In their mission to recreate the libations of yore, Williamsburg-based 8 Shires Distillery dove deep into historic records—ledgers, ship manifests, journals, and personal diaries—to uncover the drinking habits of Colonial America. Through all their research, one fact stands out: “For the most part, everybody drank all day long,” says general manager Tucker Casanova.
All that tippling, toasting, slurping, quaffing, and guzzling had colonists fuddled, foxed, cocked, and crump-footed from dawn to dark, “believing that alcohol could cure the sick, strengthen the weak, enliven the aged, and generally make the world a better place,” according to Ed Crews, who writes about Colonial crafters. From watered-down rum to breakfast beer and early whiskeys, imbibing alcohol was one of America’s first traditional pastimes.
Despite all that drinking, modern-day counterparts to our Colonial trendsetters might be surprised to learn that “cocktails” weren’t on the menu. The Sazerac—often considered the first cocktail, a close cousin of the Old Fashioned—wasn’t created until the mid-1800s in New Orleans.
What we think of as cocktails, Casanova says, were “pretty much undefined” in the colonial era. When liquors, juice, and spices were mixed, it was more so a punch reserved for parties—unless you were the presidential sort. They’d liberally enjoy a midmorning whistle wetter, a luncheon libation, an afternoon accompaniment, and a supper snort, imbibing drinks with names like rattle-skull, stonewall, bogus, blackstrap, bombo, mimbo, whistle belly, syllabub, sling, toddy, and flip.
A special few of our Founding Fathers were in on the craze that would eventually become cocktails. With recipes from 8 Shires Distillery and George Washington’s Mount Vernon, assisted by The Inn at Little Washington, you can sample a taste of history in these Colonial-inspired drinks—now worthy of the cocktail name.
Access the recipes for each of these drinks here.
8 Shires Distillery
Paul Revere’s Lantern
Nodding to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride,” and stories of Revere’s proclivity for Madeira wine and rum—sometimes spiking the former with the latter—this drink gets set ablaze at the 8 Shires’ tasting room for a bit of extra dramatic flair.
Stone Fence
“It’s so simple, but it’s a winning combination,” Casanova says. Legend has it that this spiced rum and cider mix fueled the Green Mountain Boys and Ethan Allen before their predawn ambush on Fort Ticonderoga in 1775, surprising the British and winning the stronghold for revolutionary forces early in the war.
Wicked Maiden
The Washingtons were known to serve this tropical concoction—a precursor to a Painkiller or Piña Colada—to foreign guests, a way of flaunting their wealth and access to Caribbean imports to Europeans who considered America an experiment.
Cherry Bounce
The Inn at Little Washington
This brandy-based, tarty drink was a particular favorite of George Washington, with one famous tale claiming he packed a whole canteen of it—along with Madeira and port—for a trip across the Allegheny Mountains. The Inn at Little Washington serves their own version as a nightcap for guests, preparing it with Montmorency cherries plucked from their orchard, to which they add applejack brandy and sugar. Says Director of Wine Lindsey Fern, “the applejack also adds structure and body to the bounce while the sugar and juice itself add a richness to the mouthfeel. The spices are soft and warming but delicate adding nuance.”
Martha Washington’s Rum Punch
George Washington’s Mount Vernon
The colonists were crazy about rum. It’s estimated that they consumed 3.7 gallons annually per head throughout much of the 18th century—meaning they were pretty well snockered by nightfall. Production originated in Barbados, from molasses derived from sugar cane, and it became the drink of choice for Virginians, including William Byrd II, founder of Richmond, and Colonial America’s doyenne of domesticity, Martha Washington. In fact, this esteemed entertainer and habile hostess of Mount Vernon was an ardent fan of a certain rum punch with a sweet yet tart flavor profile that combines rum, brandy, sugar, and lime.
This article originally appeared in the February 2025 issue.
