Why do we clink glasses when we toast?
The popular story that clinking proved a drink wasn't poisoned has no real historical evidence behind it. Toasting itself goes back to shared ritual drinking in the ancient world.
Quick Answer
Raising a glass together to wish someone health goes back at least to ancient Greece and Rome, when people offered libations and drank to each other’s well-being. Merriam-Webster notes that clinking drinking vessels in celebration also goes back to ancient times, but the word “toast” only dates to the late 1600s, named for the spiced toast people floated in wine and ale. The popular explanation that clinking splashed drinks together to prove neither was poisoned isn’t supported by historical evidence. Another popular idea, that the clink adds sound so a toast engages all five senses, is appealing but just as hard to prove.
Key Facts
- Origin
- Ritual toasting to health dates to ancient Greece and Rome
- Popular myth
- “Clinking proves it's not poisoned” has no solid historical support
- Why “toast”?
- Spiced toast was floated in drinks; the word for the ritual dates to the late 1600s
Timeline
- Ancient Greece & Rome
People drink to one another’s health and pour libations to the gods.
- c. 1600
In Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” Falstaff calls for a quart of sack with “a toast in ’t,” spiced toast floated in the drink.
- Late 1600s
“Toast” becomes the word for drinking in someone’s honor.
- Today
Clinking glasses is a standard part of the ritual, and the poison story is still repeated without evidence.
Toasting is ancient
Offering a drink to someone’s health or to the gods was already a ritual in the ancient world, and Merriam-Webster notes that clinking drinking vessels in celebration goes back to ancient times too.
The poison story doesn't hold up
It's often claimed that clinking glasses hard enough to splash drinks together proved neither was poisoned. Historians have found no real evidence for this — it's a colorful story that spread long after the custom was already established.
The five-senses theory
Another popular explanation is that drinking already involves sight, smell, taste and touch, and the clink adds sound so a toast engages all five senses. It’s a nice idea, but like the poison story, there’s no historical record showing that’s why people started doing it.
Myth vs. Fact
MythPeople clinked glasses to splash drinks together and prove neither was poisoned.
FactHistorians have found no evidence for this story.
MythA toast is named after the clink.
FactIt’s named after actual toast: pieces of spiced bread floated in wine or ale.
The Bottom Line
No one knows for sure why we clink glasses, and the poison story has no evidence behind it. What we do know: toasting is ancient, and its name comes from actual toast floated in drinks.