9th Feb 2012 Another True Story About Boozing

 
Admiral Edward Russell's Booze Up ~

The record for history's largest cocktail party, took place in 1694, when Edward Russell threw an naval officer's party that employed a garden's fountain as the punch bowl.

How was the concoction created, you may well ask? A mixture that included 250 gallons of brandy, 125 gallons of Malaga wine, 1,400 pounds of sugar, 2,500 lemons, 20 gallons of lime juice, and 5 pounds of nutmeg.

A series of bartenders actually paddled around in a small wooden canoe, filling up guests' cups. Not only that, but they had to work in 15-minute shifts to avoid being overcome by the fumes and falling overboard. The party continued nonstop for a full week, pausing only briefly during rainstorms to erect a silk canopy over the punch to keep it from getting watered down. In fact, the festivities didn't end until the fountain had been drunk completely dry. 

Supposedly true but I can't help wondering, just a little, if it's not perhaps ever so slightly exaggerated. 

Tags: cocktailparty

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