“Churchill’s passion for alcohol had political consequences”


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INTERVIEW. Churchill’s image as a heavy drinker has gone down in history. An assumed inclination which had less consequences on his health than on political life.





Interview by Florence Colombani

August 1946: toasting, with his wife Clementine, upon his arrival in Switzerland. Along with whisky, which he spiced up with seltzer water, champagne was one of the Old Lion’s favorite drinks.
© Keystone/Getty Images

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VShurchill has always liked to raise his elbow. As a teenager, his father recommended that he drink less. He will nevertheless make it a rule of life, starting in the morning with whiskey soda and continuing with champagne, not to mention wine (very good) at the table, etc… In iron health, unlike his children who suffered for three among them a form of severe alcoholism, he escaped cyrrhosis and knew how to use the art of drinking as a weapon in domestic and international politics, as explained here by Noah Rothbaum, the host of the podcast Fix Me a Drink and author of The Art of American Whiskey (Ten Speed ​​Press, 2015, untranslated). Alcohol kills, but not Churchill.

Point : Without alcohol, no Churchill?

Noah Rothbaum*:I will remind you of an anecdote: in 1954, during a convention in…




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