The French and Indian War gave many British aristocrats their first view into what their American colonists were like. They were not impressed! War thrust people of diverse backgrounds and views into close contact, the French and Indian War was no exception. Britons and Americans learned first-hand that many of the commonalities that they believed …
Category Archives: Brewing
America’s First True Disaster Area — New Madrid, MO
In the early hours of December 16, 1811, the residents of New Madrid, a Mississippi River town once part of the Louisiana Territory, rushed from their homes as the ground rolled beneath their feet. Trees were uprooted and thrown to the ground. Huge chasms opened in the earth, and the Mississippi River ran backward! Somewhere …
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Apple Jack
Applejack is a uniquely American type of apple brandy which was widely produced during the 1700’s in North America. It was made by placing hard cider in wooden barrels and exposing them to freezing temperatures during winter. The water in the hard cider froze in the top of the barrel and could easily be removed. …
Prescription Julep
Most people in the United States associate Julips drinks with The Kentucky Derby and certainly mint juleps have a storied history in that event but julep drinks have been around a lot longer and there are more julep drinks than the mint julep. This cocktail has origins back to the late 1700s, and ‘Julep’ is based …
Von Stueben Altbier
During the early American Revolutionary War, Continental Army lacked strong central command and was made up of state-run militias operating independently of each other. Each militia operated by its own rules and regulations and there was very little standardization or guidance for the duties and responsibilities of soldiers and officers. In 1777, Friedrich von Steuben …
“Beer” Recipe: Dutch East India Company Cider
The Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC), better known as the Dutch East India Company was set up in 1602 and head-quartered in the Oost-Indisch Huis (East-India House) in downtown Amsterdam as an official colonial agency. The company was given massive financial backing and the legal power to wage war, create overseas settlements, and uphold its own …
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Man Does Not Live on Beer Alone — Coffee
Coffee was most certainly a popular drink in the Americas in the 17th and 18th Centuries. There are records of John Smith bringing coffee to the Jamestown Colony and even trading it with the Indians, but remember, the British were not the only colonial powers. Coffee would not take on importance in the British Empire …
Doctor Heal Thyself — 18th Century Medicine Gone Wrong
Stubbins Ffirth Bathed in Vomit to Prove Yellow Fever Wasn’t Contagious Doctor Stubbins Ffirth, an American doctor began to investigate the causes and communicability of yellow fever in 1793. A yellow fever epidemic hit Philadelphia in July 1793 and peaked during the first weeks of October. It is estimated that 5,000 of a population of 45,000 …
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Punchbowl Junto
In 2020, I tried to start a Jeffersonian Dinner program at Fort Mifflin. We had one “Jeffersonian Picnic” but the stringencies of the COVID 19 pandemic prevented this program from really taking hold. This year (2025), I want to try to reboot this program with a slight simplification. I am working to launch a new …
Doctor Heal Thyself — 18th Century Medicine Gone Wrong
John Hunter Gave Himself Gonorrhea and Syphilis John Hunter was a renowned 18th-century surgeon in London and eventually become the most famous physician in all of England. Hunter made enormous contributions to anatomy and embryology through the dissection of cadavers pilfered by the professional grave robbers known as resurrection men. This knowledge of anatomy allowed …
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Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 