The Classic Soda Frank Sinatra Requested For His Dressing Room

Before getting on stage, most performers send a document called a rider to the venue that outlines what they need to put on the best show possible. It deals with the stage, the lighting, sound — really everything the performer wants on hand, so the venue knows exactly what they need. These often include the food and drinks that the artist will want to have backstage.

Picking apart celebrity rider food requests can be fascinating because they offer insight into their backstage routine. Recently, an old rider for Frank Sinatra popped up on Facebook, and among the cough drops, honey, lemon, and tea needed to make a golden voice stay golden, was a request for 24 cans of soda, both diet and regular, with only one name brand request included: Coke.

Sinatra's solo career took off in the mid-1940s, and it's interesting to note that his rider used "Coke," the nickname Coca-Cola officially trademarked in 1945. The rider also included a variety of liquors and mixers such as Jack Daniel's and ginger ale, although not the ingredients for Frank Sinatra's favorite cocktail, the Rusty Nail. It's doubtful he mixed the Coke with his Jack Daniel's, however, as he considered Jack to be "the nectar of the gods" and drank it on the rocks.

Sinatra's rider had a long list of food and drinks, but that didn't mean it was all just for him. The singer had a backup band along with many members of the Rat Pack, who would hang out with him. So the fact that he had six sandwiches (two egg salad, two chicken salad, and two ham and cheese), three cans of Campbell's chicken and rice soup, a fruit bowl, and a cheese tray didn't necessarily mean he feasted alone before and after his performance. Much of the spread was likely meant to be shared, but Sinatra still had a few personal favorites on the list.

His rider also included Life Savers and Tootsie Rolls, both of which (along with his favorite Jack Daniels) he loved so much that he was buried with them. If you look over our list of 13 dishes and drinks Frank Sinatra loved, one thing becomes clear: the man knew how to eat well. Finally, his rider included the basics like rock glasses, wine glasses, water glasses, and soup bowls with spoons, which sometimes surprisingly needed to be clarified in riders. He also had one other classic Frank Sinatra request: a carton of filterless Camel cigarettes. It's hard to find a photo of Ol' Blue Eyes without a cigarette in his hand.