The pilgrims who landed on Plymouth Rock were a thirsty lot. They had fortified themselves, during the long journey from southern England, with barrels and barrels of beer. The Mayflower had originally even been used to transport wine.
And it wasn’t long before they were making booze in America. In fact, according to David Wondrich, noted liquor historian and The Daily Beast’s chief drinks columnist, about 30 years after arriving in the New World, the pilgrims were distilling straight rye whiskey in Massachusetts.
