John Wayne's Favorite Food And Drinks

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John Wayne, a man widely considered to be the ultimate symbol of American ruggedness, rose to fame on the silver screen during the 1940s and 1950s as the quintessential cowboy. One of his legendary quotes, "A man's got to do what a man's got to do," has been used in everything from famous movies to banter between friends moments before doing something daring. While he may have been a "man's man," beyond the stoic bravado was a man who had a deep-rooted taste for some of the finer things in life.

Reading books from classic authors, a 136-foot yacht, time with family on his extensive ranch, and a 1944 Beechcraft Staggerwing plane were just some of the things he enjoyed in his personal time while he was away from the camera. Two other things he particularly enjoyed were the dinner table and the bar cart. He wasn't just a figurehead of the Wild West; he was a man who appreciated the craft behind a well-prepared meal and a stiff drink.

Of course, with his cowboy persona, steak was one of his favorite dishes. As for the drinks, it won't come as a surprise that a good old American bourbon topped the tipple list. What else did this American icon savor, though? Whether you know him as John Wayne, Duke, or his birth name, Marion Robert Morrison, here are some of the things that this legendary cowboy favored on the dining room table. While some may be obvious, a few might surprise you.

We aren't exactly dropping a bombshell when we say that John Wayne enjoyed a good old-fashioned steak dinner. After all, are you even a cowboy if you don't throw a steak on the coals? What you may not know about The Duke is that he liked a particular steak and cooked it in a particular way. For the man who was synonymous with the American frontier, one of his preferences was a massive, bone-in ribeye.

Also known as the "cowboy steak," this thick-cut meat was John Wayne's steak of choice when he wasn't working on set. Charred medium was one of the ways that he liked it. In a cookbook titled "The Official John Wayne Way to Grill," one which features a variety of recipes shared by the Wayne family, you'll find no shortage of cowboy steak options. In the book, his son, Ethan Wayne, talks about the time spent around the grill, while his daughter, Marisa, recalls how much her father loved his steak.

Not to be confused with the tomahawk steak, while both are thick cuts of bone-in ribeye, the cowboy steak has a subtle difference. It's all about how long the rib bone is. On the cowboy, you'll find a shorter frenched rib bone, while the bone on the tomahawk is usually around 12 inches long. Both offer a bold flavor with plenty of marbling to give a rich and tender taste. So, light up the grill, put an old western on, and toss a cowboy steak onto the coals.

While John Wayne may have played characters with a deep affinity to bourbon on screen, off-screen, it was no different. He had a genuine love for the spirit, and over the years, became quite the connoisseur. One whisky that he particularly enjoyed was Wild Turkey, with some reports claiming he had it sent to the sets of the movies he was working on — in cases. Being separated from his beloved Wild Turkey for a few months on end may have been a bit too much for this wild cowboy.

Other evidence of his love for Wild Turkey comes from those in the industry. Bruce Dern, an actor who worked close to him said that one morning, he remembered him "reeking of Wild Turkey 101" (via Irish Star). Based on the results of his various movies, this clearly didn't hold him back from giving an outstanding performance. He wasn't completely loyal to the brand, though, with his love of the spirit extending fairly wide.

Wayne had collected many a spirit over the years, a collection that eventually found its way into storage after his passing in 1979. His son Ethan, who had control of the estate after his father passed away, was sorting through what was left behind and came across a vast liquor collection. Within this discovery lay four bottles of unlabeled whisky, which his son believed had been crafted by his father. This eventually led to the birth of the award-winning Duke Spirits, launched by Ethan Wayne and a wine entrepreneur.

Coming back to what John Wayne preferred on his plate, his third wife, Pilar Pallete, made a specific dish for him when he went off to film. It was a soufflé infused with chili and cheese. It's one of the recipes that you'll find in "The Official John Wayne Way to Grill" cookbook. His daughter Marisa is also a fan of the dish, claiming it's one of her favorite recipes from the book.

It's a meal that is far more than just associated with the actor. It became so synonymous with the star that it was given the name "the John Wayne casserole." Within the dish, you'll find not one but two cheeses — Monterey Jack and good old cheddar. There's more to the dish than it just being one of his favorites, though. It was featured in a cookbook during the 1970s when a child with cancer was looking to raise funds. She invited him to contribute a recipe, and when he did, the name "John Wayne casserole" stuck.

Don't be fooled by the word "casserole" in the name. It's a puffy, egg-based dish closer to a soufflé than it is to a casserole. Either way, it's considered delicious and is well worth a try. There are a few variations of the dish, with one even featuring a crust and meat. A quick Google search for the dish today will quickly show you how popular the dish is.

While his love for bourbon may have been legendary, he always had space to indulge in a tequila or two. Often, it was a bit more than just two. He didn't just take any tequila bottle off the shelf, though; he had a preference. This was the Sauza Conmemorativo, a 100% blue agave Añejo tequila. So great was his love for the brand that he once gifted the Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev a few cases of the good stuff when he visited the U.S. in the late '50s. He was even quoted in Playboy Magazine (via Yumpu) about the tequila when he said, "Conmemorativo tequila, that's as fine a liquor as there is in the world."

While it may have been the tequila of choice for a star, it didn't come with a hefty price tag. This cowboy didn't need to get flashy with a $150 bottle as he was quite happy with the conservative price of the Sauza Conmemorativo. While it's hard to say exactly what Wayne paid for it in the '40s or '50s, today you can find it for around $20.

The Sauza Conmemorativo is described as having a smooth agave character, with a bit of warm oak and spice. It's often commented that the price doesn't truly reflect the quality of tequila that you're getting, which isn't hard to believe when it was Wayne's favorite. It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that you'll find a bottle of tequila within the Duke Spirits range.

The bold and often uncomplicated characters that he played on screen was often how he lived his life off-screen as well. It should come as no surprise, then, that it was common to see him with a straight bourbon in hand. Sometimes, though, he appreciated something a little bit more refined. He could be found enjoying a cocktail or two, something that inspired "The John Wayne Official Cocktail Book," released in 2022. After the death of John Wayne, his son said that after a long day on set, his father would indulge in a cocktail. This fact became a part of his legacy through Duke's Spirits, with tequila forming part of the range.

On some of the official John Wayne social media pages, you can see several pictures of the star with a glass of the good stuff and a smile on his face. His love of these classic cocktails was what inspired the cocktail book named after him, some of which were included as a nod to the many characters that he played over the years.

While the specifics of a John Wayne cocktail may vary from place to place, one of the most common versions is made up of sugar cubes, Angostura orange bitters, and club soda. As John Wayne would, good bourbon is added. If you find yourself in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, make sure to stop by The Kingsley, home of The Duke Lounge. You'll find a variety of cocktails to choose from, many of which were created as a salute to the cowboy star.

If you were a fan of John Wayne's earlier movies, you might recall a specific scene in "Thomas Dunson in Red River," released in 1948. In a scene, Wayne's character tucks into baked beans cooked in a cast-iron pan. It was a quintessential cowboy scene (for real cowboys at least), with the association with cast iron cookware following him throughout his career, eventually leading to the publication of a cookbook titled "John Wayne Cast Iron Official Cookbook." While it may have been released after his passing, the cookbook features a variety of dishes cooked in cast-iron cookware. One recipe that you'll find in the book is cornbread — cooked in cast iron, of course.

Whether it was simply cornbread or corn dodgers, this became synonymous with John Wayne's characters, whether it was in "True Grit" or one of the many other movies he starred in. Today, you'll find the John Wayne cornbread featured in recipes around the world. If you're looking for the real John Wayne experience, you'll need to make sure there is cast iron involved in the cooking process.

Prepared in a cast-iron skillet, this dish represents one of the hearty, soul-warming staples that defined many of John Wayne's characters. If you do get your hands on his cast-iron cookbook, you could consider going all in with an entire cast-iron range made by John Wayne Enterprises. You'll find a variety of products to choose from.

After a hard day of doing all the things that cowboys do, followed by a night of savoring American whisky, coffee was a morning staple for these wranglers of the past. For John Wayne, coffee represented far more than just a pick-me-up. Making movies is hard work, and Wayne always made sure he showed gratitude to all those involved, which he did with a special coffee memento. After each movie, he would gift each member of the cast and crew a coffee mug featuring a gold handle. Not only that, but each one was personalized with their name.

It was an on-set coffee ritual that inspired a new brew and became a part of his legacy with Gold Handle Coffee Co., producers of a range of coffee beans and a variety of collectible mugs. The company forms part of John Wayne Enterprises and is yet another nod to the life that the star lived and all that he loved.

As coffee's association with cowboys goes back as far as the 1880s, it's no surprise that John Wayne would opt for a coffee during filming breaks. He was even featured in an advert with the catchline "Give yourself a coffee-break", with a shot of him with coffee in hand. You'll also find plenty of images of him online enjoying his favorite cup of java.

Another typical cowboy recipe that made it into "The Official John Wayne Way to Grill" cookbook was a baked beans dish. Considering that he was seen eating this cowboy staple in his movies, we'd expect these white beans to feature in at least one of the recipes that were collected to represent his love of food. The dish in the cookbook is called Real Deal Baked Beans and features beans, brown sugar, dry mustard, molasses, a chopped onion, and a few other ingredients.

According to the Wayne family that released the book, you don't only need to cook this dish on the grill — the oven will do as well. It's another one of those John Wayne recipes that you'll find featured in a variety of cookbooks, whether that be home cooking or outdoor-style editions.

If you're planning a Duke-themed dish to add to the table, this is certainly one to consider. It's also a great option for any campfire meals that you may be looking to prepare as it's relatively simple to make.

If you happen to travel to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, you won't have to travel very far to get to one of John Wayne's favorite steakhouses. Across the road from the airport, it's called Gulliver's and has become an institution for not only fans of the star but also those who appreciate portions of significant size. Wayne was such a frequent visitor to Gulliver's that he had his favorite table, something that the restaurant certainly doesn't hide on its website.

Gulliver's is best described as a restaurant that offers a true English dining experience, where hearty meals feature throughout the menu. The restaurant claims that their large portion sizes, along with the service and perfectly cooked meat, were some of the reasons why he chose the steakhouse as one of his favorites.

In terms of what his favorite item on the menu was, a hearty T-bone steak was one of his most-loved meals. Yet again, it's a dish that features in "The Official John Wayne Way to Grill." Both his children, Ethan and Marisa, were featured on the Hallmark Channel to discuss the recipe. In the feature, Ethan talks about the fact that when his father could afford quality steak, he never looked back after trying the T-bone. So, if you're planning a movie night with one of the John Wayne classics, make sure that you get your hands on a quality T-bone and fire up the grill.