Ten of History's Most Notorious Drinkers

WINSTON CHURCHILL

Iconic statesman and unstoppable killing machine Winston Churchill spent his entire professional life in the service of the British Empire, including serving as minister for all three branches of the military. At the time of the Battle of Britain, Churchill was facing the largest and most sophisticated military the world had ever seen, with an army, navy, and air force that were already battered and demoralized from the loss of Europe ... so if anyone could be forgiven for needing a few stiff drinks it was him.

In fact, Churchill was rarely far from some variety of booze: His workday began early with a glass of whiskey soda and a lap full of paperwork as he geared up for the day’s heavy diplomatic and strategic lifting. After getting dressed and accomplishing whatever he couldn’t do from bed, he usually met with his family for a three-course lunch, typically accompanied with champagne and brandy. Returning to his offices for more heavy-duty prime-ministering, he would knock back a few tumblers of brandy before dinner, which was accompanied by more wine, scotch and gin, then closing out the night with another whiskey soda.

In between all these drinks, he emboldened and united the British people, managed the emergent alliance between the U.K., U.S., and Russia, supervised the day-to-day affairs of a society and military that spanned the entire world, and enjoyed a cigar or two. In short, Churchill was perhaps the most superhumanly functional alcoholic of the 20th century, an attitude he reflected in the quote, “Always remember that I have taken more out of alcohol than it has taken out of me.”