They fought for their right to party
So each drank 2-3 bottles of wine and some spirits. It doesn't sound something unbelievable huge amount to me.
this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2024
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A bottle of Madeira is no small thing. It's not an unbelievable tab, but it's a fairly raucous night out, when many people imagine the Founding Fathers as a bunch of stuffy guys in wigs. Which, I mean, they were to some degree, but also partying is a long American tradition. o7
I just look up Madeira, is says it's 18% alcohol, that's still not a spirit, yeah it's not a classic wine. They were grown up men celebrating something, I guess they also ate something, I still don't understand why is it a big deal.
I mean, 3 bottles of wine, 3 or 4 whiskeys and call it the better part of a liter of punch is a fair bit of alcohol. Im pretty sure it would have my "2 beers a week" stomach giving up halfway.
But it's not a blackout drunk amount if spread over an evening and night. Student-me would consider an above average night.
Did some quick calculations and based on those on average one person drank 300-400ml of pure ethanol, if drank at once it would be a deadly amount for 80kg male and even spread over about 16 hours very drunk would be an understatement
If i would ever attempt to drink that much i would make sure that some much less drunk would watch me the whole night until morning to make sure i am fine
Though if the wine bottles were more like 500ml or 375ml the overall amount becomes more reasonable for a party average as i don't think while some could drink that much and be fine, that everyone could drink that much in a night without the 'party' becoming people being blacked out on the floor swimming in their own vomit unless the invitations were sent based on their alcohol tolerance
Keeping in mind that these people were what modern people would consider to be alcoholics, this is till a fuckload of alcohol lol
Both wine and beer/cider bottles were basically completely non-standardized around then. They were mostly smaller, so with the benefit of the doubt let's call it about as much as today.
Punch is harder to say. It was somewhere around 5 to 10% alcohol, but unfortunately a punch bowl could be a communal thing, being the size of a large family salad bowl and holding over 5 liters. But punch was also served from those bowel into handheld bowls, which was basically a cup.
Let's go with the big ones and add a liter of punch each. So that 3 bottles of wine equivalent, 4 whiskey's and a beer. Not exactly light drinking, but hardly the thing you brag about I would think.
Also don't forget that when this tab says "bottle" for liquor it almost certainly doesn't mean a fifth like is standard today.
They were mostly smaller, actually. Some 400 to 500 ml were pretty standard, unlike the bigger 750ml that you see today. Depending on what you bought and from where, your bottle could be really anything, but they were handmade and thick, so really big bottles would be really heavy.
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There just wasn't much to do in those days other than get snookered. And baked. Snookered and baked.
I grew up in the Midwest.
Well that covers Ben Franklin, but what about everyone else?
The Founders knew how to party, but 12 what of beer? Bottles? Cases? Kegs?
Bottles. Not sure why the pic listed bottles on every one except that one.
Seems a bit low considering everything else. Cases would scale appropriately, but kegs would be legendary.
There was probably like 1 guy who only drank beer or something
Beer before liqour, never been sicker. Liqour before beer you're in the clear. Some of them just tapered off the night with some cold ones.
These drinking traditions are inverse in different parts of the world. Here in Rusland it's only accepted to climb up with the percent, so beer-wine-vodka-moonshine is the route preferred by many rather than the opposite. There are, obviously, much more mechanics at play but at the very least it makes a drunk person reconsider downing another one of a random drink due to the ancient wisdom.
Beer before is typically okay if you don't drink a lot of it. If you crush a 6 pack without eating anything then do some shots your guts might not be happy
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For those curious like me:
Madeira is a fortified wine made on the Portuguese Madeira Islands, off the coast of Africa. Madeira is produced in a variety of styles ranging from dry wines which can be consumed on their own, as an apéritif, to sweet wines usually consumed with dessert. Cheaper cooking versions are often flavoured with salt and pepper for use in cooking, but these are not fit for consumption as a beverage.
One thing I'd want to know. Was it 55 people in total, or 55 guests plus their aides? Would a rich person be riding around alone at night, or would they have somebody with them?
55 people, though there were musicians and servants whose drinks and food were included (but not itemized) in the tab.
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55 attendees - i would assume these 55 plus their aides.
That's my assumption as well, but I don't know what the protocol for this type of affair would have been.
I was also thinking that there might also have been 'female companionship' provided.
WHAT of punch!
Cool. I just learned on the 2nd of July 1787 Washington had tea, and then went to get his portrait corrected.
Fuck is the internet crazy
I also learned that the total bill for the drinks (not counting the musicians) was 87 pounds, 2 shillings, and 4 pence, which some online inflation converters tell me is equivalent to £17,558.71 (or $22,560.84) in today's money.
There are rap songs bragging about smaller parties than that.
Honestly, I'm surprised they all didn't fuckin die. 54 bottles of wine and that's the first item on the bill lmao. The 2nd item? 60 More bottles of wine.
So everyone was pretty much staggering around double fisting wine bottles
Amazing
Someone should do the math on what the average standard drinks per person is.
Wash it down with a little whiskey, some beer or cider, and a few glasses of alcoholic punch.
That's a pretty respectable amount for a young man, much less guys pushing 60 like Washington et co. Though, to be fair, considering the First Horse of Philadelphia served as Washington's bodyguard during the war, at least some of them were probably still young. Late 20s, at least.
How did that scene not make it into Hamilton?
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While, I do believe you, random internet meme person, but I'mma still need to see some sources for that
18th century drinking water systems weren't exactly sanitary so alcoholic beverages was also a bit of a defense against waterborne illnesses. Founding fathers were like a century out from doctors and surgeons starting to wash their hands.
Came here to say this. Until the 20th century, people here in the West were walking, talking kegs.
12 of Beer what?
12 OF BEER WHAT? I NEED CLOSURE!
Ditto beer.
SPERMACITY CANDLES
Had to look that one up, the candles are made of a waxy substance from an organ in the head of a sperm whale.
haha, that's amazing, thank you for posting this. :)
Wait you left out their favorite Haitian prostitutes. Big GW wrote about them in his journal.
Can't find that for the life of me. Could you please provide a source?
Scottish person here: fucking Weak.
So, in Philly there is tales from the event that says a fight broke out of playfully throwing the chamber pots at each other, while full.
That the broken chinaware being referred to is not glasses but of the toilets. And it's why it was so expensive.
I personally believe it cause I mean... It's Philly. Always was and has been.
But supposedly also Washington hated parties and the rambunctious drunk types so... Who the fuck knows. Everyone was drunk back then.
But supposedly also Washington hated parties and the rambunctious drunk types so... Who the fuck knows. Everyone was drunk back then.
Maybe that's why they were celebrating him leaving?
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what did they eat?
So some of them didn't drink??
And no women mentioned :).
But overall, if the thing lasted all evening, that is not that dramatic at all.
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