On this day in 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned Emperor Napoleon I of France in Paris. At the Notre Dame Cathedral, he took the emperor’s crown from the Pope and placed it on his head himself.
Bonaparte started as a young military officer during the French Revolution and advanced quickly after multiple battle victories. In 1799, he orchestrated a coup against the French Directory, and established the Consulate with himself as First Consul. He expanded French territory to include most of Europe and parts of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. While his wars in Europe caused mass devastation to his neighbors, his governance policies from the Napoleonic Code still endure in modern Europe.
After Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the British banished him to St. Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic, where he died in 1821 at age 51. His tumultuous/obsessive relationship with his wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais, has been the inspiration for many love stories.
Music Du Jour: Napoleon Official Soundtrack or Napoleonic Wars playlist
Films Du Jour:
- Napoleon (2023)
- Napoleon (2002)
- War and Peace (2016 Series)
- Waterloo (1970)
- Désirée (1954)
- The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
- Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Snacks du Jour: Foods inspired by the French Emperor include the Mille-Feuille (Napoleon Pastry), Napoleon cake, lobster thermidor, and chicken marengo.
Cocktail Du Jour – Napoleon Cocktail
The Napoleon has been a popular cocktail for over 100 years:
- 5 oz cognac
- 75 oz sweet vermouth
- 75 oz Campari
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a coupe or Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
Mocktail Du Jour – Napoleon Mocktail
- 5 oz non-alcohol whiskey
- 75 oz non-alcohol sweet vermouth
- 75 oz non-alcohol aperitif
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a coupe or Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
Beer Du Jour
Founders French Toast Bastard Scotch Ale, Prairie French Toast Brunch Imperial Stout, or Saint Arnold French Press American Imperial Porter.
Wine Du Jour
Napoleon grew up in Corsica and likely drank thick red table wines cut with water. Like most dictators, he was not much of a drinker. Any low-cost Italian or French red would be appropriate today (cutting the wine with water is optional).
Use freshly squeezed citrus in your cocktails and mocktails when called for – It makes such a difference! Here’s a reliable and inexpensive juicer.
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Photo credit: “Napoleon Bonaparte (1798) Andrea Appiani” by Ed Bierman is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
