George Washington's farewell party bar tab proves he's the greatest American ever

Though he's no "Silent Cal" Coolidge, George "I don't lie about $%*#ing up cherry trees" Washington is generally respected for beating the British and having wooden teeth. But our admiration for this Founding Father just skyrocketed, thanks to an epic bar tab.

The tab comes from a farewell party Washington's troops threw him in 1787, just days before he and the rest of the crew signed off on the Constitution. The celebration was obviously held at Philly's historic City Tavern, and things took quite a turn. Here's what George and 54 of his closest friends consumed in one crazy night:

  • 54 bottles of Madeira
  • 60 bottles of claret
  • 22 bottles of porter
  • 12 bottles of beer
  • 8 bottles of hard cider
  • 8 bottles of Old Stock (a.k.a. colonial whiskey)
  • 7 large bowls of spiked punch

It's highly impressive Washington was even alive the next day, much less able to talk constitutional preambles and chop down the rest of the cherry trees in America, but it's this kind of freedom America was founded on.

Kristin Hunt is a food/drink staff writer for Thrillist. She definitely wishes she wrote her history thesis on this instead of the stupid Korean War. Follow her at @kristin_hunt.