Forgotten Drinks of Colonial New England

Colonial New England was awash in ales, beers, wines, ciderand spirits.

Everyone from teenage farmworkers to our founding fathers imbibedheartily and often.

Tipples at breakfast, lunch, teatime and dinner were the norm,and low-alcohol hard cider was sometimes even a part of children's lives.

Thisburgeoning cocktail culture reflected the New World's abundance of rawmaterials: apples, sugar and molasses, wild berries and hops.

This plentifuldrinking sustained a slew of smoky taverns and inns-watering holes that becamevital meeting places and the nexuses of unrest as the Revolution brewed.

NewEngland food and drinks writer Corin Hirsch explores the origins and taste ofthe favorite potations of early Americans and offers some modern-day recipes torevive them today.