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Cracking open a cold one after a long day of work is a regular de-stressor for many of us. When you’re the leader of the free world, that cold one better be extra strong. Some of America’s past (and present) heads of state have been known to unwind with a drink or two. Ring in President’s Day with the signature libations of the United States’ more famous drinking buddies.
Thomas Jefferson
If his political career hadn’t panned out, America’s third president could have had a future as a sommelier. Jefferson was a passionate wine connoisseur with an affinity for French wines, and he even experimented with growing several grape varieties on his Monticello estate. Today, Jefferson has a winery named after him in Virginia.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
No wonder FDR repealed Prohibition: According to the National Archives, the 32nd president was a devout martini enthusiast. He is said to have personally served the classic libation to guests at his regular White House cocktail hours and official events, and even mixed one for Joseph Stalin at the Tehran Conference in 1943. Roosevelt’s signature formula? Two parts gin to one part vermouth, with lemon peel, olive, and, on occasion, a dash of absinthe.
Richard Nixon
Though his presidential legacy will be remembered in a darker light, Nixon’s cocktail of choice was considerably brighter: the mai tai. The tropical amalgam of rum and citrus juices was widely considered to be Nixon’s favorite.
Barack Obama
Our nation’s current Commander in Chief knocks back a few from time to time (we are talking about the guy who hosted a “beer summit” and once visited Boulder’s famously divey The Sink). Sure enough, President Obama unveiled his own White House-made beer in the summer of 2012. Infused with a hefty dose of honey from the First Lady’s beehive, Obama’s White House Honey Ale and Honey Porter garnered so much hype that the White House published the recipes for both brews on its official blog.
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