By Anne Levin
If it wasn’t for alcohol, Americans might not be about to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Booze, it turns out, played an integral role in the American Revolution.
So writes historian Brooke Barbier, who will take part in “Cocked and Boozy: An Intoxicated History of the American Revolution” at the Yankee Doodle Tap Room starting at 5 p.m. on July 31. Barbier’s recently released book of the same title was the inspiration for this special event, a collaboration of the Nassau Inn, Princeton Public Library, the Historical Society of Princeton, Ironbound Farm, and Labyrinth Books.
“Congress sessions began around 9 a.m. After 3, they would drink and eat in taverns for the rest of the day,” said Barbier, who will be on hand at the event to give a presentation and sign copies of her book. “By sharing things like rum punch, from a communal punch bowl — no ladle, no cups — imagine how that would bond you. And toasts, too — they were used for years leading up to independence, as a way to transmit ideas hosts wanted partygoers to adopt. As much as drinking together was fun, there was a lot more going on there.”
A happy hour featuring craft cocktails and ciders from Ironbound Farm begins
the event, followed by “The Boozy Backstory,” a discussion with Barbier in the Nassau Inn’s Prince William Ballroom. Guests, who must be 21 and older to sample drinks, are encouraged to visit the Historical Society’s newest exhibit, “Princeton’s Taverns: On the Road to Revolution,” at Dohm Alley before or after the program.
The event came together after local cultural strategist Fran McManus, who represents Ironbound Farm, heard Barbier speak at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. Stephanie Schwartz, archivist at the Historical Society of Princeton, was at the
talk, too.
“She and I approached the table at the same time,” said McManus. “We told Brooke she should come to Princeton. She was entertaining and engaging, especially talking about the taverns where the drafters of the Revolution would go after working at the end of the day. Cider was a huge drink in Colonial America.”
Barbier was immediately interested. McManus then reached out to Princeton Public Library and the Yankee Doodle Tap Room, and the event began to take shape.
“I am so appreciative of being invited to Princeton,” said Barbier, “and to the enthusiasm of everyone planning this. They’re really wanting to give the guests an authentic experience that’s a lot of fun.”
Cocked and Boozy is Barbier’s third book. Her previous titles are Boston in the American Revolution: A Town Versus an Empire, and King Hancock: The Radical Influence of a Moderate Founding Father. After receiving her Ph.D. in American history from Boston College, the San Diego, Calif., native founded Ye Olde Tavern Tours in 2013, taking guests into historic sites and taverns related to Boston’s revolutionary and drunken history.
Her new book is a chatty, informative account of the role that cider, beer, rum, and wine played in American history. Each chapter — titles include “As Dizzy as a Goose: The Spirit of ’76,” “He’s in His Cups: One Nation, Under Booze,” and “Half Way to Concord: Swilling Drilling, and Spying” — is followed by a recipe for a cocktail that was consumed during the crucial days, updated for more
modern tastes.
A fan of drinking — in moderation — Barbier’s interest in the alcohol connection was sparked by work she did on her biography of John Hancock. “He lived in Boston and loved to entertain,” she said. “He was very fond of alcohol. The more I looked into his life, the more I would see the crossover of the influence of alcohol.”
Digging into the National Archives, Barbier found papers filled with references to how the people of the time entertained, and what they drank. “Specifically around independence, you see diaries and letters just filled with references to parties, drinks, and social gatherings,” she said. “I went through all of them and was continually struck.”
Barbier was surprised to find that John Adams, typically described as stern and stiff, liked tavern culture. “Early in his life, he worked to shut down taverns. But later, in letters to Abigail and in his diaries, he records these big parties where he’s enjoying himself and enjoying taverns as a place for community and building connections,” she said. “We see him being so much more open and at ease.”
Benjamin Franklin was another fan of the tankard. “As a young man, Franklin published a ‘Drinker’s Dictionary,’ identifying over 200 terms for being drunk,” Barbier writes in the book’s introduction. “Cock’d and boozy are two of them, and many are similarly playful and evocative.”
George Washington became one of the country’s largest distillers. But it wasn’t just the elite white men “who form the pantheon of founders today who raised a glass,” the introduction continues. “Americans of all races, ages, and classes were motivated, connected, angered, and inspired by alcohol. The men, women, and children who lived through the upheaval of the American Revolution drank a staggering amount of alcohol by today’s
standards.”
All of that has tended to be under-reported. “Then, as now, there can be a stigma around drink and especially drunkenness,” Barbier’s introduction concludes, “but avoiding the realities of revolutionary American leaves us with an incomplete picture of the times. They were human beings, and drinking helped them find things in common. It turned strangers into colleagues.”
Registration is required for the first-come, first-served event. Admission is free, but drinks are available for purchase. Visit princetonlibrary.org for more information.