Humphrey Bogart's Favorite Liquor That He Often Drank On Set

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His brooding, sarcastic quip in "Casablanca" may center around another liquor ("Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine"), but off-screen, Bogie was a Scotch man through and through. Per the lore, Humphrey Bogart's final words were, "I should never have switched from Scotch to martinis." Whether or not the phrase was actually Bogart's last is the subject of some debate. Still, the lament adequately serves to weave Scotch into its frontline position in the tapestry of the late Hollywood star's life.

Humphrey Bogart acquired a taste for Scotch during his early 40s and might have initially picked it up after some coarse teasing from a drinking buddy. As recorded by "Bogart" biographers Ann Sperber and Eric Lax, per Scotch Whisky, "For many years, Bogart in the course of an evening would mix martinis with beer with Drambuie [a liqueur made from Scotch whisky]. Finally, Hellinger told him that he was drinking 'like a kid.' Under such tutelage, he switched almost exclusively to Scotch." (And if you're going to switch to Scotch, consider one of these beginner bottles before trying one of Tasting Table's top 25 Scotch whiskies.) The conversion was more or less a permanent one. The actor is noted to have once waxed poetic, saying: "Scotch is a very valuable part of my life."

Bogart famously said, "The problem with the world is, everyone in it is three drinks behind." Indeed, this was a prescription the actor followed zealously on an everyday basis. When shooting wrapped at 6 p.m. (a strict requirement of Bogart's), a Scotch and water was promptly delivered to him on set by his hair stylist and longtime mistress Verita Peterson. According to agent Phil Gersh, Bogart's regular lunch order at Romanoff's, a Hollywood hangout in Beverly Hills similar to Musso and Frank Grill, was French toast, a brandy, and two scotch and sodas. (Bogart was also a fellow regular at Alfred Hitchcock's favorite Hollywood restaurant, Chasen's.)

It's even rumored that Bogart evaded the wave of dysentery virus that swept the cast and crew of "The African Queen," which was filmed in Uganda in 1951, because he didn't drink the water there — just Scotch whisky — and ate only canned beans and vegetables. Then again, a few years later in 1956, while filming "The Barefoot Contessa," the actor joked that he only consumed Scotch and minestrone during his time in Italy. While he was recovering from chest surgery at home during the same year, Bogart's wife allowed him one ounce of Scotch topped with water and two ice cubes before lunch, and two more before dinner. But, perhaps unsurprisingly, the figurehead of countless iconic, oft-quoted one-liners had a fitting adage for this, too: "I gave up drinking once — it was the worst afternoon of my life."

Though Bogart had an affinity for Scotch — especially when it was prepared with soda — he was known for drinking a concoction known as black velvet, too. This combination of stout beer and Champagne was an interesting combination, but it also highlights why Bogie might have enjoyed Scotch and soda so much. In fact, Bogart loved Scotch and soda so much that he affectionately referred to it as "loudmouth" because it caused him to become more talkative.

Both drinks have an effervescent component, which helps to dilute the flavor of the stronger ingredients. Though both mixed drinks are diluted, the bubbles and sodium help transform the drinks in a way that affects the taste, rather than if they were mixed with regular water. Just remember to avoid expensive Scotch for mixed drinks.

Though it isn't clear as to why Bogart preferred Scotch and soda as his go-to order, it would make sense that he liked these more drinkable options, given that he was teased for sticking to "childish" drinks like beer and liqueur before switching to Scotch.