Andre The Giant Could Drink... A Lot

Andre the Giant was a larger-than-life person — literally. Standing 7-foot-4 and weighing more than 500 pounds, Andre was famous as a pro wrestler. He also starred in The Princess Bride, making a career out of his enormity. Sadly, Andre passed away in 1993.

Apparently, his giant talents extended to the realm of drinking. According to various sources, the gargantuan Andre had an equally gargantuan appetite for alcohol. Here are some of the best stories.

Andre would drink with Hulk Hogan (also of wrestling fame). Hogan told CBS, "I drive over the airport and I met [Andre] at the Delta Crown Lounge. By the time we sat down we had about 45 minutes before he had to walk to the next gate. He drank 108 12-ounce beers."

That's a Wade Boggs-level of consumption, but Boggs had an entire day. Andre had one hour.

Hogan shared another of his favorite stories: "We left the hotel about 8 in the morning for an eight-hour bus ride. About three hours later he shakes the seat. He says, 'Boss. Bossss. I need pit stop.' Three hours on a bus he drank 12 bottles of wine." Twelve bottles in three hours is incredible. To do it at 8 in the morning is inconceivable.

Finally, Princess Bride co-star Cary Elwes divulged to the public Andre's favorite drink — if you could call it that: "The famed wrestler preferred something stiffer, specifically, 'The American,' a concoction that consisted of 40 ounces of various liquors poured into a pitcher. Andre would drink several of these in a single sitting."

I think they should just rename that concoction 'The Andre': Only Andre would have been able to polish a couple of those off, and wasn't even American!

In all seriousness, Andre did not drink because he was an alcoholic, Elwes revealed. Instead, Andre's massive weight and the beating he took made his body ache, and alcohol was the only way he could deal with the pain.