Madeira Wine!

Benjamin Franklin & Madeira Wine

Benjamin Franklin wrote an autobiography of his life, explaining the various adventures he went through on the road to Independence. In 1744, he began writing about the need of the colonists to maintain a militia, to help protect its citizens against the many attacks that were happening at the time. Spain and France were both in a war against Great Britain at the time, and the colonists were a natural target of hostilities.
The colonists responded to his encouragement with great enthusiasm, and soon there were companies and regiments being formed up and down the coast. Now they just needed some heavy artillery with which to man their forts. They had a few cannon in Boston, but not nearly enough to keep their cities safe.
Benjamin Franklin and a few of his friends therefore headed up to meet with Governor Clinton of New York, the English-appointed ruler of that state. Here are Ben Franklin's own words about this meeting:
"He at first refus’d us peremptorily; but at dinner with his council, where there was great drinking of Madeira wine, as the custom of that place then was, he softened by degrees, and said he would lend us six. After a few more bumpers he advanc’d to ten; and at length he very good-naturedly conceded eighteen."


You have got to love it! Just a little bit of historical trivia from the internet, to store in that useless information department of your brain.
If I interpret this correctly or at least appeal to my warped  sense of humor I'm guessing that Madeira Wine, is in some way responsible for saving the Colonies!
It is also considered to be a fortified wine, placing it in the Wheaties category of alcohol!