There are a lot of ways to examine the complex legacies left behind by each American president: through legislation signed, scandals endured or wars fought. But have you thought about how each leader of the free world affected the drinking scene of his day?
Jim Hewes, a recreational historian and the bartender at the historic Round Robin, the bar at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC, certainly has. And he’s created a 44 drink menu to show it off, with a drink specially selected for each president, based on their personal taste and attitude towards imbibing.
For the tee-totaling residents of the White House, Hewes has included Diet Coke with lemon for George W. Bush and a cranberry juice and soda for Calvin Coolidge. Rutherford B. Hayes didn’t drink either, but has been assigned the Orange Blossum- the drink Washington pressmen created when they spiked the punch at his inauguration. For the rest, the selections are a bit more tantalizing. Here are some highlights from the menu:
Now the question is, how to you start going through the menu? By political persuasion, chronologically, or by whatever sounds best? Another historical question that only time can answer.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (left); Rachelmnop / CC (right)
