By Timothy Long
Back in the early 1990s, my friends and I rented a beach house in Dewey Beach, DE for the summer. It was a great time. To this day we all agree that it was one of the best summers of our lives. Dewey Beach was very different back then. It wasn’t as popular as it is today. People our age mainly went to Ocean City, MD, back then. Dewey Beach was a hidden gem. It was a small fun place with a great beach and lots of great bars and restaurants, all without the hordes of people that would invade Ocean City. The crowds were pleasant, and not nearly as overbearing.
We spent almost every weekend there. We’d always go to the beach house, rain, or shine. Our logic was, we paid for three months, let’s take advantage of it. For rainy days, we had a small television and a VCR. One of our favorite movies to watch while we cracked open beers and plopped down on the couches was an early 90’s movie, Dazed and Confused. I don’t recommend it. It’s not a great movie. But it was unique in one way. At that time, it was one of the few movies about our generation. Often referred to as the Young Baby Boomers, we are the generation that grew up in between Ed Sullivan and MTV. Dazed and Confused takes place in the mid-1970s when most of us were in our early teens. For us, it was a fun and nostalgic film.
At one point in the movie, an avid, long-haired, pot smoker known as Slater goes on a stoner’s rant. Spouting false facts and using confused logic, Slater pontificates about how George Washington grew marijuana at his estate in Mount Vernon, VA, and claims that George smoked pot on a regular basis. According to Slater, Martha would pack him “a big fat bowl” at the end of the day. Slater argues that George thought that marijuana would be a good cash crop for the states.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that our Founding Father did not smoke weed. What George did grow at Mt. Vernon, along with other crops, was hemp. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison also grew hemp. Hemp is a type of marijuana plant that has a THC level too low to have any kind of noticeable effect if smoked. But the plant does have plenty of utility. In our era, it is used to make clothing, paper, paint, textiles, biodegradable plastic, insulation, biofuel, food, and animal feed. George used it to make rope and canvas for his extensive fishing operation. He did think that hemp, not pot, could become a good cash crop for the states.
Our first president may not have grown and smoked weed, but he did make rye whiskey. But by most accounts, he rarely drank it. His favorite drink was a dark porter, produced in Philadelphia, that was laced with molasses. Most of our former presidents enjoyed alcohol. But the majority of those who did drink only drank casually.
In his book, “Mint Juleps with Teddy Roosevelt”, Mark Will-Weber tells us the history of the presidency through booze. Here are some of my favorite points from the book. They come from an article he wrote for the New York Post, “A Complete List of Every President’s Favorite Drink”, that is based on his book.
- John Adams loved alcohol, starting almost every morning with a hard cider. Then porter beer, rum, and copious amounts of Madeira, a fortified Portuguese wine that was quite popular in those days.
- Thomas Jefferson’s love of French wine led to huge purchases that brought him to the brink of financial ruin.
- A small scandal occurred during James Monroe’s presidency when 1,200 bottles of Burgundy and Champagne from France were charged to an account that Congress had earmarked for furniture.
- Martin Van Buren drank so much whiskey that it earned him a nickname, “Blue Whiskey Van.”
- During the Mexican War, a political aide reportedly visited to inform Zachary Taylor that the Whig party wished to nominate him for president. Taylor allegedly replied: “Stop your nonsense and drink your whiskey!”
- Our drunkest president, Franklin Pierce drank a lot of everything and died of cirrhosis of the liver at age 65. When Democrats failed to support him for re-election in 1856, he allegedly said: “What can an ex-president of the United States do except get drunk?”
- Ulysses S. Grant reportedly suffered from low alcohol tolerance and easily became drunk. In office, one of Grant’s White House entertainment bills included $1,800 for Champagne alone.
- When a representative of the Temperance movement tried to pressure Chester A. Arthur into a no-liquor policy in the White House, he thundered: “Madam, I may be the president of the United States, but what I do with my private life is my own damned business!” I am now a huge fan of Chester A. Arthur.
- Grover Cleveland mostly drank beer, and lots of it. He and a fellow politician once took a vow to hold themselves to four beers a day. When they found this too arduous a task, they simply switched to larger beer steins.
- Herbert Hoover supposedly had a fantastic wine collection, but his wife allegedly dumped it down the drain when Prohibition hit.
- John F. Kennedy had a variety of favorite drinks including daiquiris, Bloody Mary’s, and Heineken beer.
- Richard Nixon would drink expensive bottles of Chateau Lafite Rothschild (costing hundreds of dollars); at the same time, he instructed his staff to serve mediocre red wine to his guests. Towels were wrapped around the bottle’s label, so the guests did not know what they were getting. He certainly did earn the name Tricky Dick.
- Gerald Ford was quite fond of martinis.
- Barack Obama likes beer. Under his presidency, the White Housed served White House Honey Ale (with honey from the White House hives) for special guests.
I love that Washington enjoyed a good porter. It’s nice to know that I have something in common with the father of our country. I think this might have been all that Slater was reaching for, a little connection. The fact that most of our presidents enjoyed a good drink makes them seem a little more human to us. So, drink a good porter today. And toast George when you do it. I think he would have liked that. And I know that you’ll enjoy it. Cheers!
Tim’s Whiskey and Cigar Recommendations
Whistle Pig Small Batch Rye 10 yr.
I’m always cautious with rye whiskeys. They can be very hit and miss. But since Washington used to distill and sell them, I decided a rye recommendation would be appropriate. This rye is a hit. On the nose I got apples, lemon, and some caramel. The first taste was a little thin and tasted slightly like cherry cough syrup. But flavors open on the second taste with anise, vanilla, star anise, and a little mango and oak. It finishes long and smooth with honey, green apple, and vanilla. It’s a lovely complex whiskey.
Liga Privada H99 Corojo Toro Limited Edition
I love Liga Privada cigars. I have never had a bad one. This limited edition corojo is a great smoke. There are hints of cherry and cream throughout. The cigar opens with black pepper, bakers spice, cherry, and cream. As the smoke continues, coffee notes are evident along with the black pepper, cherry cream, and baker’s spice. It finishes smoothly with a bit more pepper and coffee. A very good cigar to blend with that pint of porter you’re raising to toast George. Enjoy.
This cigar, and many other fine cigars, are available at John Crouch Tobacconist at 215 King St. in Old Town Alexandria. Mention this article and get 10% off the purchase of this month’s recommended cigar.
About the Author: Timothy Long is an educator, writer, consultant, and experienced restaurant operator. Email: tlong@belmarinnovations.com. Instagram and Twitter: @wvutimmy. Blog: What is that fly doing in my soup? http://whatflyinmysoup.com