Cheers to a nation founded over tavern tables and mugfuls of rum! Since its inception, the United States has been fueled by passion, innovation, creativity, and, of course, alcohol. Heated debates over the choice to fight in the Revolution stirred through the flow of booze—Founding Fathers included. Virginia’s got the American spirit (pun intended) in spades, and its distillers, brewers, fermenters, and winemakers are here to prove it, releasing commemorative drinks for America’s big semiquincentennial this year across the alcoholic spectrum.
A Nation, Distilled
What’s a birthday without cheerful spirits? To mark the country’s 250th, the Virginia Spirits Board Marketing Office is toasting to American ingenuity with a limited-edition commemorative spirits set imagined, designed, and rooted firmly in the Commonwealth. Produced in partnership with Virginia ABC and a select group of Virginia distillers, the spring 2026 release will spotlight three historically resonant spirits—whiskey, gin, and rum—each inspired by one of Virginia’s defining biomes: mountains, heartland, and coast.
Makers across the state came together to confect the once-in-a-semiquincentennial trio, including Belmont Farm Distillery, Catoctin Creek, Chesapeake Bay Distillery, Ironclad Distillery, Mt. Defiance Cidery & Distillery, Reservoir Distillery, Virago Spirits, and Vitae Spirits.
Norfolk-based artist Mark Todd will bring it all together with a striking triptych-style package featuring the James River and housing three 375ml bottles in a windowed split pack. Every detail nods to Virginia’s history, terroir, and outsized role in the nation’s founding. Just 2,400 sets will be produced, landing exclusively in Virginia ABC stores—so get yours before they run out!
ⓘ Whiskey, rum, and gin all run deep in the veins of American drinking culture. Colonists reportedly consumed 3.7 gallons of rum per person each year. After the split from Britain curtailed rum imports, rye whiskey rose to prominence, buoyed by abundant crops and early distillers like George Washington. Gin later claimed its moment with the invention of the column still in the 1800s, cementing its place in American mixology by the time Prohibition arrived.
Vines of Victory
Wine is a patriot’s drink as much as any other—George Washington was among the
foremost wine lovers in Colonial America, his love for Madeira port wine known as far and wide as his military prowess. Some of the state’s most historic places now serve glasses of wine that act as an ode to the ideas put forth by the Founding Fathers, the bounty of Virginia, and the big 250.
Apple Allegiance
Though the movies may show our forefathers as rum purists, classic hard cider rivaled it as the drink of choice among Colonists—and Winchester Ciderworks is tipping its hat to that tradition with its commemorative drink. Named by popular vote, the bold, 8.2 percent ABV cider salutes the fondness for fermented apples that America was founded on, with 10 percent of all sales benefiting the VA250 Commission.
Stafford’s VA250 Beer Collection
Stafford County has the Revolution on tap with seven specialty beers across area breweries imagined in conjunction with VA250, the statewide educational commission committed to keeping history alive in the state with event programming, maker collaborations, and other commemorative efforts. Check out the tributes to start your way to becoming a “pintriot” (nickname credit to the VA250 and Virginia Craft Brewers Guild partnership, which promises more pours to come).
Highmark Brewery, Fredericksburg
Barley Naked Brewing Co., Stafford
This article originally appeared in the April 2026 issue.
