Now that the Republican National Convention and Democrat National Convention are both in the books, it’s time to look back at some important Presidential history. We are not going to look at a particular issue or how they voted, no, we are going to look at something really important – What adult beverage does each President like to imbibe in. Finally, we are going to talk about real issues.
There’s a lot of fermenting and distilling ground to cover in our nation’s nearly quarter millennium but thankfully, someone’s already done the work for us. Thanks to Mark Will-Weber’s book, Mint Juleps with Teddy Roosevelt: The Complete History of Presidential Drinking there’s a great resource to turn to find out the truth about each president. You may be surprised at who was a teetotaler and who had a bit too much tee.
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The book enlightens us on important issues like,
- Which Founding Fathers had distilleries in their backyards (We certainly know our founding father had a distillery because it was recently rebuilt.)
- Which American president (an Ivy League professor, no less) had his own namesake whiskey
- The teetotalers vs. the car-totallers among U.S. presidents
- The preferred presidential stemware: snifter or stein?
- Why Ike made gin in a bathtub
- Which president’s expensive tastes in alcohol led him into bankruptcy
- The 4 Cs: Cointreau, claret, Campari, and cocktails
- Who in the White House abstained, imbibed, or overindulged during Prohibition
Whether you lean left, right or are a steadfast independent I think we can all agree, its 5 o’clock somewhere. Sit back, grab the cocktail of your choice and learn what the first five and the most recent five president indulge(d) in. The actual book includes details on all 44 Presidents.
The First Five Presidents
No. 1 – George Washington
Preferred Drink: Dark Porter
Date of Birth: February 22, 1732
Birthplace: Westmoreland County, Virginia
Party Affiliation: Independent
According to Will-Weber, “Washington sold whiskey (made near Mount Vernon), but he probably rarely, if ever, drank it.” Rather than the hard stuff, the first president of the United States loved dark porter beer, which he would lace with molasses.
No. 2 – John Adams
Preferred Drink: Hard Cider
Date of Birth: October 30, 1735
Birthplace: Braintree, Massachusetts
Party Affiliation: Federalist Party
By all accounts, the second president of the U.S. loved his alcohol. In fact, he started “almost every morning with a hard cider,” per Will-Weber. Adams also drank “porter beer, rum and copious amounts of Madeira.”
No. 3 – Thomas Jefferson
Preferred Drink: Wine
Date of Birth: April 12, 1743
Birthplace: Shadwell, Virginia
Party Affiliation: Democratic-Republican Party
According to Monticello.org, Thomas Jefferson said in 1818 that “in nothing have the habits of the palate more decisive influence than in our relish of wines.” Jefferson’s love of expensive wines (and large purchases of said wines) brought him “to the brink of financial ruin,” according to Will-Weber.
No. 4 – James Madison
Preferred Drink: Champagne
Date of Birth: March 16, 1751
Birthplace: Port Conway, Virginia
Party Affiliation: Democratic-Republican Party
James Madison once said champagne “was the most delightful wine when drank in moderation, but that more than a few glasses always produced a headache the next day.”
No. 5 – James Monroe
Preferred Drink: French Red Wine
Date of Birth: April 28, 1758
Birthplace: Westmoreland County, Virginia
Party Affiliation: Democratic-Republican Party
James Monroe was a big fan of French wine, like Jefferson. Monroe preferred red wine and champagne, a thirst that got him into some trouble. “A small scandal occurred during Monroe’s stint in the Executive Mansion when 1,200 bottles of Burgundy and Champagne from France were charged to an account that Congress had earmarked for furniture.” Hmm, looks like $500 hammers are not a modern invention.
The Five Most Recent Presidents
No. 41 – George H. W. Bush
Preferred Drink: Beer, Vodka Martinis
Date of Birth: June 12, 1924
Birthplace: Milton, Massachusetts
Party Affiliation: Republican Party
Former President George H. W. Bush drank a bit of everything. “He often went for vodka martinis and beer.”
No. 39 – Jimmy Carter
Preferred Drink: White Wine
Date of Birth: October 1, 1924
Birthplace: Plains, Georgia
Party Affiliation: Democratic Party
Although Jimmy Carter would drink white wine for the occasional toast at events, he was far from an avid drinker, imbibing alcohol only sparingly.
No. 40 – Ronald Reagan
Preferred Drink: Wine
Date of Birth: February 6, 1911
Birthplace: Tampico, Illinois
Party Affiliation Republican Party
While living a life in Hollywood, Reagan developed a taste for California wines and “an occasional Orange Blossom Special made with vodka.”
No. 42 – Bill Clinton
Preferred Drink: Snakebite
Date of Birth: August 19, 1946
Birthplace: Hope, Arkansas
Party Affiliation: Democratic Party
A snakebite, Bill Clinton’s favorite alcoholic drink, is one part cider and one part lager mixed in equal volumes.
No. 43 – George W. Bush
Preferred Drink: Diet Cola
Date of Birth: July 6, 1946
Birthplace: New Haven, Connecticut
Party Affiliation: Republican Party
George W. Bush quit drinking before he made it to the oval office. Instead of booze, Bush preferred to drink soda and other non-alcoholic beverages as president.
No. 44 – Barack Obama
Preferred Drink: Beer
Date of Birth: August 4, 1961
Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
Party Affiliation: Democratic Party
There are plenty of pictures of President Obama indulging in a cold beer. You may even remember a beer summit along the way. We are all still waiting on a date for the Bourbon Summit.
No. 45 – Donald J. Trump
Preferred Drink: Teetotaler, his favorite drink is a Diet Coke
Date of Birth: June 14, 1946
Birthplace: New York, New York
Party Affiliation: Republican Party
No. 46 – Joseph R. Biden, Jr
Date of Birth: November 10, 1942
Birthplace: Scranton, Pennsylvania
Party Affiliation: Democratic Party
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