Event Detail
Back to Events
History of the Cocktail: Our Founding Drinkers
- Date: Saturday, May 30, 2015
- Time: 7:00 pm
- Location: National Archives Museum, Washington, DC
George Washington owned the largest whiskey distillery of his time, Thomas Jefferson was obsessed with wine and Benjamin Franklin even wrote a “Drinker’s Dictionary,” which is a humorous list of euphemisms for being drunk. It turns out the early leaders of the new republic gained as much courage from the conviction of their ideals as the contents of their cup. We’ll discuss drinking in colonial times to the early formation of America and how alcohol was an integral part of colonial life and American values.
Moderated by Reid Mitenbuler, author of the forthcoming Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America’s Whiskey, panelists include Steve Bashore, Wayne Curtis, and JP Fetherston.
This seminar will include a tasting of specialty cocktails. Must be 21+ to attend.
This program is part of a series on the history of spirits and cocktails in America, curated by Derek Brown and presented by the National Archives Foundation in conjunction with the National Archives Museum exhibit “Spirited Republic: Alcohol in American History,” on display in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery through January 10, 2016.
