Oldest Schnapps Drinker at the High Altar @museum.de

M: Bönnigheim always seems to have had a special relationship with hard liquor. One place where you can see this for yourself in the Church of St. Cyriac. On the high altar, which dates to the year 1500, people can be seen happily indulging in high-proof spirits.

F: The lower part of the altar shows the Last Supper. The panel is almost three metres or around nine feet long, with figures carved from lime wood and lavishly gilded. However, if you try to count the participants, you're likely to start feeling confused:

M: There are 13 disciples. Has an uninvited guest crept in? -- It's probably more to do with superstition – and the idea that 13 is an unlucky number. So if you add in Jesus Christ, you end up with a reassuring number 14.

F: Something else stands out as well: there's a fine spread on the table, including bread and wine, ham, meat bones and rolls. One disciple has grabbed another by the halo – apparently to encourage him to pass the drink. As to who created this unruly Last Supper – nobody really knows.

M: One figure, on the left, is especially striking. He's turned its back on Jesus and is raising a mushroom-shaped bottle to his mouth. As to who this apostle is meant to be – that remains a mystery. But the figure is clearly holding what's known as a double conical bottle and enjoying a good swig. Bottles of this type were fashionable in southern Germany in around 1500 – and were often used to store brandy.

F: So clearly, this apostle was a tippler! Which makes this probably Germany's oldest portrayal of someone drinking schnapps. If you look at the display case, you'll see the remains of such a double-conical bottle from Bönnigheim's town moat along with a reconstruction.

M: Well then, cheers!