What to drink this holiday weekend?

While beer has long been the go-to for celebrating our country’s founding, it wasn’t the first thing a fighting colonist would have reached for. When the Founding Fathers were arguing over the fine print in Philly, this country’s citizens were far more likely to be imbibing cider, rum, or Madeira. This weekend, consider diversifying your ice chest with some true American Independence alternatives.

Cider was the most popular beverage of the American colonies. As with ingredients for all fermented beverages, making cider kept apples from spoiling for later consumption. It also kept people safe from unclean drinking water; cider was even served to children in diluted form. 

The industrial revolution, by enticing the workforce to cities from farms, was the downfall of America’s romance with cider. The influx of beer-loving German and Irish immigrants sped up the divorce from our founding beverage. Yet it was the temperance movement and Prohibition that nearly wiped cider entirely from our collective understanding.

Thankfully a few hobbyists kept the tradition alive, and cider is now one of the fastest-growing drink sectors in the U.S. The stylistic options are as diverse as beer, with the ability to geek out on vintage, foraged-apple, and experimental ciders drawing an ever-growing crowd.

Rum was the spirit of the colonies, with an estimated 3.7 gallons per head being consumed in 1775. George Washington was a big fan, using it to motivate troops and his slaves, as well as to buy votes into office. The restrictions on Saint Domingue (Haiti) and other French colonies’ molasses and high taxation on the English stuff was a big motivator in our declaration of freedom from the monarchy. 

Shortly after the revolution, we as a country turned toward whiskey, using our homegrown excess of grains for distillation. The importation of molasses and production of rum fell out of favor until very recently. Today, three of the top 20 best-selling spirits brands are rum. Thanks to the craft spirit movement, distillers have again started buying molasses and creating their own American-made artisanal rums.

Pre-refrigeration, fortifying wine with spirit — back then rum, currently grape brandy — was the only way to keep it from spoiling over long sea voyages. The combination of heat from being stored in the hull and the rocking upon the waves had the effect of slowly cooking, or madeirizing, the wine and smoothing it out, enhancing its quality. 

The complex, singular flavor of Madeira combined with its tax-free status, thanks to the special relationship between England and Portugal, made it a favorite of the American colonists. You can be assured all of the Founding Fathers found delight in Madeira, but none more so, or more importantly, than John Hancock.

It was the seizing of his ship, the Liberty, and its 3,000 gallons of Madeira by the British Royal Navy that set off riots in Boston. Those riots were subdued by British troops in what became known as “The Liberty Affair,” which led, two years later, to the Boston Massacre and the start of the American Revolution. 

Of the three OG American drinks, it is the only one missing out on a revolution back into the mainstream. Like Port and Sherry, these once renowned wines are way under-appreciated by the world at large. It’s a pity, as the character of each is singular and worthy of your attention. The quality of the few left in the market tends to be very high, making them a great value all along the price spectrum.

Because of its extensive history, the labeling system of Madeira is a bit antiquated. To streamline the right bottle into your hands only requires a basic understanding of two things: your desired sweetness/acid level (notated in the form of specific grape names) and the age of the wine. Age designations are labeled with a vintage or youngest wine in a multi-vintage blend. 

The four main quality grapes — Sercial, Verdelho, Bual, and Malmsey — represent the sugar/acid spectrum. Sercial has the highest acidity, with just the slightest touch of residual sugar to round out the edges, and finishes quite dry. Verdelho tends to be the “sweet spot,” as it were, for the perfect balance of high acid and a lick of sugar. Bual is noticeably sweeter, with a dried fruit profile note, while Malmsey is more of a dessert wine. It has softer acidity with a raisined, orange peel, floral, Christmas cake flavor profile. It is excellent paired with desserts or on its own. 

To nail the value-to-quality ratio, spring for a 10 year or older or for a vintage wine, which are released after 20 years in barrel. The complexity and smoothness of the wines is just exemplary starting at this level. Prices might seem a little steep, usually around $40 and up for a 500-ml bottle, but don’t let that scare you off. With alcohol levels at 19 percent, a little goes a long way. Also, an unopened bottle can remain in perfect condition indefinitely, and once opened it will keep for at least three years, longer if well stored — meaning you can open a bottle now, leave it on your bar, and enjoy an occasional glass without worrying about wasting any.

Ignore bottles that don’t list the grape on the front, or those labeled Fine Rich, Rainwater, 3 year, or 5 year, as they will just not display the inimitable character you can expect from the older bottles. As for producers, don’t spend much time fretting over remembering names. The only options available are those who survived the last 100 years because of their commitment to quality. 

Enjoy this holiday weekend a little more with some throwbacks to what your compatriots were drinking more than 200 years ago. Happy Independence Day.