How to Drink Like a World Leader

Running the world is hard work. And after a long day negotiating treaties, posturing over trade, and hobnobbing with political elites, sometimes a world leader just needs a drink to relax. But how a president, prime minister or monarch chooses to sate those needs says a lot. Here, the preferred drink of some of the modern world’s most powerful leaders, from bygone boozers to sitting drinkers.

Thomas McDonald / Flickr; Matthew Kelly / Supercall

Queen Elizabeth Pregames Lunch

The fortified wine called Dubonnet was around long before Queen Elizabeth II, but she made it (and her go-to Dubonnet Cocktail) trendy. The Queen picked up the habit from her own mother and mixes two parts Dubonnet to one part gin, with a slice of lemon for garnish. Elizabeth is so committed to the beverage, she drinks one as an aperitif before lunch every single day. It’s good to be the queen.

U.S. Embassy Tokyo / wikimedia; suanie / wikimedia

Shinzo Abe Drinks All Kinds of Sake

When Prime Minister Abe hosted President Obama in Tokyo, the Japanese leader showed his American colleague the best sushi the town had to offer: Sukiyabashi Jiro, the sushi master made famous by Jiro Dreams of Sushi. And what elegant, expensive sake did Abe choose to pair with their sushi? Kamotsuru Daiginjo Tokusei Gold, which retails for about $12. Abe’s got that high-low play down pat.

Kremlin.ru; T. MA / flickr

Vladimir Putin Spills the Goods

You can’t work your way to the top of Russian politics without attending more than a few vodka-soaked power lunches. Either due to personal distaste or to keep his wits about him, Putin was known to avoid slamming back vodka shots by ditching his drinks in flower pots.  No matter what you think of his geopolitical tactics, no one can condone the number of plants Putin probably killed with alcohol.

Kuebi / wikimedia; Alexas_Fotos / pixabay

Angela Merkel Does Her Homeland Proud

No German leader would be able to gain the trust of the people without a beer stein in hand. The country’s brewing tradition is integral to its international reputation, so it’s natural for Merkel to grab a pint between meetings or even host intercontinental summits over a few Hefeweizens.

kremlin.ru; WolfBlur / pixabay

François Hollande Doesn’t Compromise on French Wine

If you’ve ever mistakenly referred to American sparkling wine as Champagne in front of a Frenchman, then you understand just how serious the country is about its wine. A good Frenchman himself, President Hollande drinks his fair share of the 14,000 bottles stored in the cellar beneath his residence at the Elysee Palace. He even once cancelled a meal with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani because the Islamic leader refused to allow wine on the menu.

Jacques Beaulieu / flickr; Matthew Kelly / Supercall

Kim Jong Un Imports Crazy Amounts of Booze

For someone who so often proclaims North Korea’s dominance over all other nations, Kim Jong Un sure loves foreign booze. While his people barely survive on harsh rations, the dictator imported over $600,000 worth of booze last year. Russian vodka, whiskey, wine, Champagne and rum from Northern Europe are some of Kim’s favorite vices. Here’s a new nuclear negotiating strategy: Cut off the booze supply.

Gage Skidmore / flickr

Teetotaler Donald Trump Trumps up Trump Vodka

According to The Donald himself, Trump has never tasted Trump Vodka, or any other liquor for that matter, as he claims to have never had a drink in his life. Though the spirit was discontinued in the U.S. in 2011, it is still available in Israel where it’s particularly popular during Passover—it’s one of the few kosher vodkas on the market.

Pete Souza / wikimedia; ColiN00B / pixabay

Barack Obama Brews His Own Beer

Joining the elite ranks of booze-producing American presidents, which even includes George Washington, Obama became the first president to brew beer in the White House, forever cementing himself as a true drinker’s president. To his credit, Obama also enjoys beverages beyond his own ale and porter, like a Martini that outdoes James Bond’s.

Kate Wellington / flickr; Wollertz / shutterstock

Bill Clinton Goes to the Dark Side of British Booze

Clinton got bit by his favorite drink, the Snakebite, during his time studying at Oxford. The mix of half lager and half cider is so notorious that many bartenders in the U.K. refuse to make it, even for a former president. Given Clinton’s reputation as a freewheeling president, we’d love to have shared a dubious pint with him back in his college days.

Valsts kanceleja / wikimedia; Dirk Van Esbroeck / wikimedia

David Cameron Takes a Load off With Guinness

The simple joys are the best, and no one knows that better than former Prime Minister David Cameron. He told Shortlist magazine that drinking Guinness and watching darts is his favorite activity. Sounds like a pleasant way to pass a day at Number 10.

Alfie Goodrich / wikimedia; Nfhere / wikimedia

As Prince William Grows Up, So Do His Beverages

Like any great leader, Prince William has evolved after receiving a royal education in drinking and public figure-hood. As a youth, he enjoyed shots of sambuca and Stella Artois. Then, he graduated to high end cocktails like the $170 treasure chest cocktail at the Mahiki nightclub. After settling down, he’s eased into married life with Guinness. Should he become king someday, we assume he would take up Dubonnet, just like gran.

Ricky Wilson / wikimedia; Pierre Nel / flickr

Kate Middleton Imports Jack

The Duchess of Cambridge injects some down to earth multiculturalism into the royal family with her choice of spirits, Jack Daniels. While Kate apparently enjoys sipping Tennessee royalty, she also has a penchant for a cocktail called the Crack Baby—passion fruit juice, vodka, Chambord and Champagne—which she picked up from her brother-in-law, Prince Harry. The Duchess even had the Crack Baby served at the reception of the royal wedding.

See Li / wikimedia; Luca Stefanutti / flickr

Prince Harry Parties Hard

The list of royal family members we’d like to party with goes: QEII, then Prince Harry. The prince’s poison of choice is Cîroc, and he’s even been known to partake in a Vodka Redbull, for those late, late nights when you just have to get royally blasted.

wikimedia; Matthew Kelly / Supercall

FDR Shook the First Dirty Martini

Yeah, yeah, he helped win WWII. He led America for an unprecedented four terms. He revived the American worker after the Depression with the New Deal. But in our books, Roosevelt’s greatest accomplishment was inventing the Dirty Martini. He mixed up a batch of the briny Martinis at the Yalta Conference, a meeting with Churchill and Stalin (hearty drinkers in their own right), using a coffee pot.

wikimedia; Matthew Kelly / Supercall

JFK Drank Frozen Daiquiris

Kennedy may have had a mixed relationship with Cuba, but he was clear about his feelings for the country’s signature drink, the Daiquiri. Going against Camelot’s classy reputation, the Daiquiri served in the White House in 1960 was not the most refined variation. Jackie Kennedy’s own recipe called for a slushie blender-full of rum, lime, frozen limeade and falernum.

Yoichi Okamoto / wikimedia; Matthew Kelly / Supercall

LBJ Liked Scotch on the Go

Even the leader of the free world can enjoy a simple drink like a Scotch and Soda. Johnson prefered Cutty Sark, which he would drink out of a foam cup as he cruised around his Texas ranch in a convertible, stopping only for refills from Secret Service agents.

White House Photo Office / wikimedia; Matthew Kelly / Supercall

Richard Nixon Snuck Away for Navy Grog

Tiki bars are all about escapism, so it makes sense that Nixon would sneak off to Trader Vic’s in Washington to get away from the politics for a while. As a Navy man himself, Nixon most enjoyed the chain’s Navy Grog, a heady mix of rums, grapefruit juice, honey syrup and seltzer. The drink is powerful enough to make a Commander-in-Chief forget even the most pressing of international crises, at least for a little while.

United Nations Information Office / wikimedia; Matthew Kelly / Supercall

Winston Churchill Watered Down His Whisky

In the face of immeasurable military odds and international chaos, Churchill maintained his stiff upper lip by remembering the good things in life. The essentials of life, according to the PM, are “Hot baths, cold Champagne, new peas and old brandy.”  While he gained a reputation for high liquor tolerance, his daily booze of choice was actually pretty watered down. His children noted that Churchill’s daily Papa Cocktail consisted of Johnnie Walker Red topped with ice and water, which he would sample throughout the day.

ITAR-TASS / wikimedia; Hans Braxmeier / pixabay

Boris Yeltsin Drank a Bit Too Much

The drinking habits of the first president of the Russian Federation are a bit of a sore subject in the country. Yeltsin had a knack for drunkenly acting out while on the international stage, from taking control of an orchestra, to dancing his heart out, to requiring help standing. There was even that time he got so drunk at the White House that the Secret Service found him outside in his underwear trying to hail a cab to get some pizza.

Antonio Milena / wikimedia; Rodrigo Vidal Dawson / vimeo

Fidel Castro Preferred Chivas to Rum  

Cuba may be known for its rum, but Castro preferred his spirits from abroad. Away from the pressures of the Communist people, he would sip his favorite drink, Chivas Regal, on the rocks. At least he could be sure the lowball wouldn’t explode like a cigar.

White House Photographic Office / wikimeda; Matthew Kelly / Supercall

Margaret Thatcher Kicked Back with Scotch

While she may have been known as the Iron Lady for her steely, business-first attitude, Thatcher still liked to unwind with a glass of the hard stuff. At public events, the former PM enjoyed Cointreau, but after a hard day’s work, she liked to kick off her shoes with a good Scotch and Soda.