Join historian Brooke Barbier for a lively talk about the influence of tavern and drinking culture on the American Revolution.

Eighteenth-century Americans consumed a staggering amount of alcohol compared to today. Drink influenced their politics, built and sustained their relationships, and drove the economy. Booze was not a small part of colonial society, nor covertly consumed in private spaces—it was integral to American life. When the colonists rebelled against the British Empire, this culture of drink and taverns helped foster revolution.

The talk will be followed by a reception with light bites and two historic cocktails. The first two cocktails are covered with admission. 

Tickets are $40 for adults and include two drinks.

Museum members enjoy a 20% discount. 

Get your tickets

Book signing

In "Cocked and Boozy"—two of Benjamin Franklin’s two hundred terms for drunkenness—public historian Brooke Barbier examines the role that alcohol played in spurring, binding, and winning the American Revolution and how it shaped the nascent United States.

The intoxicating story begins in 1763 after the end of the French and Indian War and spans until 1800, with the presidential election of Thomas Jefferson. During these nearly four decades, Americans witnessed unprecedented disorder and prodigious growth, and through it all—powering it, in fact—was alcohol. Put simply, drink helped transform British subjects into Americans.

Every chapter concludes with an eighteenth-century cocktail recipe made for modern tastes, so readers can participate in their own historic tippling.

Brooke Barbier

Brooke Barbier is a public historian who received her Ph.D. in American history from Boston College, researching Boston’s social and cultural life during and after the American Revolution. While earning her graduate degree, she taught history at Boston College and Stonehill College.

Two of Brooke's favorite things are history and beer, so in 2013 she founded Ye Olde Tavern Tours, which offers tours of Boston’s historic sites and taverns. She is the author of the award-winning "King Hancock: The Radical Influence of a Moderate Founding Father" and "Boston in the American Revolution: A Town Versus an Empire." 

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About the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown

The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s days) and located on Route 1020 near the Colonial Parkway in Yorktown.

A commemorative partner of the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission, the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown tells the story of the nation’s founding. Comprehensive indoor exhibits and outdoor living-history areas capture the transformational nature and epic scale of the Revolution and its relevance today.

Admission tickets can be purchased online or in person. Plan your visit today or call (757) 253-4838 for more information. Parking at the museum is free for museum visitors. A free shuttle service is available to Historic Yorktown on the Yorktown Trolley.