If corn and potatoes are from the Americas, why weren’t Native Americans making whiskey and vodka before the Europeans showed up?

Question

If corn and potatoes are from the Americas, why weren’t Native Americans making whiskey and vodka before the Europeans showed up?

In: Other

Answer 1

Distillation is only necessary if you want to concentrate your alcohol. If you just want to make an alcoholic drink, you can ferment anything that has sugar (fruit, some root crops, palm sap , maple sap, sorghum). And peoples in North and South America did just that.