George Washington’s Big Bar Tab

In this episode of The American Presidency: Unfiltered, host Brad Pitzl uncorks one of the Founding Fathers’ lesser-known stories — the night George Washington threw a farewell bash worthy of legend. Before leaving Philadelphia in 1787, the future president joined 55 guests at the City Tavern for a dinner that included over 50 gallons of liquor, a modest spread of relishes and olives, and a bar tab that would make modern accountants weep. With humor and historical insight, Brad dives into the surviving receipt, revealing how the Father of His Country may also have been the Father of the Afterparty.

Far from the marble monument of restraint we imagine, this episode explores a more human Washington — one who’d earned the right to celebrate after years of war, compromise, and constitutional chaos. Through expert quotes, witty narration, and a few raised eyebrows, Brad unpacks how this night of indulgence clashed with Washington’s public image yet perfectly captured the spirit of a nation learning to let loose after inventing democracy. Grab your tankard — history has never been this intoxicating.