Chocolate has been a favorite since the Mayans and Aztecs drank it as a bitter, spicy concoction. Before this rich treat inspired the dreams of contemporary chocoholics, though, colonial Americans enjoyed it -- but not as a component of cakes and cookies.
On Tuesday, December 8, at 6:30 p.m., Catherine Prescott, chief curator at KTM&HC, and Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli, education and public programs coordinator at Fraunces Tavern Museum in New York City, will lead the second in our new virtual Tavern Tastings series as they talk about chocolate.
Prescott and Tsaltas-Ottomanelli will focus on chocolate and its consumption in colonial days (hint: plenty of beverages, but brownies and chocolate cakes weren’t on the scene yet), and the ways in which the use of chocolate varied between city and country.
For this hourlong event, KTM&HC is welcoming its new Tavern Tastings collaborator, Fraunces Tavern Museum in New York City. Fraunces Tavern, the oldest standing structure in Manhattan, is New York City’s only museum solely dedicated to telling the story of the Revolutionary War and is where George Washington bid farewell to his officers in 1783.
“I’m excited to be collaborating with Fraunces Tavern Museum, which will provide a new, urban-centered perspective on these explorations of tavern food and drink,” Prescott says.
Registered participants will receive a copy of a colonial-era hot chocolate recipe that Prescott will demonstrate so that they can sample at home.
“Nothing is quite as enticing as a mug of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day,” says Prescott. “Our colonial ancestors felt the same, indulging in hot chocolate as a wholesome drink. No wonder it’s a tradition that continues today.”
This free program takes place on Zoom. Registered participants will receive the Zoom link via email in the afternoon on the day of the program. This Tavern Tasting will be recorded and posted on KTM&HC’s YouTube page after the event.
To register, go to KeelerTavernMuseum.org/events/217/tavern-tastings.