15 Foods And Drinks Loved By Ava Gardner

When you think of Ava Gardner, you probably think of 1950s Hollywood glamour, her relationship with Frank Sinatra, and classic movies like "The Night of the Iguana," "The Killers," and "The Barefoot Contessa" – the latter of which, of course, famously inspired American chef Ina Garten's nickname and brand. But, actually, Garten and Gardner have more in common than a movie name. Like the beloved cook, Gardner was also a big foodie, and she enjoyed cooking, too.

If you're intrigued about what this beloved Hollywood icon ate and cooked, we've got the answers below. But spoiler alert: Gardner rarely strayed from her Southern roots, so you can expect plenty of fried dishes, a little okra, and some candied yams. We've also got the lowdown on what she washed it all down with, too (this, it turns out, was a little more Hollywood — think martinis, lots of gin, and a dash of Champagne).

In North Carolina, where Gardner grew up, flounder is a popular choice. In fact, it's such a popular choice that in 2022, the state had to impose regulations on the recreational fishing of the species due to overfishing concerns. Regulators noted that while flounder fishing is passed down through generations in the state, it's not necessarily a sustainable habit, and could end up wiping out the fish altogether.

But when Gardner was fishing (yep, the movie star did actually fish), strict regulations weren't in force, and so she likely enjoyed plenty of flounder. Gardner's favorite flounder dish involved soaking flounder fillets in a mixture of egg, milk, salt, and pepper for 15 minutes before coating them in breadcrumbs and then frying them in a pan with plenty of butter. Before serving, she would cover the fillets in a rich tomato sauce.

Some might think that tomato sauce is an odd choice for fish, but actually, this is a pretty popular way to serve fish in many Mediterranean communities. Perhaps Gardner developed her love for tomato and fish in Spain (she loved spending time in the country, and even moved to Madrid briefly in her 30s).

Like many Hollywood stars, Ava Gardner loved a tipple. Her third husband, Frank Sinatra, was all about the whiskey (Jack Daniel's, specifically), but Gardner was more of a gin drinker. Her favorite brand was Beefeater, a dry British gin widely acknowledged as one of the best gins to come out of London.

One of the most popular ways to enjoy gin is, of course, with tonic and maybe a twist of lime, but rumor has it that Gardner often preferred hers neat. In fact, she reportedly used to drink gin straight out of a thermos in her chauffeur-driven car. Gardner had such a passion for gin-drinking that she would try to introduce others to it, too. When she lived in Spain, the movie star took Spanish lessons, and reportedly managed to persuade her teacher to take up gin drinking. This time it was with tonic, though, at least.

Gardner even has gin cocktails dedicated to her. Italian gin brand Portofino created the Ava Gardner, which is made with Portofino Dry Gin (of course), raspberry liqueur, orange liqueur, lemon juice, and Champagne for a touch of Hollywood glamor.

Ava Gardner was committed to gin, but like Frank Sinatra, she didn't shy away from a drop or two of whiskey. She would sometimes drink it neat, but she also often mixed it with Coke. In fact, she enjoyed whiskey so much, one famous quote that is often attributed to the actor expresses her desire to die at the age of 150 years old, with a cigarette and a glass of whiskey in each hand. Unfortunately, Gardner didn't get her wish and died at the age of 67. She passed away in London in 1990, due to complications from bronchial pneumonia (which was likely related to her smoking habit).

In 2020, as a tribute to her love for whiskey, the Ava Gardner Trust partnered with North Carolina-based Seven Jars Distillery to launch the Ava Gardner Select Bourbon Whiskey. Gardner's niece, Ava Thompson, said at the time that she knew the actress would have been thrilled to have her name on a whiskey bottle. They added that they hoped the whiskey would help fans connect with Gardner, even though she is no longer with us.

Ava Gardner drank alcohol to have fun a lot of the time. She used to love drinking with her glamorous friends, including Ernest Hemingway and Grace Kelly, for example. Some say it was because she was naturally quite shy, and booze helped her come out of her shell. As well as whiskey and gin, the Hollywood icon reportedly loved cocktails, and one of her favorites was a classic martini.

John Sandilands, one of the most popular journalists of the late 20th century, profiled Gardner in the 1970s, and he describes her talking to him with a small martini in hand. He also noticed that the movie star was inherently shy, and noted in his writing that maybe the martini (paired with a cigarette) helped her open up during the interview. In fact, one of Gardner's beloved assistants and friends, Mearene "Reenie" Jordan, recalls in her book "Living with Miss G," that one of the first things she was asked by the movie star was whether she knew how to make a martini.

Coleslaw might have originated in the Netherlands, but today, it is firmly an American staple. It's particularly beloved in the Southern states, where it's often served as a barbecue side. As a Southern woman, it's perhaps no surprise that Ava Gardner loved coleslaw, too. Her favorite recipe for the dish involved combining a head of cabbage with chopped cold ham, green peppers, red peppers, onions, egg whites, and vinegar and sugar.

Interestingly, Gardner's favorite recipe also called for mayonnaise, which is often associated with South Carolinian coleslaws rather than in North Carolina, where mayonnaise-free coleslaws are more popular. In fact, Gardner's go-to coleslaw seems to take inspiration from both sides of the state line. Onions and peppers are more of a Southern Carolinian addition, while vinegar is a North Carolinian coleslaw staple. The ham and the eggs might have been her own twist, as neither seems to be a traditional Carolinian coleslaw ingredient.

Ava Gardner was born into a large family in rural North Carolina, and cooking was a big part of her upbringing. Just like her six siblings, she learned to cook from her mother, Mary Elizabeth "Mollie" Gardner. According to Ava Thompson, Mary would often show her affection through food, so it makes sense that Gardner developed a strong love of Southern cooking.

Like with the coleslaw, many of Gardner's favorite dishes reflect her Southern roots. Her favorite recipe for Southern corn pudding, for example, involved mixing canned sweet corn with eggs, sugar, salt, pepper, and milk in a buttered dish. She would then leave the dish to sit in some hot water and then bake it in the oven for more than an hour. 

There are many ways to eat corn pudding. Some prefer to combine it with hearty stews, while others opt for coleslaw, barbecued meats, or chili. Gardner's preference, though, was roast chicken. In fact, chicken seems to have been one of Gardner's go-to meats.

Ava Gardner clearly enjoyed roast chicken, as specified in her recipe for Southern corn pudding. But her favorite way to enjoy this poultry meat? Deep-fried, of course.

Gardner grew up eating her mother Mary's fried chicken, and she would continue to crave it during her movie star days. There is even a photo of Gardner enjoying a dish of fried chicken at a benefit dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York in 1969, alongside Gregory Peck. Her life in Hollywood wasn't entirely conducive to her love of fried chicken, though; she reportedly had to give up her beloved dish on multiple occasions, usually when she had to slim down for a role. 

Ava Thompson says that the entire Gardner family loved fried chicken. However, she recalls that Mary had some competition in the kitchen. She noted that it was one of Gardner's older sisters, Elsie Creech, who made some of the best fried chicken in the family.

Like many Americans, Ava Gardner loved celebrating the holidays with a feast. But while Mary Gardner loved to cook, the Hollywood star likely didn't leave all of the seasonal preparations to her mom. Ava Gardner had her own recipe for a holiday cheeseball (which is one of those vintage cheese dishes that has declined in popularity). She wrote the recipe down on the back of a card with a painting of her on the front. According to those familiar with Gardner and the family, this was pretty standard for the star, who would often just use anything close by to make notes on (including random photos of herself).

Gardner's holiday cheeseball recipe was fairly standard. It involved mixing store-bought cream cheese with Roquefort and soft cheddar cheese to make the cheesy ball of festive goodness. But while some recipes call for mix-ins like chopped pecans, green onions, or bacon, Gardner preferred chopped walnuts in hers. Instead of layers and layers of spices and herbs, she would season her cheeseball with only one ingredient: Worcestershire sauce. She would then serve it up with plenty of raw vegetables and crackers on the side.

Ava Gardner spent most of her career brushing shoulders with Hollywood's rich and famous, so it's hardly surprising that she developed a taste for Champagne. And just like with gin, she had a knack for helping other people fall in love with it, too. Ava Thompson recalls that her aunt once encouraged her to try some of the most expensive Champagne in France, and after that, she was hooked. It didn't matter that her niece was under the legal drinking age; Gardner would still ask bartenders and servers to bring her Champagne. 

Gardner used alcohol to bond with her friends, and it often became a staple of her relationships. Friend and fellow Hollywood icon, Grace Kelly, would celebrate Gardner's birthday by sending her a bottle of Champagne every single year. Gardner also once wrote in her memoir that Kelly once got them Champagne from a bootlegger while they were filming the 1953 movie "Mogambo" in various locations across Africa.

We've established that Ava Gardner enjoyed an alcoholic drink, but she didn't survive only on booze — she was also partial to a cup of coffee. But unlike many people, she didn't go for creamers or milk and sugar in her morning caffeine. Nope, Gardner just wanted her coffee to be strong and black, and extremely hot. Once again, this is likely a habit she picked up from her mom, who also loved piping-hot black coffee. In fact, she came from a whole family of big coffee drinkers.

In 2022, the Ava Gardner Trust partnered with Breakfast at Dominique's to launch a coffee blend dedicated to Gardner. Called The Goddess Blend, the coffee was designed to be drunk just the way that Gardner herself used to like it — strong and black. Fun fact: All of the coffees sold by Breakfast at Dominique's are dedicated to Hollywood icons. At the time of writing, The Goddess Blend was for sale alongside Ella Fitzgerald's The Jazz Club Blend, Mamie Van Doren's The Starlet Blend, and many more silver screen-inspired options.

It's not a shock that Ava Gardner loved chocolate. Let's be honest, most people do. Since the first bar of Hershey's hit the U.S. market in the early 20th century, chocolate has enchanted celebrities and average Americans alike. Arguably, there's nothing more unifying.

There are a few photos of Gardner appreciating chocolate. One shows a young adult Gardner looking on with a smile at the LA Farmer's Market. She has a hand on the young girl next to her, while a woman lays out handmade chocolates in front of them both. Another photo shows Gardner in a kitchen with a chef making a chocolate cake. In the image, she's looking at the chef and happily licking the chocolate icing from a spoon. We've all been there. 

One of Gardner's favorite types of chocolate wasn't anything fancy or expensive. Apparently, the movie star loved a classic Hershey's bar, which she would snack on alongside marshmallows and popcorn.

Ava Gardner's start in life wasn't easy. While she grew up in a loving family, they faced many hardships. Shortly after she was born, the Gardners lost everything when their farm burned down. When she was a young child, the Great Depression hit, causing many families, including Gardner's, to face major financial insecurity. This period of strife also had a huge impact on the way people ate, as many looked to simple, budget-friendly dishes to feed their families.

It's not confirmed for certain, but perhaps it was during this period that Gardner fell in love with succotash. The Native American dish, made with easily accessible ingredients like tomatoes, corn, and okra, grew in popularity in the U.S. during the Great Depression, largely because it ticked the boxes of being easy and cheap to make. But it also had flavor, hence why Gardner loved succotash so much. Her go-to version involved slow-cooking corn and lima beans with some salt and pepper in plenty of margarine.

Cornbread fritters are another Southern favorite. Again, the dish is very simple. It just involves combining ingredients like cornmeal (of course) with salt, egg, flour, and buttermilk. The mixture is then fried until it forms a crispy, fritter-like consistency.

Ava Gardner's love for Southern food extended to this dish. But while many modern recipes shallow-fry the mixture, Gardner's favorite version was deep-fried. In fact, the cornbread fritters would be so greasy that they would have to be dried off on paper towels before they were ready to serve. 

Gardner's go-to recipe doesn't list exactly what to serve the fritters with, but she had a few options. She could opt for collard greens, for example, or maybe some pinto beans, fried cabbage, or homemade soup. All of that said, it's likely that the Hollywood star ate them with another of her deep-fried favorites: the Gardner family's beloved fried chicken.

Okra doesn't have the best reputation. Some think it's too slimy, while others don't enjoy the bitter taste. But the vegetable does have its fans. In the South, in particular, okra appears in many traditional dishes, like gumbo and some versions of succotash.

Ava Gardner was firmly in the okra fan club. In fact, one of the star's favorite recipes was a simple combination of okra, rice, and tomatoes. It was fairly easy to make — all it involved was cooking up some rice with seasonings like salt, pepper, and paprika, and then combining it with sliced boiled okra and the tomatoes. 

Combining okra and tomatoes is actually a pretty popular choice in Southern cooking. Unlike Gardner's favorite recipe, which adds the tomatoes at the end, many choose to stew the tomatoes with the okra and other ingredients like bacon and garlic to enhance the overall texture and flavor of the dish.

For many people, the Thanksgiving table isn't complete without a side of candied yams. The dish has been around for a while, and actually started out in the early 20th century as a way to sell more marshmallows. But not all versions of candied yams include marshmallows, of course. Some people prefer to cover the yams in syrup, while others opt for simple brown sugar or caramel.

As you've likely already gathered, Ava Gardner was a big fan of this sweet Southern dish. One of her favorite recipes didn't involve marshmallows, but it did involve plenty of sugar. The yams would be cut, laid out in a casserole dish, sprinkled with brown sugar, salt, paprika, and cinnamon, and then covered with butter. After that, they would all be baked together in the oven before they were ready to serve.

It's likely this dish made an appearance on the Thanksgiving table (as Southern tradition dictates), but there's every chance Gardner enjoyed candied yams year-round. In fact, plenty of people enjoy candied yams outside of the festive period, pairing them with dishes like pork chops and green beans or cucumber salads and rice pilaf.