'A Very Valuable Part Of My Life': Humphrey Bogart Drank His Favorite Liquor On Set

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There's a persistent rumor that Humphrey Bogart's last words before dying were, "I should never have switched from scotch to martinis." That's nothing but an urban legend, but there's a good reason that it's stuck around. Humphrey Bogart's love affair with scotch is the stuff of Hollywood legends, almost as mythic in scope as his romance with his fourth wife, Lauren Bacall. There's a difference between bourbon and scotch, and you can bet that Bogie knew it.

In Tough Without a Gun: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of Humphrey Bogart, biographer Stefan Kanfer paints a striking picture of a sick Bogart, near death from esophageal cancer from a lifetime smoking cigarettes, joking with a reporter that "Scotch is a very valuable part of my life" (via Google Books). It's said that Bogart was turned on to the joys of scotch in his forties by journalist Mark Hellinger, who disparagingly told Bogart that the actor's previous penchant for beer, martinis by the pitcher, and various liquors was unsophisticated. Scotch, Hellinger claimed, was where it was at.

Bogart took to the spirit like a fish to water, and reportedly had it written into his contract that, at 6 p.m. promptly every day, he'd be released from filming and handed a scotch and soda — his preferred way of drinking it. We know the best glass for American whiskey, but are left wondering what Bogie liked to drink his scotch from! Towards the end of his life, when he was recovering from surgery, wife Bacall put Bogart on drinking restrictions. He was allowed one ounce of scotch before lunch, and just two more before dinner. By all accounts, Bogart loved alcohol — and scotch in particular — right up to his final days.

Fellow Rat Pack member Frank Sinatra was buried with a bottle of Jack Daniel's, a fact that pop culture has dissected endlessly. While Humphrey Bogart's passion for scotch might be slightly less well-documented, that doesn't mean that it died with the actor. In 2018, Bogart's estate partnered with Patrón Tequila co-founder John Paul DeJoria and DeJoria's ROK Drinks to form a boutique alcohol brand that was top quality while also being affordable — a factor that Bogart's living children stated would have been important to their father. After success with an initial launch in the U.K., Bogart Spirits spread overseas with a line-up that included gin, rum, vodka, and, of course, whiskey. Each bottle is emblazoned with a picture of Bogart and one of his many famous quotes. Today, Bogart Spirits is still based in the U.K., and the brand boasts many gold and silver awards won for its drinkability.

We have to imagine that Humphrey Bogart, the quintessential leading man, would have been impressed and excited to have a liquor company named in his honor. By all accounts, the man did some of his best work when he was at least a little sauced. There's even a persistent rumor that he was one of only two people to avoid dysentery in the Congo whilst filming "The African Queen" because he opted so frequently for spirits instead of (infected) water. For a hard-drinking scotch lover like Bogart, the novelty of others enjoying a tipple in his name would have been a feather in his cap indeed.