Drinking with Sir Winston Churchill
Sipping, Savoring and Socializing with the Prime Minister
As much as we may think we know about England's “First Family,” in particular Queen Elizabeth II and her advisors, having studied episodes of “The Crown” television series like a history lesson, we may not be well versed on all their habits. Like drinking. Except perhaps, to have learned that not all merely took tea.
The Queen, reportedly, enjoyed a gin and Dubonnet in the cocktail hour, a glass of sweet German wine with dinner, and a glass of champagne before bed. Prince Philip preferred to wind down with beer from the Boddingtons Brewery. The newly ascended King Charles likes his single malt Scotch whiskey and the Queen Consort, a glass of wine.
Yet it was Sir Winston Churchill who was best known for having “a relationship” with alcohol.
Celebrated author Gin Sander, who also wrote, “Wear More Silk: 131 Luxurious Ways to Add Romance, Spice and Adventure to Your Everyday Life” and “The Big Bucket List Book: 133 Experiences of a Lifetime,” among dozens of other books, understands that the Prime Minister took great pleasure in a lovely Champagne, as well as brandy when paired with a cigar, a watered-down scotch at his desk and, when painting in the South of France, what
ever was available. She also imagined she'd find a ready and willing audience were she to write about what Churchill liked to drink, with whom he liked to drink, and where.
Plus, she recognized the value in pairing her project with the wisdom and experience of renowned Sommelier Roxanne Langer, owner of “Lady Somm” wine programs and the Carmel Wine School.
“Churchill: A Drinking Life: Champagne, Cognac, and Cocktails,” published in August by Skyhorse Publishing, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, is a fun, fast read, which looks like a hostess gift and should be read with something shaken not stirred, over ice, or sipped from a stem.
Sander's interest in writing about alcohol and those who can be characterized by it, stems from her personal interest in gin and the martini. Years ago, a publisher asked her to write a book called “The Martini Diet,” a metaphor for excess, noting that the first one is delightful, the second can get a little sloppy and, after the third, she said, you're probably going to ruin your credit and have to leave town.
“I hung that story on Julia Child when, at her birthday party, she said, `The secret to a long life is red meat and gin.' But you can't drink and lose weight, and you must approach food the same way; all things in moderation.”
When the world was put on pause by the pandemic, Sander decided to use the time to write another book. This time, she went with Winston. Why not make it all about Churchill, another gin-ophile, who apparently said, “Pour the gin in a glass and look toward France.”
“I was elbow deep into the book, when I learned there were a lot of pithy lines with false attributions,” she said. “But this made the story only more intriguing.”
Reportedly, Churchill's favorite breakfast cocktail, created by the Prime Minister himself, was made with a blend of orange juice, champagne, and cognac.
“The liquor just flowed throughout Churchill's life,” Sanger said. “It was not hard to sleuth out. But it was fun.”
Sleuthing out stories
Gin Sander would have loved to travel to England to rifle through research and speak with primary sources. But she was stuck in her Sacramento home, her travel curtailed by COVID. So she studied online, reading the memoirs and diaries kept by those who worked for Churchill, which provided up-close and personal perspectives by those who actually observed him, rather than writing from assumptions based on how he presented himself. Or tried to.
“In addition, Roxanne Langer is so well connected in the liquor and wine industry,” said Sander. “She was able to dig up great, unreported stories. And through her, we got to go to the famous estate in Napa where Churchill visited.”
On Sept. 12, 1929, Churchill, his brother and two sons made their one trip to California, where they stayed in a Hillsborough estate loaned to them by heiress Celia Tobin Clarke, before heading down the coast to Pebble Beach and on to Hearst Castle.
“I found a very blurry photo of Churchill, wearing a cowboy hat and leaning against a Cypress tree, presumably in Pebble Beach,” Sander said. “From there, they pressed on to San Simeon, moments before the stock market crashed. Having bet heavily on the market, he lost big.”
Reportedly the equivalent to $1 million today.
Sander also discovered an unpublished photo of Churchill visiting Eisenhower after the War and before he was President, having drinks at the Raleigh Tavern in Vermont.
“He was served his drink by an African American,” said Sander, “and I could see it was a scotch and soda. Just when I think, `How could there be anything new to learn about Winston Churchill,' there it was. I also learned that Truman was a bourbon man.”
FDR, she says, drank Gin. Sander's favorite gin, if anyone asks, is a Hendrick's gin martini, up, with a twist of lemon.
Champagne, cognac & cocktails cred
Berry Bros. & Rudd is a family-run British wine and spirits merchant founded in London, in 1698. To this day, the house remains family owned and has maintained its cachet for producing elegant champagnes, which age very well. The “Pol Roger,” made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier is, says Roxanne Langer, best known as Winston Churchill's favorite Champagne.
“People would ask where the champagne was being sent,” she said, “as a way to find Winston Churchill. When he died, the house put a black band around the label in tribute to him.”
Roxanne Langer hails from Fremont but made many moves throughout California before coming to Carmel in 2021. Yet, through her career as a sommelier, she has traveled to 33 countries within Europe, Asia and North America, speaking, teaching and researching wine while enjoying what she considers “the glamour and exhilaration” of the international wine trade.
“People love to experience, converse about, and enjoy wine,” she said. “It's truly a common denominator for creating community.”
Which lies at the heart of Langer's pursuit of the pinnacle of wine stewardship, in becoming a sommelière. A graduate of the University of the Pacific, with her bachelor's and Master's degrees in international relations, she went on to become certificated in viticulture and enology at UC Davis. After working in sales for Grgich Hills Estate Winery, she became a sommelière and founded “WineFUNdamentals,” which provided wine programs for corporations, associations, alumni groups, and country clubs. For just over a year, she served as an adjunct wine professor for UOP's Food Studies Master's Program, before serving as director of sales and marketing for Moraga Bel Air Winery, owned by Rupert Murdoch.
In 2020, Langer established “Lady Somm,” whose wine programs for corporations and associations have led her all over the country, whether she's leading sit-down tastings, a wine walk, wine receptions, team-building with wine or wine-pairing dinners. Lady Somm's two other divisions are Wine Forward. a direct-to-consumer winery consultancy and Carmel Wine School, where she is an adjunct professor for the International Sommelier Guild.
Meanwhile, Gin Sander, who studied political science at Mills College, never took an English course in college, but ended up in the book business, which launched a writing career, culminating in more than 50 books, all nonfiction.
“In working with Gin Sander on `Churchill,' I found that she, having written many books, is an excellent writer,” said Langer. “I was contacting people in the industry and sleuthing out stories about Churchill and the brands he liked best. It was fun. We drank plenty of champagne while we worked, particularly Pol Roger.”
“Churchill: A Drinking Life: Champagne, Cognac, and Cocktails,” is available at Ami Carmel lifestyle store in Carmel and online, “wherever fine books are sold.”