What's Cooking on 1060: A Lesson In Presidential Drinking
By Hadas Kuznits
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A political drinking book hits the market, just in time for the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.
Mark Will-Weber, author of "Drinking with the Democrats" and "Drinking with the Republicans" writes about the drinks, drinking habits, secrets and scandals involving presidents and alcohol.
"My favorite areas of research were their memoirs, their letters and their diaries."
He says particularly with the early presidents, he had to learn to decipher their drinking slang.
"For instance, they wouldn't say they had a hangover, they didn't use that word until much later; they would say 'I felt quite inconvenient the next morning.' It was sort of code for what we know as a hangover; and they wouldn't say so-and-so was drunk necessarily, they would say he was 'quite fuddled.'"
So how about the president who made crank calls while drinking?
"That honor goes to Richard Nixon, who was a drunk dialer."
Will-Weber says the president sets the tone for how alcohol is viewed.
"We don't like to use the term 'king,' but they're the boss when they're in there, so the people under them sort of take their cues as to what sort of White House is this going to be in regards to alcohol."
And with two political conventions set to kick off this month, Will-Weber says it's going to get crazy.
"They've already for instance said the Texans that are coming can bring in their own alcohol."
Hear the full podcast (runs 29:29)…
And for this week, that's "What's Cooking on 1060!"
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