back in the day because wine was barely drinkable. Cocktails exist for the

Even cheap alcohol is much much better than it used to be. Mulled wine was so popular back in the day because wine was barely drinkable. Cocktails exist for the same reason (and that’s why classic recipes are so sweet). It’s a similar thing with classic “ethnic” dishes—they are so rich and flavorful because they needed to cover the taste of marginal meat.