White Port & Lemon Juice: The Boozy Doo-Wop Anthem That Rocked the Wine World

Before there were spritzes on every cocktail menu or canned wine coolers in every fridge, there was white port and lemon juice—the unpretentious, lip-smacking concoction that somehow became the title of one of the strangest songs of the 1950s. And not just any song: “W-P-L-J” by The Four Deuces was a doo-wop tribute to this unlikely beverage, and its story is as zesty as the drink itself.

The Birth of a Boozy Classic

Flashback to 1955. Four gospel-rooted young men from Salinas, California—led by the charismatic Luther McDaniels, a.k.a. Lord Luther—decided to immortalize their favorite DIY drink. The recipe? Take a bottle of cheap white port, mix it with canned lemon juice, and voilà—you’ve got yourself a night to remember (or forget).

The Four Deuces belted out lyrics like:

“W-P-L-J, really makes you feel so fine. W-P-L-J, you’re gonna lose your mind!”

It was cheeky, catchy, and just rebellious enough for teens sneaking sips behind the barn. Recorded in Berkeley for Music City Records, W-P-L-J took off locally, especially in California and Philly, even though it never cracked national charts. We know the Four Deuces weren’t using the best white port available but today you can make your own version of the cocktail with Taylor Fladgate Chip Dry White Port or Fonseca Siroco Dry White Port. Singing their song is entirely optional.

Wine, Royalties, and Rock ‘n’ Roll Shenanigans

Despite its cult status, the song’s behind-the-scenes story is a cautionary tale. Music City’s Ray Dobard slapped his name on the credits and snatched the royalties. The Four Deuces, sadly, never saw a dime. But Lord Luther kept performing, and W-P-L-J lived on as a bootleg anthem for bargain boozers.

Then came Frank Zappa.

Zappa, Hall & Oates, and the FM Revolution

In 1970, Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention resurrected W-P-L-J on their album Burnt Weeny Sandwich. Zappa loved how absurd it was—“I couldn’t have written anything that ridiculous,” he said—and his version gave the tune a second life.

It inspired something completely unexpected: New York radio station WABC-FM thought it was so iconic, they changed their call letters to WPLJ. That’s right: a radio station was named after a wine cocktail novelty song. For decades, WPLJ ruled the NYC airwaves—until it signed off in 2019, fittingly with Hall & Oates’ version of W-P-L-J.

The Legacy of a Lemon-Laced Legend

From dive bars to dorm rooms, White Port & Lemon Juice became a pop-culture cocktail—part music history, part drinking folklore. Whether it was The Four Deuces crooning in tight harmony or Zappa turning it into satirical gold, the song lives on as proof that sometimes the strangest inspirations make the biggest splash.

So next time you're tempted to order a fancy Pinot Gris, consider raising a white port and lemon cocktail instead. As The Four Deuces would say:

“You shake it up fine, you got a good good wine.”