As an example of Party Time During the Colonial Period. The year was 1787. The banquet was in honor of General George Washington. The place was Philadelphia's City Tavern. It was a wild party -- political types and men dressed in wigs. In total, 55 revelers were there, down on Second Street. And this is what they drank: Fifty-four bottles of Madeira; 60 bottles of claret; 8 bottles of old stock; 22 bottles of porter; 8 bottles of hard cider; 12 bottles of beer; and 7 large bowls of punch.
How else did you think America's founding fathers kept warm during the terrible winters of the 18th century? In the early days of America, alcoholic beverages were seen as more healthful than water. They warmed a person on cold nights and kept off chills and fevers. Indeed, the colonists consumed more alcohol than modern Americans.
Most alcohol was consumed in the form of beer, rum and cider. Wine had to be imported and was a rare commodity. During the period of colonial rule, European wines were so heavily taxed that the price was prohibitive. Only the wines of Madeira, from the Portuguese island off the African coast, were exempt from the British tax, making them a favorite among the revolutionaries.
Despite the price, many of the founding fathers had a special fondness for wine. Benjamin Franklin wrote that wine was ``constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.'' George Washington adored Champagne. One colonist for whom wine was a particularly serious passion -- indeed he called it ``a necessity of life'' -- was , again, Thomas Jefferson, statesman, diplomat and third president of the United States. He was also one of the most experienced and knowledgeable wine connoisseurs of his age. Within two weeks of arriving in Paris as the ambassador to France in 1784, he had purchased 276 bottles of wine, primarily Bordeaux vintages.
