DOTD For Thursday, April 9, 2026

A Salute To A Hero From Both Sides Of The Atlantic

Today’s DOTD - Drink Of The Day - is a Savoy Hotel Special cocktail - or mocktail - inspired by U.S. National Winston Churchill Day. One of Churchill’s favorite places was The Savoy Hotel in London, which served as a regular dining spot for him, as well as a venue where he celebrated major milestones. He frequently dined at the Savoy Grill, and the hotel bar still honors his legacy today with a dedicated suite and cocktails. They also have trivia about him there - for example, that Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of the UK twice. What you may not have known is that Churchill was also half-American by birth, but because of different birthright citizenship laws when he was born, he wasn’t a dual citizen.

National Winston Churchill Day

National Winston Churchill Day is an actual observed minor holiday in the United States, celebrated annually on April 9th. It commemorates the date in 1963 when President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation granting Winston Churchill honorary U.S. citizenship, a rare distinction. On that day, Churchill became the first of only eight people to ever receive honorary U.S. citizenship - and only two of them, Churchill and Mother Theresa - were alive at the time they received that honor.

Some of you may wonder why Winston Churchill wasn’t an American citizen already. After all, his mother, Jennie Jerome Churchill - better known as Lady Randolph Spencer-Churchill - was a prominent American socialite born in Brooklyn, New York. His father, Lord Randolph Churchill, was British, making Winston a proud British-American hybrid.

Churchill’s mother, while married to British aristocracy, was not required to renounce her U.S. citizenship. However, prior to the U.S. Citizenship Act of 1934, U.S. citizenship could only be transferred to children through their father. The U.S. Citizenship Act of 1934 - also known as the Equal Nationality Act of 1934 - was a landmark piece of legislation signed into law by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, on May 24, 1934,. That law permitted American women married to foreign nationals to pass U.S. birthright citizenship to their children born abroad. It brought greater equality to U.S. citizenship laws by granting women similar rights as men, though it was sadly not retroactive.

Unfortunately for Churchill, he was born in 1874, long before the Equal Nationality Act, so the citizenship of his mother, Lady Randolph, had no bearing on his citizenship.

Further background on Winston Churchill

There’s much to be said about the half-American, all-grit English treasure that was Winston Churchill. Born to a wealthy American mother and grandson to a Duke, Churchill was born into greatness.

His early years, however, proved to be difficult, as he struggling in academia with his studies. His teachers called him “unpunctual and careless.” However, as he grew older, Churchill excelled in history and began writing poetry that was published in school magazines. After repeated insistence by his father, Winston began preparation for a military career and graduated from the Royal Military Academy in 1894.

In his early 20s, from 1895 to 1900, Churchill saw combat in Cuba, India, Sudan, and South Africa, was mentioned in dispatches and recommended for a royal decoration, earned four Royal (UK) campaign medals and the Spanish Order of Military Merit, wrote five books, established himself as a popular war correspondent and lecturer, gained international fame as an escaped prisoner of war, and was elected to a seat in the UK Parliament, all before his twenty-sixth birthday.

He would later lead Britain into victory during the second World War as Prime Minister. As a celebrated politician, army officer, and writer, it’s hard to even determine which field he had been the most impactful in. With a Nobel Prize in Literature, numerous medals of honor, and an undeniable impact on the world we live in today, it’s easy to see why so many still revere Winston Churchill.

Churchill’s Infamous Drinking

Churchill’s drinking is legendary. Being a bit corpulent, as they say, our boy could really pack it away and drink provides fodder for many quotes that while perhaps not confirmed are certainly attributed to him. For example: “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.” Witty gent, he.

While significant controversy exists around the exact amount of his drinking, the daily baseline appears to be along the lines of:

Wake up around 11 AM: 3 scotch and sodas, always Johnnie Walker.
Lunch: Champagne (Pol Roger), an imperial pint bottle (20 oz), followed by a post-lunch glass or two of cognac.
Post-nap afternoon: One scotch and soda each hour from around 4-7.
Before dinner: Glass of Amontillado Sherry.
Dinner: Another imperial pint bottle of Pol Roger.
Post dinner: Back to the cognac up to 2AM bedtime

Yes, Sir Winston Churchill was a bit of a lush. But if you’re not into alcoholic drinks, we’ve got today’s DOTD as a great mocktail too.

Five Odd Facts About Winston Churchill:

1) Churchill almost didn’t go to military school

Third time’s the charm they say, and that’s how many times it took Churchill to pass the entrance exams for the Royal Military College at Sandhurst.

2) OMG my BFF Winston

The first known use of the acronym OMG was in a letter to Winston Churchill.

3) He had a sensitive side

Churchill was regularly moved to tears in Parliament.

4) Churchill was accident prone

Among many injuries, Churchill suffered a concussion, ruptured a kidney, nearly drowned in a Swiss lake, fell off several horses, dislocated his shoulder, and was hit by a car.

5) War makes you thirsty

Churchill it’s said took 60 bottles of liquor with him when he set out for the Boer War.

Thankfully, it won’t take 60 bottles to make today’s Drink Of The Day, a Savoy Hotel Special. In fact, we’ve got the recipe so you can have it as a mocktail OR a cocktail.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’re going to need for this drink: