Sir Winston Churchill, knownk for the quote “I have taken more out of alcohol than it has taken out of me”, had certainly no fear of the strong stuff. White House staff in Franklin Roosevelt’s administration coined a special term for Churchill visits: “Winston Hours.” Basically, during this time the president and prime minister would drink until late night, and reportedly Roosevelt needed to sleep for 10 hours a night for three nights to recover from “Winston Hours.”
Once, when asked how much gin he wanted in his cocktail (by the way, he favoured Plymouth Gin), he replied: “I would like to observe the vermouth from across the room while I drink my martini.” The Churchill version of our cocktail is little more than chilled gin, sometimes accompanied by “a sly bow in the direction of France, in lieu of any of the nation’s distracting liqueurs”.
One more quote by the man: “When I was younger I made it a rule never to take strong drink before lunch. It is now my rule never to do so before breakfast.”
The Martini Hour 