Presidents, Pubs, and Parties: A Capital Crawl through Downtown Washington

Famed storyteller Mark Twain said, Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.Nobody said being president was easy, but a stiff drink sure helped many of America’s top executives over the years as you’ll soon find out on this walking tour around Downtown Washington.

On this hour-long tour, you’ll hear how giving Teddy Roosevelt a mint julep suddenly made the joint jump, how FDR was an Old-Fashion man and how Bill Clinton favored a Snakebite.You’ll see where former presidents drank as we pass five historic hotel pubs and the White House, and hear the legendary tales these waterholes hold within their doors. Starting at the Mayflower Hotel, you’ll make your way to the St. Regis Washington and the Hay-Adams, through Lafayette Square to the White House before ending the tour at the Old Ebbitt Grill and Willard where Presidents, First Ladies and celebrities celebrated.

Along the way, you'll:

• Pass by the Willard Hotel where 23 presidents stayed and drank at the bar
• Find out why Ulysses S. Grant used the Willard's Lobby to escape White House influence seekers until lobbyists found him there
• Learn why President Zachary Taylor's inauguration party became so wild that staff took barrels of booze into the park to lure visitors away from the White House
• Hear about those stuffed animals above the Old Ebbitt Grill bar that were bagged by President Teddy Roosevelt
• Enjoy high tea with desserts named after presidents at the St Regis Hotel (try the Jimmy Carter peanut butter chocolate opera cake or FDR's Frangipane apple compote tart!)
• Relive the moment when Bill and Monica were seen at the Mayflower Hotel while Willard patrons watched Marla Maples throw her shoes at fiancee Donald Trump

This tour isn’t all about boozy presidents though, you’ll also find out how:

• The Mayflower bar was renamed the Edgar after famed FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover, who ate the same lunch there daily for 20 years
• Actresses Elizabeth Taylor loved a Chocolate Martini while Audrey Hepburn adored a Mississippi Punch at the Regis
• Aviation legends Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart drank at the Hay-Adams
• The ghost of American Socialite, Clover Adams', might call you by name while you enjoy a tasty tipple

The professional accomplishments of presidents have been well documented. However, we seldom hear of how they chose to unwind off the clock. Discover this and more as you join award-winning Washington journalist and tour guide Rick Snider, a sixth-generation Washingtonian and the nation capital's senior sports journalist who spins yarns like Rumpelstiltskin, on his eighth VoiceMap tour.