Shaking up Martinis and Old Fashioneds with FDR
Booze Beast
For Stalin, Roosevelt’s drink-mixing sat ‘cold on the stomach,’ but still the president tinkered—particularly when it came to perfecting Martinis.
Thomas D. McAvoy/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty
Given that the country was in the throes of the Great Depression and World War II was on the horizon, no one could blame President Franklin Delano Roosevelt for wanting a stiff drink.
In fact, dating back to at least his days as governor of New York, on most nights before dinner, FDR would host a cocktail hour for friends and associates.
For such occasions, he had a sterling silver cocktail shaker with a bamboo motif and six matching cups. (He even had a maroon leather case with a blue velvet interior for the set so he could take it with him when he traveled.)