kaiser wilhelm ii's drinking habits

Kaiser Wilhelm II: Drinking Habits

Today we mark the death of Kaiser Wilhelm II (also known as William II), last Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia who passed away 75 years ago on June 4th. Wilhelm, who had been deposed following Germany’s loss in World War I (abdicating in November 1918), had been living in exile in the Netherlands.

So what did he drink?

Although the Kaiser enjoyed smoking, a vice which put his father into an early grave, Wilhelm II both ate and drank rather sparingly. At court banquets, he would often let multiple courses pass him by completely and took only meager quantities when he did actually decide to eat.

Alcoholic beverages were rare for the Imperial couple, and though the Kaiser would on occasion drink a light German beer or sparkling red wine when dining late, Wilhelm and his wife would usually have fruit juice at mealtime and were known to be particularly fond of orange juice.

Unlike Bismark, who famously declared that “my patriotism stops short of my stomach”, only domestic wines and spirits were acceptable to the Kaiser. Even vessels of the Kriegsmarine were christened with German sekt as opposed to the traditional champagne. At the New York christening of the German Imperial yacht, Meteor, a Moet-Chandon supplier pulled a prank and swapped out the German bottle for one of his own. Leave it to say that Wilhelm was not amused, going as far as to recall his ambassador from the U.S.A.

Despite all of this, the Boston Globe, recounts the story of the Kaiser thoroughly enjoying multiple American “kochtaels” with Captain Robley D. “Fighting Bob” Evans during a ship-board (probably the U.S.S. Yorktown) meal on Jan 19, 1895 at the opening of the Kiel canal. For a full account of the Wilhelm II’s first encounter with the cocktail, check out Cocktail 101’s account of the tale.

Cocktail Trivia:

Kaiser Wilhelm II loved the cocktail, but it was his brother Prince Henry — a decoratedGerman naval officer — who was honored with one named after him. On his 1902 visit to the United States, the Waldorf Astoria honored the Prince with his own drink:

Prince Henry

1.5oz Gin
1.5oz Dry vermouth
Dash Creme de menthe
Dash Orange bitters
Lemon twist

Add all liquids to a mixing glass. Add ice and stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Kaiser Wilhelm II – Drinking Quotes:

You English people, you drink those awful fiery spirits — horrible stuff — whisky, brandy, what not? How can you imbibe such quantities of poisonous liquid — ruining your constitutions? Simply ruining them — whisky-and-soda everywhere — no, it’s awful: I tasted it once — like liquid fire — ugh! Your drinking habits are fearful. – to Anne Topham
“A ‘kochtael’, you say? Delicious! Humph!” – to Captain Robley D. Evans, Jan 19, 1895.
Give me a woman who truly loves beer and I will conquer the world.