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Comparing the signature cocktails of U.S. Presidents Ulysses S. Grant versus Teddy Roosevelt
We are back with another battle of U.S. President signature cocktails. Here we have America’s 18th President, Ulysses S. Grant and his signature Roman Punch drink, versus the only and only Teddy Roosevelt, America’s 26th President, whose signature drink was the Mint Julep.
Right about now many might be wondering ‘how the heck could Roman Punch ever compete with the Mint Julep?’ After all, spiked punch has generally fallen out of favor in the past half century with most Americans while the Mint Julep remains a mainstay of bourbon culture and the signature drink of the Kentucky Derby. But once you find out more about President Grant’s Roman Punch you might not be so quick to judge!
Which U.S. President Had The Better Signature Cocktail? Teddy Roosevelt vs Ulysses S. Grant
This particular variation of Ulysses S. Grant’s cocktail recipe comes to us by way of Bennett Rhea from Cookin’ With Congress. A few weeks ago we compared George Bush’s martini to Harry Truman’s old fashioned, so we are back again but this time with two new presidents and two new cocktails.
Made for hosting large groups, President Ulysses S. Grant’s Roman Punch recipe takes about a gallon of water. That should give you a sense of how shareable this concoction is.
For Grant’s Roman Punch he uses 8 oranges (zest), 4 lemons, 1 gallon of water, 1 bottle of champagne, and 8 egg whites. The champagne can be substituted for a bottle of Rye Whiskey as that was also common at the height of popularity for Roman Punch.
In the clip below, Bennett actually had tried three variations of the Roman Punch recipe and the one listed above was the best so that is the one are going with here. The clip starts out with the history of the cocktail so if you want to jump straight ahead to the making of the punch that begins around the 4-minute mark:
Pretty, pretty nice. But what about the competition?!
Teddy Roosevelt’s Signature Cocktail Recipe: Mint Julep
Most Americans of drinking age are aware of the Mint Julep’s existence, even if they are unaware of the ingredients. As the signature cocktail of the Kentucky Derby the Mint Julep receives a lot of attention each May.
The clip below starts out with Bennett saying how he loves when a favorite cocktail clashes with an individual’s persona. Teddy Roosevelt was an adventurer, a rugged individual. His favorite cocktail having powdered sugar certainly does not match with a guy whose reputation was spending more time outdoors than inside.
The recipe for Teddy Roosevelt’s Mint Julep is particularly special because it included ingredients from the White House garden. It includes: 10 to 12 fresh mint leaves (traditionally from the White House garden), 1 sugar cube (or ½ oz. simple syrup / 1 teaspoon sugar), Splash of water (if using a sugar cube), 2-3 oz. Rye Whiskey, .25 oz. brandy, Crushed ice, and Mint sprig… Why Rye Whiskey? President Roosevelt preferred Rye over Bourbon.
I have always been partial to punch… Did I mention that? While I love a good Mint Julep I can really only drink 2 of them at most before needing to switch things up whereas with punch I could drink it all night with reckless abandon.
If we are going with a ‘Marry / Kill’ situation though, I’d have to choose the Mint Julep. I’d much prefer 1-2 Mint Juleps each year and never punch again over the option to maybe order/make this punch sometime. Unless it is on a menu somewhere that I would have easy access to.
Which U.S. Presidential cocktail are you picking? Let us know down below in the comments!