The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, which had its roots in the rivalry between Russia and Japan for dominance in the Far East, ended in a Russian defeat.
After the war, Admiral Togo, commander of the victorious Japanese fleet, visited the United States and was cordially received. A state dinner was tendered him at which it fell to the lot of William Bryan, then Secretary of State, to propose a toast to Togo. Bryan, a staunch prohibitionist, would not touch champagne, and it was feared that some diplomatic impasse might arise from the difficulty.
Bryan, however, rose at the proper time, picked up his glass of water and said, "Admiral Togo has won a great victory on water, therefore I will toast him in water. When Admiral Togo wins a victory on champagne, I will toast him in champagne."
一九零四至零五年日俄戰爭的根本原因，在於兩國爭奪遠東霸權。結果俄軍戰敗。
奏凱的日本艦隊由海軍上將多哥指揮。他戰後往訪美國，獲殷勤招待，款以國宴。席上，美國國務卿威廉．布萊恩須向他敬酒。但布萊恩向來酒不沾唇，是不會喝香檳的。因此，有人擔心這或引起外交僵局。
到了應敬酒的時候，布萊恩站起來，舉起一杯水，說道：「多哥上將是在水上大獲全勝的，因此，謹以水相賀。他日多哥上將在香檳上取勝，我自當以香檳相賀。」