Revolutionary Lives: Taverns, Brewing, & Cocktails in Colonial New York with Michael Carver

Taverns were far more than just bars or restaurants in colonial New York. Colonial assemblies required that these public houses to be built at regular intervals (roughly every eight miles or a day's ride apart) along major highways, intersections, and ports to facilitate trade and travel. They also served as town hall, post office, court room, trading post, militia assembly point, and election polls. They were the heart of many communities, second only to the church. The sale of beer, ale, cocktails and other libations generally funded a tavern’s existence. Tonight you can learn about tavern culture and 18th century brewing, and go home with a few 18th century receipts or recipes for mixed drinks of the era that you can try at home.
Michael Carver, the Regimental Brewmeister, presents programs on American social, industrial, and political life between 1765 and 1810. Tavern culture, brewing, and historical beverages in British North America is a specialty. He also offers a number of interpretative programs on the affairs of daily life during the American Revolution, including colonial spying, science, and surveying.