How Tom Hanks discovered the queen's favorite cocktail

Whether it was shaken or stirred remains to be determined.

May 31, 2022, 4:15 PM

If you enjoy martinis you may have something in common with the queen of England.

Tom Hanks joined BBC's "The One Show" on Monday, where he regaled the hosts with his memory of having dinner and drinks with Queen Elizabeth II -- and revealed her favorite cocktail.

"I sat right next to the queen," Hanks said, recalling when he dined alongside Elizabeth and former President Barack Obama during a 2011 visit to the U.K.

"The chit-chat with the queen is something you gotta get ready for," he continued. "I knew I was going to be sitting next to her so I wanted to be able to talk about things that were of import but not presumptuous. So a few things about how often she truly has time off and what have you. It was a nice chit-chat."

Hanks then added that, at a certain point, "out of the corner of [his] eye," he noticed a staffer place between the two what he assumed was a "glass of water."

"But it wasn't in a water glass," he said. "It was a clear liquid, and so I dared to ask the queen, 'And what is your majesty's cocktail of choice?' and she said, 'Ooh, martini.'"

Hanks said Elizabeth only "had the one that she nursed throughout the course of the night."

"She's had a wonderful reign so maybe if I want to polish up my game a little bit, I will start drinking martini every now and again," the actor added.

The queen is currently preparing to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, which takes place June 2-5 and marks her 70th anniversary on the throne. She is the first British monarch to reach the historic mile marker, having taken over following the death of her father, King George VI, in February 1952.

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