'Twas Honest old Noah first planted the Vine And mended his morals by drinking its Wine. —from a drinking song by Benjamin Franklin There were, Peter Thompson notes, some one hundred and fifty synonyms for inebriation in common use in colonial Philadelphia and, on the eve of the Revolution, just as many licensed drinking establishments. Clearly, eighteenth-century Philadelphians were drawn to the tavern. In addition to the obvious lure of the liquor, taverns offered overnight accommodations, meals, and stabling for visitors. They also served as places to gossip, gamble, find work, make trades, and gather news. In Rum Punch and Revolution, Thompson shows how the public houses provided a setting in which Philadelphians from all walks of life revealed their characters and ideas as nowhere else. He takes the reader into the cramped confines of the colonial bar room, describing the friendships, misunderstandings and conflicts which were generated among the city's drinkers and investigates the profitability of running a tavern in a city which, until independence, set maximum prices on the cost of drinks and services in its public houses. Taverngoing, Thompson writes, fostered a sense of citizenship that influenced political debate in colonial Philadelphia and became an issue in the city's revolution. Opinionated and profoundly undeferential, taverngoers did more than drink; they forced their political leaders to consider whether and how public opinion could be represented in the counsels of a newly independent nation.

Discover why rum is becoming the hottest spirit in the world right now with the latest and greatest offering from bestselling author and master mixologist Tristan Stephenson.

The first visual and narrative account of the American Revolution told through tales about the Colonial-era inns, taverns, and alcoholic beverages that shaped it, Taverns of the American Revolution is equal parts history, trivia, coffee-table book, and travel guide. A Complete Guide to the Spirits of 1776 In 1737, Benjamin Franklin published “The Drinker’s Dictionary,” a compendium of more than two hundred expressions for drinking and drunkenness, such as “oil’d,” “fuzl’d,” and “half way to Concord.” Nearly forty years later, the same barrooms that fostered these terms over bowls of rum punch helped sow the seeds of revolution. Taverns of the American Revolution presents the boozing and schmoozing that went on in some of America’s most historic watering holes, revealing the crucial role these public houses played as meeting places for George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and their fellow Founding Fathers in the struggle for independence. More than a retelling of the Revolutionary War, this unique volume takes readers on a tour of more than twenty surviving colonial taverns; features period artwork, maps, and cocktail recipes; and is filled with trivia and anecdotes about the drinking habits of colonial Americans. From history buffs and those interested in colonial architecture and art to tavern goers, beer aficionados, trivia lovers, and those keen on hitting a few historic pubs on their road trip through the original thirteen colonies, this one-of-a-kind compendium is the ultimate guide to the taverns that helped spark a revolution. Includes: -Commentary on more than twenty surviving colonial taverns Period artwork, maps, and documents -A detailed time line of the events leading up to, during, and immediately after the American Revolution -Six colonial cocktail recipes -A comprehensive index of more than one hundred fifty surviving colonial taverns -An abundance of little-known facts and anecdotes that will have you owning your next pub quiz trivia night

This tour of early American alcohol shares recipes, “fun facts and anecdotes about our forefathers’ drinking habits with a 21-century sense of humor” (Chicago Tribune). In Colonial Spirits, legendary distiller Steven Grasse presents a historical manifesto on drinking, including 50 colonial era– inspired cocktail recipes. The book features a rousing timeline of colonial imbibing and a cultural overview of all kinds of alcoholic beverages: beer, rum and punch; temperance drinks; liqueurs and cordials; medicinal beverages; cider; wine, whiskey, bourbon and more. The book is spiced with delightful illustrations and liquored-up adages from our founding fathers. Grasse shares expert guidance on DIY home brewing, plus recipes like the Philadelphia Fish House Punch (a crowd pleaser!) and Snakebites (drink alone!). Hot beer cocktails and rattle skulls have never been so irresistible.

American colonists knew just two types of public building: churches and taverns. At a time when drinking water was considered dangerous, everyone drank often and in quantity. The author explores the role of drinking and tavern sociability.

“Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!” A favorite of pirates, the molasses-colored liquid brings to mind clear blue seas, weather-beaten sailors, and port cities filled with bar wenches. But enjoyment of rum spread far beyond the scallywags of the Caribbean—Charles Dickens savored it in punch, Thomas Jefferson mixed it into omelets, Queen Victoria sipped it in navy grog, and the Kamehameha Kings of Hawaii drank it straight up. In Rum,Richard Foss tells the colorful, secret history of a spirit that not only helped spark the American Revolution but was even used as currency in Australia. This book chronicles the five-hundred-year evolution of rum from a raw spirit concocted for slaves to a beverage savored by connoisseurs. Charting the drink’s history, Foss shows how rum left its mark on religious rituals—it remains a sacramental offering among voodoo worshippers—and became part of popular songs and other cultural landmarks. He also includes recipes for sweet and savory rum dishes and obscure drinks, as well as illustrations of rum memorabilia from its earliest days to the tiki craze of the 1950s. Fast-paced and well written, Rum will delight any fan of mojitos and mai tais.

"The Soldiers' Revolution offers us a rare glimpse into the everyday world of the American Revolution. We see how the common experience of war drew soldiers together as they began the long process of forging an identity for a fledgling nation."--Jacket.