Glynn Marshes writes:

In 1660, when it was a luxury associated with social privilege, England consumed a thousand hogsheads of sugar. [By 1717] that figure had . . . increased a hundredfold while the per capita annual consumption of sugar doubled, driven up by a combination of improved purchasing power and falling prices. By 1730 sugar would be as embedded in English culture as Whig principles were in English politics. A cup of heavily sweetened chocolate or coffee — accompanied by candies, cakes, or bread slathered with molasses — was integral to the daily rituals of middle-class life and a practical way to supplement the caloric intake of poorly nourished workers.

from Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898, Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace.

Is it possible Burrows & Wallace are slyly linking Whig politics to eating sweets?

Nah, can’t be 😉