Toast Points

Toasting dates back to the South—of England. Purportedly, in Bath, in 1709, a young man became smitten with a young woman enjoying one of the Romanera baths. He cupped his hands, drank a bit of the water she was relaxing in, and professed his love for her. Whereupon a wisecracking competing suitor countered that he never drank in the morning. Instead, he preferred to savor the toast being dipped in the warm liquor.

As for clinking our glasses, the story goes that Vikings rammed their cups together so that liquid would flow from cup to cup, thus ensuring that it was safe to drink (poisoning was rampant).