Presidential Cocktails
Favorite Drinks of U.S. Presidents...and a New One Honoring Obama
Nov 14, 2008 Laura Harrison McBride
We know more about what presidents who left office quite a long time ago drank than about what more recent occupants quaffed. We do know that George W. Bush says he doesn’t drink at all, but admits having downed a few in his youth.
Bill Clinton, from most reports, liked something called a Snakebite. There is an old version and a newer one. The old one was a shot of Tequila with a shot of Tabasco. Yowzer! The one Mr. Clinton liked was equal amounts of Stout and hard apple cider. This might have been expected, as he studied in the U.K., where such libations are common. Remember, too, that in the U.K., cider is not the sickly sweet watery liquid warmed up with spices in the fall and served to unsuspecting children and adults at farm stands and Halloween parties; it is an alcoholic beverage based on the fermentation of apples. Or pears, only then it’s called perry. (You can find lots of esoteric alcohol information on several websites, including Booze Arts Academy.)
Gerald Ford liked a gin and tonic; in this, he had common cause with Queen Elizabeth, who also likes gin and tonic, with three slices of lemon in each drink, please. No word on how many slices Mr. Ford liked, or if he preferred lime. Or possibly a dash of bitters, which would make it a cross between a pink gin and a gin and tonic.
Richard Nixon liked rum and coke, which is more properly called a Cuba Libre…but then, one wouldn’t want to get political about Oval Office drinks, and calling it that would open a large can of worms.
Harry Truman liked bourbon. He also liked Key West, a very great drinking town where famous lushes such as Ernest Hemingway felt much at home. It's also a place where many "hair of the dog" drinks were invented.
George Washington liked English-style Porter, which was brewed right at Mount Vernon in copious quantities. Porter, beer and stout all would have been home-brewed back then, in sufficient quantities for family, friends, guests and even servants, who were, of course, slaves back then. From all accounts, Washington was a generous master, though, and his staff, whatever their state of freedom, probably were treated to the fruit of the hops now and again.
There is no word yet about what president-elect Barack Obama might prefer. There are, however, lots of drinks already popping up named after him or meant to honor him or celebrate his win. There’s an Obamatini that pops up on the Internet in several places. Most of them are complicated concoctions involving several forms of alcohol and fruit juices. The simplest, however, seems to be the closest to the idea of a martini, a simple, elegant drink:
The Best Obamatini
Ingredients:
- Vodka
- White chocolate liqueur
- Dark chocolate shavings (optional)
Method:
- Fill shaker with ice.
- Pour in one part vodka and one part white chocolate liqueur.
- Shake like crazy and pour into cocktail glass.
- Sprinkle with dark chocolate shavings if desired.
Note: One might also serve it over ice in an old-fashioned glass rather than shaken and poured into a cocktail glass.
Stout was half of Clinton's favored drink
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