Prince William's Favorite Drink Is An Orange Wonder, The Kamikaze Cocktail

From Princess Diana's go-to tomato mousse to King Charles' all-time favorite pheasant pie, the gastronomic habits of the royal family seem to keep foodies worldwide hungry for more details. Fittingly, many of their preferences for spirits are just as interesting. Both Prince William and Duchess Kate share a penchant for a glass of white wine, but when it comes to cocktails, the punchier the better. The couple even served an elevated jungle juice punch at their royal wedding in 2011: a mixture of vodka, champagne, and passion fruit juice, reportedly a favorite of Duchess Kate's. Queen Elizabeth II herself was known to enjoy a Gin and Dubonnet before lunch.

When Prince William reaches for a cocktail, it's a kamikaze — a drink the Prince calls "silent but deadly," via U.K. news outlet Woman & Home. It's a fittingly deadly name for the strong, spirit-forward sipper. If you haven't tried it before, the kamikaze cocktail (25% ABV) combines equal parts vodka, triple sec, and lime juice, wet-shaken and strained into a chilled martini glass. It's essentially a classic margarita but swaps the tequila for vodka. According to liquor-legend, the kamikaze might have also been the ancestor of the Cosmopolitan.

Sounds pretty tasty? We think so, too. But, it hasn't always been that way. The kamikaze is a "disco drink," a class of '80s cocktails that are widely looked down upon in the mixology community. That makes it all the more fascinating that Prince William names this one as his favorite.

Per the lore, the kamikaze was invented on a U.S. naval base in Japan after World War II but gained popularity sometime during the mid-70s. The cocktail started as a shot but gradually evolved into a larger martini-style sipper. (We're still fans of these spicy Jalapeño Kamikaze Shots either way.) The rise coincided with the vodka craze of the '70s and '80s, and the fact that it was initially considered a "shooter" is probably what got the kamikaze's foot in the door at all.

Considering its striking similarities to the Margarita and the Sidecar (both cocktail classics), its unfavorable reputation is especially unfortunate. In his 1984 novel "Cocktail," Heywood Gould wrote, "The Kamikaze is one of a class of disco cocktails invented by barbiturated teenagers. It is a senseless, infuriating concoction ... Its intent is instant inebriation ...There are no standards for the kamikaze. It has no particular attributes that would distinguish a good kamikaze from a bad one, like a dry martini or a tart gimlet" (via Robb Report).

The joke's on you, naysayers — it looks like this neon orange relic is literally fit for royalty after all. The drink balances sweet, sour, and acidity with understated grace, and the neutral spirit base allows the lime and orange flavors to shine. It's also a great opportunity to showcase the smoothest high-quality vodka in your home bar.