Convenience Big Store: Search businesses cited most for underage drinking violations, including some in Bay Area

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Here's a fun history fact about mosquitoes as we face a mosquito invasion

It's mosquito season, and Houston has the dubious honor of being one of the worst cities in the U.S. for the pesky insects, my co-reporter Chevall Pryce informs us.

The recent rains have caused an explosion in the mosquito population, and it's only going to get worse as the temperatures continue to rise, Chevall reports.

Since I am a huge history nerd, I thought I'd drop in a fun history fact about mosquitoes that you probably didn't know.

Mosquitoes are the reason we have one of the most popular happy hour drinks of all time.

When the British invaded India, they found themselves unprepared to face the deadliest animal on the planet. British troops were dropping left and right from malaria. The British Royal Navy started giving its soldiers quinine, which worked reasonably well at preventing malaria, especially if consumed after a bite.

Unfortunately, quinine in its pure form tastes so bad that even Brits complained about it, so scientist Johann Jacob Schweppe, who had just figured out how to carbonate water, suggested mixing the quinine into the fizzy water. The taste improved, and we can still purchase this concoction today as Schweppes tonic water, although the amount of quinine is insignificant.

With their taste buds satisfied, the soldiers started looking around to see what else could be improved with tonic water. Limes, issued by the British Royal Navy to prevent scurvy, were the next thing sailors chucked into their tonic water.

The next logical step, apparently, was just to throw gin into the mix because this was the 1800s and why not?

And thus, the gin and tonic was born. The Brits drank it in the afternoon when mosquitoes were most active in order to benefit from the anti-malaria qualities. Every afternoon, the British would stop what they were doing and slug gin and tonics.

So mosquitoes may be the deadliest and most annoying on the planet, but we have them to thank for the reason it's socially acceptable to drink booze on patios in the early afternoon.

Claire Goodman, Katy reporter

claire.goodman@houstonchronicle.com

Need to Know

Photo by: Anastasia Goodwin

Search businesses cited most for underage drinking violations, including some in Bay Area

Since 2018, Texas businesses were cited over 4,700 times for violations related to underage drinking, according to Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission data.

Growing Bay Area

Backed by funding from Houston Methodist, Legacy Community Health's new Pasadena clinic is expected to serve 50,000 patients in the area.

Photo by: Legacy Southmore Pasadena

$20 million affordable health care clinic breaks ground in Pasadena

Houston Methodist and Legacy Community Health has broken ground on a $20 million affordable health care clinic in Pasadena scheduled to open in 2025.

Openings and Closings

Mingo's Latin Kitchen in Pearland will close this weekend, the restaurant announced on social media.

The owners' Rick and Tommy's Kitchen in downtown Houston's Underground Hall will keep serving the Havana Sandwich and fried chicken recipes, and the Mingo's food trucks will continue to operate.

"Our diligent staff has put tireless effort into providing a level of service that is rarely seen nowadays in the food service industry," the post reads.

Shout out

Clear Springs baseball will play Crosby this weekend in the regional semifinals. Good luck to the Chargers!

One last thing …

Houston has fined its homeless population more than $9.5 million since 2020, according to a new report from R.A. Schuetz, Matt Zdun and Jon Shapley.

Over the course of three years, Houston Police Department fined one homeless man more than $290,000, for things like living outdoors with too many possessions, improperly disposing of or accumulating materials, having a shopping cart and other charges.

You can read the full report and check out interactive maps showing how these tickets are issued here.