Strange Brew

@Cleanruss
No, Strange Brew is simply a 1960s classic rock song about a beautiful psychopath who causes trouble for her lovers. The singer (Clapton) is advising his audience to stay away from her It has a beautiful, lilting fuzz-guitar lead, and a hypnotic backbeat that perfectly expresses the emotional fascination – simultaneously irresistible and repellant – that characterizes the woman.
“Strange brew" refers to the mix of longing and fear she excites in her victims.
Pundits of the time had drugs on the brain and force-fit lyrics of every song they found into a drug related interpretation. Strange Brew is one of the victims of their fevered imaginations.

@KevSal I like this interpretation, it's more interesting than the typical "drugs" interpretation - give them some credit for being above a lot of that dumb scene! (Ginger Baker wasn't even a rock guy, he was from jazz.)

@ThaJew420 It is not about coke but LSD.
All hippies favourite drugs was hash and LSD . Not coke,amfethamine or heroine. They were for drugaddicts in the sixties and seventies.

@ThaJew420 Definitely possible. I think what @ruby144428 said, about "hippie" drugs like hallucinogens and THC being more prevalent than the "harder" more addictive drugs like cocaine & heroin, in the 60s rock scene, might have been somewhat true (then again what would I know, I wasn't there!) around the time this song was written in early 1967. Certainly the hard drugs became more popular with the rock musicians as they started getting commercial success and had more money / stress / and parasites started pushing heavy drugs on them, probably a couple of years after this. But that doesn't mean people didn't dabble in all kinds of substances before then, certainly amphetamines were hugely popular with everyone from country musicians, the early Beatles / Stones / Who, the Merry Pranksters, to people like truck drivers. So if it's about drug abuse or some of the effects of mixing various chemicals or alcohol, it could be about any of them. (It's even possible the song was inspired by a someone eating the wrong combination of foods who got really toxic gas! Just sayin'!)

However, reading the words I am just left with the impression that it's about a narcicistic and toxic girl who the singer is warning not to get involved with, maybe inspired by a groupie or someone they knew.

If we really want to know what inspired the words, then see what the band said about it in interviews.

What makes the lyrics cool for me, is like a lot of songs that stand the test of time, the words can apply to any number of situations and subjects and still be valid, and offer some useful advice. Don't mess with bad mojo! LoL

Ruby Ruby Ruby Heroin was famously Clapton's drug of choice. Read his bio.
It was also Jack Bruce's long time addiction.
Ginger Baker on the other hand, was the poster boy for speed.

@sugar magnolia Every GOOD song...

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@Songmanmark I think you've got it! Sam Raimi made the Evil Dead movies after hearing this one song!! Let's hear if for the power of music!!! LoL