How Frank Sinatra Really Met Jack Daniel’s

Updated origin story, straight from Sinatra, shared on Frankly Drinking podcast

ATLANTA, GA – (NewMediaWire) – October 09, 2020 – Frank Sinatra was introduced to Jack Daniel’s by his friend and Hollywood legend Humphrey Bogart, according to a new story shared by Jack Daniel’s historian Nelson Eddy on episode 16 of Frankly Drinking, The Swell Sinatra and Bourbon Podcast.

The story was recently shared with Eddy by Frank Sinatra Enterprises President Charles Pignone, who discovered a recording of Sinatra explaining his introduction to Jack Daniel’s during a concert at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on March 8, 1982. According to a transcript, Sinatra said:

I was introduced to this drink by a great friend, a great man named Mr. Bogart. He introduced me to Jack Daniel’s one night after dinner at his house. He said to me, “What do you want to drink?” And I said, “I don’t know.” He said, “Alright, how about a little Jack Daniel’s?” And I said, “What the hell is Jack Daniel’s?” He said, “Let me pour you some.” And it was a happy marriage from then on.

This version of events was news to Eddy, who for years shared a different story. Older sources, including Bill Zehme’s 1997 book The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Living, credit the introduction to legendary funnyman Jackie Gleason, another longtime Sinatra pal and drinking buddy.

Sinatra’s decades-long relationship with what he called “the nectar of the gods” was nurtured by Jack Daniel’s salesman Angelo Lucchessi, who became his close friend. When he died in 1998, Sinatra was buried with a bottle of Jack. In late 2012, the distillery introduced Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select, a 90-proof variant aged in grooved Sinatra Barrels. To toast Sinatra’s centennial in 2015, Jack Daniel’s released a 100-proof version, Sinatra Century.

Hear the complete story of Frank Sinatra’s relationship with Jack Daniel’s on episode 16 of Frankly Drinking, which features two rare pours of the famed Tennessee whiskey and three rare Sinatra tracks including a disco cut, a 1970s B-side and Ol’ Blue Eyes’ final Reprise recording. 

About Frankly Drinking

Available on popular podcast platforms and www.franklydrinking.com, Frankly Drinking celebrates two American icons, Frank Sinatra and bourbon. Hosted by lifelong friends Lawrence Morris and Luke Boggs, the Atlanta-based podcast features three classic Sinatra recordings and two tastings of American whiskey on each show. Themed episodes include Sinatra’s Tommy Dorsey years, songs by Rodgers and Hart, New York-related tunes and Sinatra’s James Bond connections. Listeners can follow Frankly Drinking on Instagram and enjoy playlists of all featured songs on Spotify and Apple Music.

Frankly Drinking is not affiliated with or sponsored by any entities connected to Frank Sinatra, his estate, his music labels or the whiskey brands mentioned on the show. 

Media Contacts: 

Luke Boggs and Lawrence Morris

Franklydrinking321@gmail.com

www.franklydrinking.com