What did the Founding Fathers drink?
(full disclosure; I was listening to the Hamilton soundtrack while writing this)
Greetings friend!
Do you want to celebrate our ancestor’s overthrow of an oppressive ruler by drinking random, summery cocktails found in online forums containing spirits having nothing to do with the founding of this country?
OR, do you want to experience the same feeling of being “Nimtopsical” (From Ben Franklin’s Drinker’s Dictionary) as our Founding Fathers?
According to Derek Brown, the National Archives Chief Spirits Advisor, you have some options:
“The Stone Fence” was consumed by the Revolutionaries after the taking of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775.
2 oz Rum or Rye, a dash of bitters and top with apple cider. Don’t get fancy, just add some ice and a mint leaf.
Punches were used to fortify and enliven the Revolutionaries “I would say that if I was to zero in on one drink that became sort of, like, the most famous revolutionary one, it's the punch, right? And punches back then are really not the, you know, punches we think of today necessarily. They were with, you know, cognac. They were with rum. They were with whiskey. And they would be mixed with fresh juice, sugar. So they'd be fairly simple, fresh drinks.” (Derek Brown on NPR)
Finally, Madeira. Madeira is an eponymous fortified wine that was hugely popular in America in the 18th and 19th centuries. So much so that it was used to toast both the signing of the Declaration of Independence and George Washington’s inauguration.
Put a couple of ounces in a port or wine glass and strike an epic pose as you sip during your Fourth of July celebrations! Hamilton soundtrack in the background is optional.
Happy Independence Day!
Mike Mraz