Unveiling a handwritten note from 1757 to secret White House recipes, a heritage preserved in archives reveals the signature drinks of former U.S. presidents.
In 2026, as the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence, the New York Public Library revisited a notable archival document: a brief handwritten note by George Washington that reads,"To Make Small Beer"This note, recorded in 1757, was reinterpreted by the library in collaboration with a New York beverage producer to create a new version of the recipe, featured as part of an exhibition and anniversary celebrations.
At the same time, it serves as a reminder that many U.S. leaders historically engaged in producing homemade drinks, a personal detail passed down as historical anecdotes.
Washington's document was written when he was about 25 years old, serving as a colonel leading Virginia volunteer forces during the French and Indian War, stationed at Fort Loudoun in Winchester, Virginia. The term"Small beer"referred to a low-alcohol fermented beverage common at the time, consumed daily by people rather than as a social drink. With clean water scarce, brewing provided a safer alternative to untreated water.
According to the library's records, such drinks were typically given to paid servants, slaves, and children, while stronger beverages were reserved for the wealthy.
The document lists local ingredients like bran, hops, and molasses, reflecting colonial American life and available resources nearly three centuries ago, rather than a modern brewing manual.
Less known is Washington's ongoing connection to beverage production beyond this early note. After leaving the presidency and returning to Mount Vernon, he established a distillery in 1797, encouraged by James Anderson, the Scottish estate manager experienced in distilling. By Washington's death in 1799, the distillery had produced nearly 11,000 gallons, making it one of the largest in America, primarily rye-based.
Historically significant is that during Washington's presidency, the federal government imposed excise taxes on distilling, sparking the Whiskey Rebellion, which Washington personally helped suppress. A few years later, in retirement, he became one of the country's largest producers. The original distillery building burned down in 1814 but was later reconstructed by Mount Vernon based on archaeological evidence and now serves as a public historical site.
Washington was not alone among founding figures with such stories. Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and third president, also brewed beverages at home, especially later in life, sometimes regarded as one of America's earliest home brewers.
This tradition resurfaced over two centuries later during Barack Obama's White House tenure, remembered as the first documented instance of drinks produced within the White House grounds.
It began in 2011 when Obama purchased home brewing equipment with personal funds. The White House chefs then used honey from the first beehives established on the south lawn near the First Lady's kitchen garden, creating a unique brew. Multiple variations followed, and public interest grew, with over 12,000 citizens petitioning online for the recipe to be publicly released.
Eventually, the White House published the recipe on 1 September 2012 via its official blog under the title,"Ale to the Chief"As a government-produced work, this document automatically entered the public domain.
This status gives the White House drink story a special place, as it is preserved not as a commercial product but as an official record of its era, akin to Washington's handwritten note held in archives.
Looking back at both stories, the interest lies not in the drinks themselves but in how American society chooses to preserve and present them as parts of history. Washington's note reveals military camp life and colonial ways nearly three centuries ago, while the Obama-era document reflects the 2010s culture of DIY projects. By including the old recipe in this year's 250th anniversary celebrations, the library offers a small window for today's generation to glimpse the daily lives of leaders through seemingly minor handwritten notes.
References:NYPL,Mount Vernon,Distilled Spirits,Obama White House