Ian Somerhalder reveals he had his first alcoholic drink at 4 years old

Imagine having some booze at age 4… 

Ian Somerhalder revealed that he had his first alcoholic drink when he was just four years old. 

In a recent interview with entertainment portal Page Six, the actor said he “used to steal mint juleps” from his family when he was a child. It’s a bourbon-based cocktail with sugar, water, ice, and fresh mint. 

“It was the early ‘80s, like ’81,” he recalled, adding that their Louisiana home was filled with sugar cane and that bourbon was a “big part of the culture” of the South.

“Those are the first memories I have of muddled mint, sugar cane, and that smell of bourbon,” he said. 

“Especially back then, there was no socioeconomics for bourbon, so someone who was an executive of a company is going to be drinking the same bourbon as someone who is a blue-collar worker, so that was really amazing, sort of this level-playing field,” he added. 

The actor said he’s certain he “was 4” when he started getting sneaky with boozy drinks. There were times he got caught in the act and was asked to “put that down.” 

Somerhalder is best known for his roles in The Vampire Diaries, which aired from 2009 to 2017.

He’s expecting his second child with actress Nikki Reed, with whom he’s been in a relationship since 2015. They welcomed their first child Bodhi Soleil in 2017.