Edward Russell’s Punch Party

Although we're not here to talk about his military prowess, Edward Russell served as an admiral in the British fleet and was renowned for his anti-piracy efforts in the 17th and 18th centuries. He has earned his position at the top of this list by throwing what is probably the biggest cocktail party and cocktail ever.

His junior officers, other crew members, and lucky locals who crashed it attended the event, which was held in Alicante, Spain with over 6,000 attendees, where he was stationed at the time. A local fountain was filled with an alcoholic concoction of epic, historical proportions that included about 250 gallons of brandy, 125 gallons of wine, 1,400 pounds of sugar, 2,500 lemons, 20 gallons of lime juice, and five pounds of nutmeg, making it possibly the largest cocktail ever made.

The preparations also included about 800 servers and 150 different dishes. The bartenders engaged to serve it literally had to paddle around in a canoe and serve from it while working in 15-minute shifts to avoid passing out from the fumes because it was so enormous. The celebrations continued for about a week, even though the party wasn't considered to be done until the fountain had been completely drained.