This is one of my favorite pieces of alcohol history:
“Indeed, we still have available the bar tab from a 1787 farewell party in Philadelphia for George Washington just days before the framers signed off on the Constitution. According to the bill preserved from the evening, the 55 attendees drank 54 bottles of Madeira, 60 bottles of claret, eight of whiskey, 22 of porter, eight of hard cider, 12 of beer, and seven bowls of alcoholic punch.”
Teddy Roosevelt’s sixth great grandmother and her husband opened the first tavern on Manhattan Island. Given that she also was known for going down and mooning the arriving sea vessels I’m guessing that it was also known for other things. I know all this because I’m descended from her half brother. Also, our adopted daughter is descended from one of the signers of the Mayflower Compact. So the stories about the beer on that ship are interesting. Oh, and supposedly my sixth great grandmother’s brother, Elijah Craig, invented Bourbon. No wonder our family has issues.