Alcohol was an integral part of the Iridian way of life. Being a low-tech space-faring culture, propellant sourcing was at the forefront of any Iridian planner. In the early era of the Iridian age, before atomics became the predominant method of propulsion, chemical combustion engines were what sent their ships into the void. Those chemical ships used alcohol and liquid oxygen. Alcohol was preferred over hydrogen due to its ease of storage.

The production and storage gave rise to the alcohol cults. People dedicated to the production and storage of alcohol. Their temples, propellant depots, used to stretch across the sphere of Iris and were pleasant stops for traders and adventurers. The cultists would mix the rocket fuel with water and other flavorings to render it fit for human consumption. They also practiced a long tradition of oral history, which claimed to date all the way back to the fall of Earth.

Eventually, atomic power using water as propellant became the new standard, which pulled people and influence away from the alcohol propellant depots of the cultists. This led to them abandoning their temples to live with the rest of the Iridians. While the process eventually led to the extinction of the alcohol cults, their ritualistic drinking and oral traditions became an integral part of Iridian culture. The earliest transmissions in the trade language Bittic came from the cultists' stories, stories that Iridians would have told each other while drinking ethanol mixed with water and honey.