Mitt Romney, devoted nondrinker, accidentally sipped on whiskey in the 1970s

While he was running for president in the 2012 election, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney drew attention for his practice of shunning alcohol and coffee. President Barack Obama, during his own campaign, set himself apart from Romney's teetotalism by making a "conspicuous display of his own regular-guy fondness for beer," as the New York Times put it.  

But Romney, a Detroit native, hasn't managed to escape alcohol entirely: Back in the 1970s, during a political reception, a bartender served Mittens whiskey instead of water. That bit of information was, once again, revealed thanks to Buzzfeed reporter Andrew Kaczynski, who dredged up a brief news report on the incident, titled "A Hard Swallow," earlier today on Twitter. 

The report from the United Press International starts out, saying, "Mitt Romney a member of Michigan's best known teetotaling family, experienced some of the hazards of political campaigning Friday." Mittens was asked if any of the booze made it down his throat. According to the report, Romney, with "grimacing assent," replied: "I can't tell till it starts to burn in my chest." 

(Sort-of related fun fact: Vice President Joe Biden, perhaps surprisingly, is also a teetotaler.)

The brief 97-word story on Romney's mishap can be read in its entirety here.