Director Paul Feig describes King Charles as ‘a martini guy’

King Charles has been described as a ‘martini guy’ by Hollywood director Paul Feig.

The filmmaker, 60, who is known for his slate of comedy movies including Bridesmaids, has written a book called Cocktail Time! which features drink recipes and anecdotes about well-known figures.

Speaking about the tome to the Sunday Times, Paul revealed that he once made a martini for Charles, 73, when the royal was still the Prince of Wales.

‘We are good friends with Santa Montefiore, the novelist, and her husband, Simon Sebag [Montefiore], who is close friends with Charles,’ he said.  

‘He has known him forever and so, for my 60th, they arranged tea for me at Highgrove with Prince Charles.’ 

King Charles (pictured in 2018, when he was the Prince of Wales) enjoys a martini while visiting a Northumberland brewery

Hollywood director Paul Feig (pictured) has opened up about making a martini for King Charles, describing the monarch as ‘a martini guy’

It was at this gathering that he made the king a drink, adding: ‘If I was making a King Charles cocktail? I’d put Dubonnet in there, in tribute to his mother and grandmother. And gin, definitely. So I’d make a gin and Dubonnet. But Charles is a martini guy and I make good martinis. It’s my superpower.’

The director and author, who owns his own gin brand called Artingstall, also shared some of his top tips for making the most of a party.

Among them, he recommended having a drink or two, describing alcohol as a ‘social lubricant’.

He also suggested hanging out with women, saying that female comedy is general ‘not as aggressive’ as male comedy.

If all else fails, he recommends having a false moustache to hand, describing them as ‘foolproof’, saying ‘everyone starts laughing’ when you don one.

And he suggested hosts should ‘match the drinks to the people’, like, he said, King Charles with martinis.

Royal watchers may already have noted that the king is partial to a martini, after he enjoyed one of the tipples at 11am during a 2018 trip to a Moorland Gin distillery, as part of a two-day visit to Northumberland. 

The royal appeared in good spirits as he sampled Hepple Gin during his visit to Moorland Spirit Company’s Morpeth distillery in 2018

According to reports, the royal enjoyed the drink ‘stirred, not shaken’ during a two-day visit to Northumberland

Charles was served a neat gin shortly after 11am to give him a clear taste of the award-winning spirit, and was then handed the cocktail by Sir Walter Riddell’s estate in Hepple, Coquetdale.

The native conifers, grown a few minutes’ walk away from the distillery, provide the gin with its distinctive taste, as well as locally grown botanicals. 

Charles drank the martini stirred, not shaken.

Meanwhile Dubonnet, which Paul Feig said he would use in a drink for the king, was a favourite of the late Queen, as well as her mother – a sweet, fortified wine blended with herbs, spices and quinine. 

The Queen (pictured during a 2021 video call) was said to be very fond of Dubonnet, a sweet, fortified wine blended with herbs, spices and quinine

Queen Elizabeth’s favourite cocktail was said to comprise one part gin to two parts Dubonnet, poured over two ice cubes, and topped with a slice of lemon. 

At its peak in the 1960s and 1970s, 20 million bottles of Dubonnet were sold worldwide each year, thanks to the less-than-regal advertising slogan ‘Do ‘ave a Dubonnet’. 

It fell out of fashion with the public, but has been staging a comeback in recent years. 

Some 500,000 bottles of Dubonnet were sold globally in 2020, up from 350,000 during the previous 12 months. 

Britain is the biggest market, but it also sells well in Canada, Australia, France and, more surprisingly, Colombia.