They have been around for a very long time. A tube made from any variety of hollow material you can think of. Metal as well was popular as far back as the roman empire days.
More recently however there was an interesting overlap of straws and American culture that changed the world, and at the heart of it was alcohol.
It was 1807 when the recipe for the Mint Julep was released in the UK. Seen as a ground breaking event for those that follow such things the Mint Julep was in fact the first cocktail ever to have a recipe. Where straws came into it was that they were part of the recipe.
"Using a straw to enhance the aroma of the mint in the Julep and to sip slowly", became the calling card of the straw which at that time was made of simple dried grass tubes.. From then on most cocktails came with a straw in the recipe to either sip, stir or decorate the drink and a staple at the bar for patrons to use.
It wasn't until the late 1800's that paper straws were brought to market. With a bendy neck they were very good for hospitals and those needing to sip laying back. It turns out the inventors daughter was sick and it was invented to help her. The rest is history. The grass straw and the paper straw were both soon passed over in favor of cheap and colorful plastic straw. The oceans are still recovering..
Only until recently when folks have had to endure the poor technology of glue filled paper straws has it been that the grass straws have come back in vogue.
SHAFFERS NATURAL COCKTAIL STRAWS are organically grown, hand picked and cut grasses specifically grown for cocktails.. We follow a long standing traditional recipe to make the best straw for the job. Sign up for a free sample at shafferfoods.com