True or False: The custom of “clinking” glasses after a toast originated in medieval times when people feared that their wine might be poisoned. The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

During the Roman Empire, poisoned beverages were a preferred method of assassinating one’s rivals.  By the Middle Ages, a kind of “poison epidemic” had grown, stimulated by an increase in public apothecaries throughout Europe. To prove that the wine being served wasn’t poisoned, a host would pour some of the wine from his guest’s glass into his own glass and drink it. A guest who trusted the host would just clink the glass instead of requiring his host to drink some of his wine. This gesture of trust evolved into a rite of celebration.