What John Wayne Liked To Sip After A Long Day

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Legendary Western film actor John Wayne, aka "the Duke," was well known for enjoying a tipple at the end of a long day of filming. His go-to drinks were straightforward and potent — bourbon or tequila on the rocks, sometimes with a simple garnish; drinks that could be compared to his straight-shooter disposition on and off the screen. Wayne's preferences were also reflective of his work. Whiskey was a cowboy staple, at least in Hollywood's depictions of the Old West (the brown liquor cowboys actually drank tended to be more adulterated). As for tequila, the actor cultivated a liking for it during his numerous stints filming in Mexico. The Duke's time South of the border also instilled a fondness for margaritas.

In a 2015 interview with Cowboys and Indians magazine, the actor's son, Ethan Wayne, described how his father liked to unwind with the film crew after a long day of shooting on a rural location. "They would have a cocktail and gather around the grill. They talked, told stories, laughed, and smiled," he said, also drawing attention to John Wayne's go-to cooking method of throwing steaks on the fire. 

At home, his expansive liquor collection extended to fine French wines, but Wayne preferred unfussy spirits that were easy to share with company. Thus, bourbon and tequila remain most closely associated with the Academy Award winner's comfort drinks after a long day. When traveling for more remote shoots, he even carried cases of his favorites along.

It wasn't just after a hard day's work that John Wayne was partial to tequila on the rocks garnished with a lemon twist. The Duke also enjoyed this spirit-forward drink on vacation. As told in "John Wayne: The Official Cocktail Book", the actor broke off shards of glacier ice for his drink while fishing in Alaska on his boat, Wild Goose. Multiple accounts from those who spent time with Wayne mention the signature drink and his tequila of choice: Sauza Conmemorativo Tequila Añejo. The extra-aged, amber-hued tequila gets its complexity from resting in oak barrels for up to three years, resulting in certain whiskey-like attributes.

Wayne's love for the agave spirit was entwined with his fondness for Mexico — the only source of real tequila. The actor shot several movies there, including a few at La Joya, his Durango ranch equipped with an Old West film set. When Wayne was stateside, his associates sometimes procured bottles from across the border to replenish the big man's stash.

The Duke famously noted how he hadn't had a hangover since he switched from whiskey to tequila. In his piece, "Remembering John Wayne," film critic Roger Ebert recalled an instance from one of his interviews with the superstar: "He poured himself another tequila, and repeated his axiom that tequila did not give you a hangover, and thoughtfully added the observation that it did hurt, though, when you drank enough of it and fell over and hit your head."

A day of shooting often ended with John Wayne sipping bourbon with the cast and crew. His son, Ethan Wayne, who traveled with his father to various filming locations, remembers sitting around a bonfire in Mexico, drinking bourbon out of tin cups (via Fort Worth Report). This form of stripped-down drinking was quintessential John Wayne. "It was, 'Here's a glass ... Here's a spirit. Here's ice.' If you don't have ice, you would drink it anyway," recollects Chris Radomski, who co-founded Duke Spirits with Ethan Wayne.

While the Hollywood legend's favorite bourbon was Wild Turkey (the high-proof Wild Turkey 101, per the Irish Star), he also made his own blends using various whiskeys. Sometimes, this was out of necessity, when good bourbon was scarce at a certain location, and it eventually became a hobby. After the actor's death in 1979, Ethan Wayne discovered unmarked bottles and handwritten recipes of his father's custom whiskey blends, which led to the formation of John Wayne-inspired Duke Spirits. "John Wayne: The Official Cocktail Book" recommends garnishing bourbon on the rocks with an orange twist.

Cocktails were slightly less John Wayne's style, given his fondness for tequila over ice with lemon, yet it's unsurprising that he also enjoyed the occasional margarita. A classic version of the drink contains tequila, lime juice, and triple sec (or any suitable orange liqueur). Though the margarita's origin story remains hazy, its rising popularity in the U.S. around the 1950s is linked to increased tourism to Mexico. Celebrities who frequently went south of the border (like Wayne) sampled the cocktail, loved it, and subsequently popularized it stateside.

As one popular narrative tells it, the Duke encountered the cocktail in Acapulco, Mexico, at a gathering hosted by Texas socialite Margaret Sames. Her guest list also included Tommy Hilton, the hotelier, who then introduced margaritas at his hotels. While it wasn't always the drink John Wayne chose, the margarita seems to be what he sipped on when he wanted a drink that was more than a spirit poured from bottle to glass with a citrus garnish and some ice.