Exploring the Drinking Habits of Great Leaders
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
It was in the spirit of the upcoming Presidents’ weekend – and in my insatiable search to relate events around me to a wine-centricity – that I penned this week’s column.
Seeking references to any imbibing habits by our first and 16th leaders, I found the landscape highly polarized.
George Washington brewed his own beer, of which he consumed copious amounts at dinners in his home and at various venues when crafting the Constitution with his fellow Founding Fathers. He was also fond of the fine wines purchased by Thomas Jefferson on his governmental boondoggles to French wineries. And George was a fan of the wine rage of colonial times: Portuguese Madeira fortified wines.
President Lincoln was the extreme opposite. A self-proclaimed teetotaler, he once pronounced his attitude toward tippling: the problem with alcohol was not that it was a bad thing, but a good thing abused by bad people.
With Lincoln’s statement in mind, I began to ponder the drinking habits of other world leaders, and the influence on the course of world events.
The proclivities of many leaders came to mind, both indulgers and abstainers, including Napoleon, Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and George W. Bush. But the one leader, in my mind, that history attributes an indomitable combination of military prowess and political acumen, equally intermeshed with conspicuous consumption, is Winston Churchill.
Churchill served his country nearly continuously over a span of 64 years, from 1900 to 1964. Such a long timeline provided many opportunities to inspire, sustain, even cajole his fellow citizens through a period that would try the mettle of the country.
With this overall background as inspiration for furthering this week’s wine-centric theme, I researched the numerous links between Churchill’s exploits in Parliament and at the dinner table within 10 Downing Street.
As British prime minister from 1940 to 1945, Churchill led his country from the brink of defeat to victory during World War II. With his vow of “blood, toil, tears and sweat” to Parliament upon taking office, his constituents considered him their savior – and forgave him for his many excesses.
His excesses?
- It is well-documented that his typical alcohol consumption consisted of two or three Scotches, several glasses of Champagne, at least two brandies and a highball – each day.
- At a banquet at the home of the Saudi king, where, for religious reasons, no alcohol or cigars were served, Churchill protested: “My religion prescribes, as an absolute sacred ritual, smoking cigars and drinking alcohol before, after, and, if need be, during all meals and the intervals between them.”
- Of all libations, he favored Champagne. He once admitted: “In victory, I deserve it, in defeat I need it.”
- During the war, Churchill visited the White House for weeks at a time, engaging in his smoking and drinking habits into the wee hours of the morning with his drinking buddy. An aide to President Roosevelt admitted that after Churchill’s visits, FDR slept for 10 hours a night for three consecutive days.
These excesses were encapsulated in his ability to inspire his constituents. Here are a few tidbits I gleaned from various sources:
- “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.”
- “This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.”
- “Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing has happened.”
- “He has all of the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.”
- Dialogue at a dinner with British politician Bessie Braddock: “Winston, you are drunk, and what’s more you are disgustingly drunk.” “Bessie, my dear, you are ugly, and what’s more, you are disgustingly ugly. But tomorrow I shall be sober and you will still be disgustingly ugly.”
- “Don’t interrupt me while I’m interrupting.”
As we remember the accomplishments of these leaders this month, consider President Lincoln’s words on drinking. I guess there are exceptions to every maxim.
Nick Antonaccio is a 45-year Pleasantville resident. For over 25 years, he has conducted wine tastings and lectures. Nick is a member and program director of the Wine Media Guild of wine journalists. He also offers personalized wine tastings and wine travel services. Nick’s credo: continuous experimenting results in instinctive behavior. You can reach him at nantonaccio@theexaminernews.com or on Twitter @sharingwine.
