The invoices among George Washington's papers suggest he was frequently in need of new decanters to replace damaged ones and to offer a generous choice of beverages to his guests. Washington likely filled them with the imported wines he favored - madeira, claret, and port - as well as punch and cordials, beer, and domestically distilled liquors. His guests, serving themselves from decanters set about the dining table, no doubt admired their elegant cut and engraved decoration set off by the amber, gold, and crimson liquids within.