Why Abraham Lincoln Wasn't A Big Drinker

U.S. Presidents of the past have often been known to drink, some more than others. George Washington and Ulysses S. Grant were both on the boozier side of the scale. The first president loved Madeira wine and strong porter beer, while Grant preferred bourbon — specifically Old Crow, a brand that is still around today. But President Abraham Lincoln may have had the most complicated relationship with alcohol. Some sources claim that when he was young, Lincoln produced whiskey while living in Kentucky and later sold alcohol from a storefront in Illinois. When it came to actually consuming alcohol, it wasn't really his thing.

He even supported the temperance movement and gave several speeches to the Washington Society, a national temperance group (with an ironic name given George Washington's love of booze). Still, when he was president, it was reported that Lincoln would sip on a glass of wine or Champagne at social events. Ultimately, his reasons for not being a big drinker seemed to be personal. He didn't like the taste and how it made him feel. 

While Abraham Lincoln believed overindulgence in alcohol was a problem, he advocated for mindful persuasion rather than moralistic repudiation. He claimed that in his case, abstaining wasn't hard. "I am entitled to little credit for not drinking because I hate the stuff," Lincoln once told his law partner William Herndon (via Albert J. Beveridge's "Abraham Lincoln: 1809-1858"). "It is unpleasant and always leaves me flabby and undone." According to the same book, there is at least one recorded instance when Lincoln did overindulge, but this was in part due to being a lightweight. Before he became president, he was with friends at a home in Danville, Illinois, tasting a few homemade wines. After a sip of each of the proffered wines, Lincoln told the group, "Fellers, I'm getting drunk." However, this seemed to be a one-off event.

At the White House, it was the First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln who took charge of the booze. She famously served Champagne punch in a 10-gallon Japanese porcelain bowl, although it's unlikely the president indulged in a glass. So, while there have been numerous U.S. presidents who loved a cocktail from time to time — like FDR's gin martinis and Andrew Jackson's whiskey punch — Lincoln remained an outlier, perfectly content with a simple glass of water.