What to Drink on Election Night?

The 2024 US election is a nail-biter. Polls show the candidates are in a dead heat. We expect many of you will be watching the results at home or perhaps at a watch party. So, what will you be drinking? Perhaps you’ll choose something stiff like a cocktail or something celebratory with bubbles. Read about sustainable Champagnes or budget-friendly sparkling wines. Drinking on election night is a long-standing tradition, dating back to the founding fathers. In addition to learning about the history of drinking and voting, we spoke to some of our contributors to find out what they will be drinking on election night.

What & Where Did Americans Drink on Election Days?

Taverns and saloons were not only early American political meeting places, but sites for voting in the 19th century in some states. Before Prohibition, it was customary for candidates to buy drinks for prospective voters. In fact, author Daniel Okrent attributed George Washington’s victory in the Virginia House of Burgesses to the 144 gallons of rum, punch, hard cider and beer that his election agent distributed. The type of liquor used to win over voters has varied, from beer to shots of rye, punch or Madeira which was rumored to be used to toast the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Until 2013 it was illegal to serve alcohol in Kentucky during the hours the polls were open. Similar bans were in place in South Carolina, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Utah and West Virginia, but were lifted from 2006 to 2013. In some states polling stations cannot be within a certain proximity of establishments serving alcohol. Does drinking make you a better or worse voter? We can’t be sure, but we do know this election might just be driving some to drink…

What Will the Alcohol Professors Drink on Election Night?

Robert Haynes-Peterson

If my candidate wins, I want to celebrate with something optimistic! Probably a bottle of vintage Laurent-Perrier Champagne I've been storing for a long time.

If my candidate doesn't win, I will stay far away from alcohol. I want it to be for celebrations, not for drowning my sorrows.

Sara Havens

I've already assembled my watch crew, and we've made plans to meet at our favorite local watering hole to witness the election results. With positivity at the forefront, I plan on sticking to my usual duo of an ice cold Bud Light and a neat pour of Old Forester 100 Proof Bourbon.

The moment my candidate is pronounced a winner — or the results are leaning in that direction — I will promptly order Champagne for the watch crew so we can toast to history being made. I can hardly fathom the other outcome, so I don't even want to put those words down on paper. But if something goes awry and my previous scenario doesn't pan out, I will drink vodka — and lots of it — to salute the Russians and their diabolical ways. And after five minutes of enduring the soulless spirit, I'll go back to bourbon and will hibernate in my bourbon bunker for the next four years.

Em Sauter

Usually we drink American lager. Usually for American lagers we drink Miller Lite or High Life (like Kamala!) or if it's a craft brand, I like 12 Percent Beer Project's Snappy! which is local. I want to do an American style of beer and American lagers work really well with lots of foods plus there are some really good ones made by craft and larger breweries. Then we switch to whiskey!

On election night I'll pick a special, high ABV beer as a celebration or to drown sorrows, something like a barrel-aged barleywine. Revolution Barrel-aged Straight Jacket barleywine is a great one. Then it works for both occasions. Read more about barleywine.

Soter Vineyards Brut Reserve and Gran Moraine Blanc de Blancs

Betsy Andrews

If my candidate wins, I'll crack a bottle of method champenoise sparkling from the Williamette Valley's Yamhill-Carlton AVA, like Soter Vineyards Brut Reserve or Gran Moraine Blanc de Blancs. If my candidate loses? I will do my best to resist the urge to drink cyanide.

Tony Sachs

Since the election likely won't be decided on Election Day, my plan is to go to dinner with my wife, have a Gibson or two, and try to ignore the news as much as possible.

I'm a lifelong Democrat, so if Kamala wins, I will enjoy a Kamala cocktail, which I created myself — basically a mai tai with Jamaican rum and a float of Indian whisky to honor her heritage. When Trump won in 2016, I drank Planteray Plantation OFTD rum (138 proof) straight from the bottle. I've never been able to drink it since because it brings back memories of that night. If he wins this time around, I'm seriously considering hemlock.

Becky Garrison

An Old Fashioned … in times of crisis, I revert back to the classics that remind me that this too shall pass. Life goes on. This will be my drink of choice regardless of who wins though if the evening starts to go to the dogs, I’ll definitely make it a double. Read more about the Old Fashioned.

Pamela Vachon

To be honest, I probably won't be drinking on election day, as I'd like to remain lucid, and I suspect we won't have an easy answer by bedtime on the East Coast. That being said, I have election day drink memories that could come into play here. In 2016 I was still bartending in Manhattan, and I can tell you I never served so many martinis before noon as I did on the day after the election. People seemed like they didn't know what to do with themselves, and really wanted to get numb. In 2020, the result wasn't announced until Saturday, and I fondly recall decanting a bottle of Champagne into two plastic bottles for an afternoon spin around Central Park with a friend of mine. So there's that - I suppose I associate my candidate losing with drinking martinis, and my candidate winning with Champagne in the park.