George Washington Drank Here

There are certainly many places in New Jersey where General George Washington stayed during his military campaigns. He certainly ate and drank in those places, too.  

Washington was not a heavy drinker of alcoholic beverages, but he did drink regularly. Madeira wine was his favorite, but he also drank rum punch, hard cider, and occasionally beer or porter. He even ran one of the largest distilleries in America after the war in Virginia.

Washington, with a tavern madeira

Where did he do some of this drinking?

The Indian King Tavern in Haddonfield (Camden County) is probably his most famous drinking connection. Washington visited while traveling through the state. Taverns like this served Madeira, rum punch, hard cider, and ale. The building later hosted the New Jersey legislature. It has been a strong tradition that Washington drank here. It is still standing and preserved as a historic site.

The Nassau Inn's original tavern in Princeton was a drinking spot where Washington as he stayed in town multiple times.  Located near the Battle of Princeton, this and other taverns were meeting places for officers. He probably drank his favorite Madeira or punch during stays. Tavern culture was integral to military life. 

Wallace House / Old Dutch Parsonage in Somerville (Somerset County) was Washington’s winter headquarters (1778–1779). He hosted dinners with his officers and staff, and wine and spirits were part of officer hospitality.  Records show regular alcohol consumption by staff. 

Ford Mansion in Morristown was Washington’s headquarters during the harsh winters of 1777 and 1779–1780. Washington was known to prefer Madeira over harder spirits and there were social evenings including drinks despite shortages. (Within the Morristown National Historical Park)

The Old Barracks, located in Trenton, was where Washington stayed before and after the Crossing of the Delaware. Soldiers were issued rum rations, but officers drank separately, and typically had wine or punch.

Rockingham House in Kingston (near Princeton) was where Washington stayed after the British evacuation of NYC. Celebratory gatherings with wine and toasts were customary

You can't stop by most of these places for a drink today, but you can drink in some history at all of them. Only the Nassau Inn Tap Room still operates as a drinking establishment with direct historical continuity. But if you want to go non-alcoholic, I have another suggestion.

Along the Aqueduct Trail in the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park, there is a historically significant natural spring that provided water to people long before modern pipes existed. This natural spring is perhaps the most historically documented one in New Jersey. It’s the source of Primrose Brook, one of the cleanest-rated waterways in New Jersey, and is marked by a rudimentary stone wall piled around it and a slate slab canopy.

The Lenni Lenape used it as a water source hundreds of years ago, as can be ascertained by the many artifacts found in the immediate area, showing there was a settlement around it. 

While the late-1800s aqueduct system itself wasn’t around in Washington’s time, the spring that feeds Primrose Brook was a key fresh water source that helped make the Morristown/Jockey Hollow area viable for troops during the Revolutionary War. Washington led his Continental Army to winter encampment in Morristown during the Revolutionary War for a second time in 1779-80, and the spring was documented as being a water source for the patriot soldiers, particularly the Maryland and Pennsylvania brigades. One story tells of Washington visiting the spring after inspecting nearby drills and drinking directly from it with his cupped hands. 

In 1890, an aqueduct system was developed by the Morris Aqueduct Company, New Jersey’s first water company, founded in 1799, and the spring was put into use, bringing drinking water to the growing town. Today, the spring, with crystal-clear groundwater still flowing from it through cracks in the Precambrian bedrock, can be found along the Aqueduct Trail in the park.

A NOTE ON MADEIRA
Madeira wine is a fortified (grape brandy is added) wine originally coming from the Portuguese island of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean, and it was one of the most popular wines in colonial America. Madeira is deliberately heated and oxidized during production. This gives it remarkable stability and the ability to survive long sea voyages. Its flavors don’t spoil once opened, and so it became the preferred wine of the American colonies. Today, it is referred to as a dessert wine.

I bought a bottle recently that I'm saving for George's birthday on February 22nd. 

In the meantime, during this winter, I will have some "Newark cider" like the hard cider George thought was the best. Made from a blend of four elite New Jersey apple varieties. The blend was dominated by the Harrison apple and“lauded by George Washington.” Modern NJ cider makers restoring the tradition say that Ironbound’s Newark Cider is “literally the cider that George Washington drank.”