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 …
Continue reading ““Beer” Recipe: Dutch East India Company Cider”
Bonhomme Richard was originally a merchant ship built at L’Orient for the French East India Company in 1765. Her design allowed her to be quickly transformed into a man-of-war in case of necessity to support the navy. She made two voyages to China, the first in 1766 and the second in 1769, was transferred briefly …
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 …
Well, I found this cool cocktail shaker. No, it’s not period correct but it’s cool. Looks like a bell. To that end, the Admiral of the Blue is adding the following “Bell Ringer” cocktails to our line-up for future Tavern Nights. You put your ice and spirits in the bell, assemble and ring the bell …
Do you consider Benedict Arnold a brilliant general or an evil traitor? Despite what you may have learned in school, the answer to this question is far from simple and highly political. Blessed with almost superhuman energy and endurance, handsome and charismatic, he was a successful apothecary and a seagoing merchant before the war. Unfortunately, …
We all know the Sugar Trade and Rum fueled the Boston and Philadelphia economies in the 1760’s. There is no denying that our founding fathers frequently enjoyed a stiff drink. George Washington owned a distillery that produced rye. Thomas Jefferson treasured his French wines. Even the staid and ultraconservative John Adams had a gill of …
Continue reading “Man Does Not Live on Beer Alone – 18th Century Cocktails”
In the world of Living History there are three distinct impressions people tend to assume when presenting people from the past. When we act as a third-person interpreter, we are just demonstrating what life was like at the time we are portraying. In third person interpretation, we openly acknowledge that this is the 21st Century …
On August 15, 1620; the Mayflower and the Speedwell set sail for VIRGINIA. Unfortunately, after only about 200 miles in the rough waters of the north Atlantic, the Speedwell sprang began taking on water and had to turn back. The decision to abandon the Speedwell and transfer many of its passengers onto the Mayflower set …
So, I had this idea. I was going to add a third punch bowl to my tavern. I already have the two from David Wondrich which are very similar to those common in the late 18th and 19th Century. I wasn’t going to be picky; I just didn’t want to spend a huge sum of …
In the summer of 1775, George Washington and the fledgling Continental Army was unable to effectively lay siege to British-occupied Boston because the Royal Navy had a firm command of the sea-lanes and the harbor. All George Washington could do was observe the flow of enemy supplies into Boston harbor and wondered if intercepting a …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 