Relaford
Renaissance: February 2008 Issue
The Chairman enjoys his favorite pastime with former White House
occupants and discloses secrets within the Club Relaford wet bar.
By Matthew Moses
Its 4pm and Happy Hour is about to begin. Our
Nation’s Capital is no different. Drinks are ordered, mixed,
and served. It’s obvious the bar is open, because laughter
seeps through the walls and cheer rings through the halls. “I’ll
have another!” one patron proclaims, and I think to myself “If
I were president what would Iorder?”
President Kennedy with wife Jackie, having a post-dinner drink
and cigar, 1962
Well according to Jim Hewes, mixologist at the Willard-Inter-Continental’s
Round Robin Bar if you’re Gerald Ford, “Gin & Tonic.” Ronald
Regan reintroduced California wines to the White House. Richard
Nixon once took champagne with him as a gift to the Chinese Premier.
George
W. Bush, Diet Pepsi with lemon, Clinton is more a social type of
person, much as John Kennedy was.
George Washington’s
distillery (Virginia.gov)
So if it’s right before dinner, you
might have a martini and after dinner a glass of scotch or brandy.
Nixon was known as kind of a “guys guy,” a scotch drinker,
a rum and coke kind of a guy. Lyndon Johnson, when he was drinking,
was a Cutty and Branch kind of a guy. He also drank Old Bohemian,
a local beer out of Baltimore. In his later days, for various heath
reasons he acquired a taste for Fresca and also Tab. George
Washington made rye whisky, and at one time his estate at Mount Vernon
was the largest private distiller in the United States. ”
Since our nation’s leaders have been
men of great power, it’s hard to think of them as regular people
like you and me. Celebrities appear that way too. However you have
to remember they were once civilians, so the way they ran their administrations
really reflected their personality. Take Jimmy Carter for example,
he never drank liquor. Hewes says, [Carter] “Was a tea drinker
and served non-alcoholic wine.” In contrast to our current president, “twenty
years ago he drank Sam Houston, a bourbon, and with the Texas name
fit in pretty good, but he gave up the bottle.”
It is evident that the business of politics is politics. Jim says, “You
don’t want to know that your president is smoking, you don’t
want to know that your president drinks a six-pack of beer a day. ”
President Reagan, Vice President Bush, journalist
Walter Cronkite and friends toast to Cronkite ’s retirement.
So as 7:00pm approaches, all of the drinks
have been served, and Happy Hour comes to an end. All the patrons
shuffle out, some stagger, some trot. When asked if there was a common
theme with presidents and their drinking habits, Jim Hewes extended
a great quote from the days of FDR who also enjoyed a little “sippy” so
much so he had his own version of
happy hour every afternoon in his office. Although he was politically
astute, he was not known for making the best martinis. “You’ve
got the Republican Party, you’ve got the Democratic Party, but
the true spirit inside the Beltway and most important party in Washington
D.C. is the Cocktail Party.”
*Note: Want to know what the staff at Club Relaford is drinking? Check
out Rooster Talk for a full list of our favorite delights.
THE EDDY VEGAS
1 part Gin
1 part Vodka
1 part Mango juice
1 part Cranberry juice
Garnish with ice.
Prepare a tall glass full of ice then add the Gin, next add the Vodka,
next add the Mango juice, next add the Cranberry juice, next add the
Ice. Do not stir, ingredients should be layered. Taste great, goes
down smooth.
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