Our Hard-Drinking Founding Fathers
The Wine Commonsewer, quoting The Joy of Drinking, notes the bar tab for a celebratory night out at the end of the Constitutional Convention:
…in 1787, two days before their work was done, the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention adjourned to a tavern for some rest, and according to the bill they drank 54 bottles of Madeira, 60 bottles of claret, 8 of whiskey, 22 of port, 8 of hard cider and 7 bowls of punch so large that, it was said, ducks could swim around in them.
That works out to roughly three bottles of wine (broadly defined) per founder, with everyone knocking back a celebratory shot of whiskey because, apparently, the tavern had no Jägermeister.
Pursuit of happiness, indeed.
September 22nd, 2009 at 9:52 AM
Presumably, they had friends to help them consume all that. If Franklin was there, we know that he at least, would have had female companionship.
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:27 PM
I heard they raised taxes to foot the bill.
Hey, Wally.