Did you know that the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is July 4, 2026? Well, it didn’t just happen - overnight - whoosh! It took time for people to decide it was worth it to ditch the Brits and join the Patriots’ fight for freedom. You could say it started with Paul Revere’s ride April 18-19:
“Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (click here for full text)
Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
He said to his friend, “If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,—
One, if by land, and two, if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country-folk to be up and to arm.”
No one knows the role alcohol played in the courage of the Patriots to fight for independence. But surprisingly, “the average colonist downed six gallons of pure alcohol annually, compared to today’s average of two.”
In fact, I recently read David McCullough’s book The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West and I was fascinated by the paradox of European visitors’ observations that Americans both drank a lot and weren’t much fun.
The cabana boy’s colonial cocktail created might be called a Florida version of a Stone Fence, let’s call it a “Sun on a Stone Fence”. According to PUNCH, it’s made with hard apple cider and rum, reflecting the amply supply of both. Since apples weren’t as plentiful in Florida, I used apple cider, rum and orange juice (not fermented). Got a tell you it is pretty refreshing!
You can participate in the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s ride, by putting two candles or lanterns in your window on the night of April 18. If you need courage, mix yourself a “Sun on a Stone Fence”.
It goes very well with a colonial supper, like fried chicken and succotash salad.