A Toast – to Lofty Thoughts and Glass Acts
printed with permission
by Jennifer Rahel Conover

No one knows exactly when, in the annals of history the first libation was given to honor some ancient god or goddess. Nor was the first toast between men, or men and women recorded.

What we do know is that toasting and drinking to one’s health was popular among ancient peoples of the world and that the custom has been handed down relatively unchanged through the generations. We believe that the Phoenicians were some of the original toasters. They poured out the first portion of the wine as a tribute to the gods thereby insuring their good will. 

The ancient Greeks, Medes, Hebrews, and Romans all followed suit. The Greeks and the Romans believed three portions of wine must be poured on the ground, which they pledged to Mercury, The Graces, and Jupiter before they considered it proper to drink themselves. And the Romans actually had an "arbiter bibendi" or "toastmaster" at their banquets to keep an eye on the amount and the strength of the wine being served as wine was a great deal stronger then than it is today. 

Toast to Caesar Augustus

It was also mandatory to drink to Caesar Augustus at every meal. The Roman gladiators had their own rather macabre toast to Caesar before they went into the arena: "Ave Caesar, morituri te salutamus," Latin for "Hail Caesar, we who are about to die salute you." Down through the centuries toasting gained in popularity. The expression toast or toasting dates back to the sixteenth or early seventeenth century. 

The Origin of "Toast"

The word toast comes to us from the Middle English toasten and the Middle French toster. Both were derived from the Latin tostare, "to roast". In the early Christian era it was believed that the sound of the glasses being "clinked" during a toast would banish Satan from the premises. Since poisoning was a common practice during the Middle Ages toasting also provided a polite way of proving to the guests that the wine was safe to drink. We should be happy that modern Swedes long ago gave up the practice begun by their Viking forbearers. Their traditional toast, skaal, literally means "drinking vessel" and comes from the word skull. When Lord Byron learned of this custom he didn’t rest until he acquired a skull goblet for himself. The more civilized medieval practice by the French in the sixth century began by dropping a piece of spiced toasted bread into a goblet of wine that was passed among the guests and was the beginning of the ritual as we know it today.

Toasts & Special Moments

Toasts help us recall special moments. Who could ever forget Humphrey Bogart’s as Rick in Casablanca when he says, "Here’s looking at you, kid"? Perhaps wedding or anniversary toasts make you misty-eyed or bachelor toasts make you laugh but they all speak of a camaraderie and a conviviality among friends and acquaintances. 

Holiday parties and memorable occasions are made even more festive with the addition of a perfect toast. Because I come from a family of diplomats, military brass, and politicians and grew up on the diplomatic circuit in Washington D. C. where toasts are de rigueur, I decided to write a book on the subject. As an award winning travel writer I’ve collected them from around the world and had a rollicking good time doing it. Many of the toasts in my book have never been previously published. In the process my husband and I have met some amazing individuals and made some wonderful friends, which is what life and toasting is all about!

Just remember that toasting is a genteel civility designed to enhance an occasion just as a bad toast can cast a pall over it. There is nothing worse than hearing someone struggling to recite a long toast that they’ve forgotten or going on too long. The general rule of thumb if one is not used to public speaking is to keep them short and simple. 

What follows are a few famous, infamous and not so famous wise and witty words so "Iechyd da" (Welsh for "to your good health) one and all!

Birthday

Here’s to you on your birthday,
It’s better being over the hill than under it.
May you have been born under a lucky star,
And may that star never lose its twinkle.

General

Here's to us---
Few like us,
And none better

Welsh

Here’s to us.
There are not many like us
And not many like us!
Oscar Wilde’s corruption of the same toast

Here’s to roast beef when you’re hungry
Champagne when you’re dry
A lover when you need one
And heaven when you die!

Here’s wishing you more happiness,
Than words can ever tell,
Not just for Christmas,
But all year round as well.
Holly and ivy all hung up,
And something wet in every cup.

Friends

Here’s to friendship, which is like the ocean,
Endless and deep.
May the roof over our heads never fall in,
Nor the friends below ever fall out.

As you slide down the banister of life,
May the splinters never face the wrong way!
Celtic

Here’s to Eve, the mother of our race,
Who wore fig leaves in just the proper place.
And here’s to Adam, the daddy of us all,
Who was Johnny-on-the-spot when the leaves began to fall.
Here’s to the contemptible scoundrel that stole
The cork from my lunch!
W.C. Fields

Here’s to the one and only one,
And may that one be,
One who loves but one and only one,
And may that one be me!
Love doesn’t make the world go round,
But it sure makes the ride worthwhile.
Mae West

As we start the New Year,
Let’s get down on our knees
To thank God we’re still on our feet!
Be at War with your vices,
At peace with your neighbors,
And let every New Year find you a better man.
Benjamin Franklin

Here’s to the bright New Year,
And a fond farewell to the old,
And here’s to the things that are yet to come,
And to memories that we hold!
Welcome be ye that are here,
Welcome all, and make good cheer,
Welcome all, another year!

TOASTS FOR EVERY OCCASION is published by NAL, a division of Penguin Putnam. It is a history of and a guide to toasting with over 1,300 toasts in 171 categories. Thus there is literally a toast for every occasion!