When it comes to arcane historical terms for spirits and other alcohol, proof is one of the frustrating ones. In our modern vernacular, with the blessing of modern analytical chemistry as support, we simply think of “proof” as two times the alcohol by volume (ABV). But why is this measure even a thing? After all, …
Continue reading “Basic Colonial Brewing #18 — Proof your Whiskey, Sir”
In the last decades of the 18th Century, in the south of England, there was a trend It was often referred to as a ‘shift’ or ‘smock’ marriages. These even went so far as to sometimes be puris naturalibus or naked marriages. It seems, in the tradition of Lady Godiva of Mercia, If a woman …
Continue reading “And Now for Something Completely Different…”
Ever fond of hoaxes, Franklin memorized the parable and “read” it aloud from Genesis, “proving” the scriptural importance of religious tolerance. One of these parables—commonly referred to as either the Parable against Persecution or as Abraham and the Stranger—is a story about the biblical patriarch Abraham. Although Franklin did not mention the second parable by …
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So yesterday I choose to march in a St Patrick’s Day parade in Gloucester City (NJ). No, it’s not my holiday. I am neither Irish nor Catholic and, in fact, I marched in orange, not in deference the Ulsters but rather in my 43rd Regimental as a British soldier. As I was preparing to go, …
Continue reading ““Why did you agree to march in that parade?””
Well its Purim and many of us taught that we eat hamantaschen because Haman, the villain of the Megillah, wore a tri-cornered hat but there is no evidence that Haman wore a triangular hat. You might also be surprise to learn that Swedes have a suspiciously similar cookie, called Napoleon’s Hats or Napoleonhattar, which are traditionally filled with …
Insurrections often are propagated upon misinformation. So too are the most recent band of domestic terrorist who like to hide behind our most sacred American institutions. In this series, I want to explore the Bill of Rights and why some of the hype and hyperbole thrown around by the extremist is not just wrong but …
A bearskin is a tall fur cap worn as ceremonial headgear of grenadiers. The standard bearskin of the British Foot Guards is 18 inches tall, weighs 1.5 pounds, and is made from the fur of the Canadian black bear. An officer’s bearskin is made from the fur of the Canadian brown bear as the female …
Continue reading “British Soldiers in a FRENCH Hat? Pourquoi?”
In 1864, Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought a brewery in Amsterdam. Now, all have stories about beer bottles and construction workers. So, it may surprise you that Heineken once tried to make putting their bottles into the walls of cheap housing a common practice. Heineken noticed that empty beer bottles were not making it back to …
Okay, the Regimental Brewmeister is a little uptight about bottles. First off, the bottles I use, while definitely anachronistic to the 18th Century, are of a design that came into vogue during the last half of the 19th Century so they are historic (just the wrong era…). But more important than that they are expensive …
March 12 at 10:30 at Fort Mifflin! We are moving forward with our plans to build a bar wagon. Our first work day was February 12 and we discovered hidden structural flaws but these have all been corrected. Next step is to work on the interior and paint. Come help as we transform this carriage …
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Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 