| Presidential Drinking by Andrew Hedges Hello Bob - Since we just had a new President sworn in I thought it might be fun to look up what kinds of drinks past Presidents favored. I found some good information in a book by Mark Will-Weber and did a little online research. I know it's a bit different than the usual kind of article you select but nonetheless hope you enjoy it enough to put it in your column, which is one of my must reads each month. Oh, in case you didn't know, our new President doesn't drink at all so obviously he's not included in this. I also only selected those Presidents that to me had the most interesting relationship with alcohol beverages. George 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. Actually that doesn't sound bad at all. John Adams preferred to indulge inHard Cider. By all accounts, the second president of the U.S. loved his alcohol. In fact, he started "almost every morning with a hard cider," according to Mr. Will- Weber. He also was known to drink "porter beer, rum and copious amounts of Madeira." I like this guy. James Monroe was a big fan of French wine as was Thomas Jefferson. Monroe preferred red wine and champagne, a thirst that got him into some trouble. A small scandal occurred during his time 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. At least the money wasn't wasted. John Quincy Adams not only enjoyed drinking Madeira (a style of strong Portuguese wine produced in the Madeira Islands) also held was known to have a vast knowledge of all kinds of wine. It's believed his knowledge came from much hands on research. Franklin Pierce, according to what I found preferred to drink just about everything. Several sources called him the drunkest president in American history.Pierce once said after leaving office, "What can an ex-president of the United States do except get drunk?" He died of cirrhosis of the liver at age 65. Finally we get to a President who would enjoy BeerNexus - James Garfield 's drink of choice was beer! Unlike other presidents, he was always a beer man long before seeking political office. One of Garfield's closest friends,Thomas Donaldson, once noted in his diary that: 'Garfield ... liked beer and drank but little else.'" President Grover Cleveland also liked beer above other alcoholic drinks although he was never known to turn anything down if a beer of his choice was not available. . According to writer Will-Weber, "[Cleveland] and a fellow politician once took a vow to hold themselves to four beers a day." He's my kind of guy. Theodore Roosevelt however was not enamored of beer. His drink of choice was a Mint Julep. He loved them and served them to all his guests at the White House. Roosevelt used mint from the White House garden to make the drink. Interestingly we have his personal recipe. You might give it a try though it's too sweet for me. 10 to 12 fresh mint leaves muddled with a splash of water and a sugar cube 2 or 3 oz. of rye whiskey 1/4 oz. of brandy Sprig or two of fresh mint to garnish President Ronald Reagan developed a taste for California wines and an occasional Orange Blossom Special made with vodka. As a beer person I didn't know what that was but was able to find the exact recipe used by Mr. Regan. Here it is: 1 oz. vodka 1 oz. grenadine or sweet vermouth 2 oz. (fresh) orange juice It probably tastes a lot better than it sounds. Here are just a few others - George W. Bush — didn't drink alcohol in the White House. His beverage was Diet Coca-Cola with a slice of lemon. President Bill Clinton enjoyed a Tanqueray Gin and tonic. Jimmy Carter always order alcohol free white wine, John Kennedy opted for Beefeater martini, up with olives, and President Eisenhower went with Johnnie Walker Black on the rocks. There you have my little report. To all the Presidents, drinkers and teetotalers alike, I lift my glass and say Cheers!! ---------- Many thanks Andrew for sending me your article. It was really interesting to learn about our President's drinking preferences. Also thanks for the drink recipes. I'm going to try them out - for historical purposes of course. I'd like to invite everyone to send me their own columns about anything related to beer in any way just as Larry did. I select the best and publish them here. So join in and get writing. Cheers! Bob |
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