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The Bar Tab That Made History: The Night Washington and His Friends Partied Hard

Painting of George Washington with his arm extended

In 1783, George Washington gathered with his closest friends and fellow officers at Fraunces Tavern in New York to bid farewell after the Revolutionary War. The guest list featured notable names like Alexander Hamilton, Henry Knox, and other founding fathers, making it one of the most memorable celebrations in American history.


The party lasted for hours — and the tab tells an intriguing story: roughly 55 guests drank their way through:


  • 54 bottles of Madeira wine

  • 60 bottles of claret

  • 22 bottles of porter

  • 12 bottles of beer

  • 8 bottles of cider

  • 7 bowls of spiked punch


In total, that worked out to roughly three bottles per person, plus an additional drink or two from the punch bowl — making it one of the most spirited farewells in American history!

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