Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-11-23

THE BIo-DRISK AND FREE-LuNcH rixNDa.
SIR"
Wont even take a cigar with customer,
oh? Pray, why Is tbat?"
''The boss don't allow it," explained the bar
tender. His rule is that no man in his saloon
shall take drink or smoke anything behind
the bar"
Il can understand about the drink" said
IHE STAR reporter, but why should you not
be allowed to smoker"
because it isn't good business practice
Ihere is many customer who doesn't like to
see the bar keeper who serves him putting q
cigar while he pours out the beer or mixes a
ancy drink. He imagines, very likely-if he is
a nervous person-that a bit Of tobacco ash
may fall into the glass, and that is not an appe-
tHing notion. You have no notion how par
ticular some men are about the way in which
they are waited upon in saloon. They want
the strictest attention paid to their peculiar in
dividual requirements; everything about what
they take must be just so. even to the bit Of
lemon peel rubbed on the edge of the tumbler
or the exact number of drops of Angostura,
and they don't like to see the bar tender
occupied with anything else, though it be
merely smoke, while he is filling their orders.
Any way you must see yourself that it doesn't
look like business to see n man behind a coun-
ter with cigar IN the corner of his mouth;
you wouldn't like 1T ii you were waited upon
by your grocer or butcher in that style. II
customer really insists upon treating me usu
ally take cigar and put it away by the mirror,
to be smoked after hours"
You never drink behind the bar under any
circumstances l suppose?'
NO "NIPs" BEHIND THE BAR.
''No sir. It's not allowed in any well-regu-
Lott HSn1 Won, Of L,- al
a drink, but it's always on the sly-when the
boss isn't looking. Customers don't like to see
man affected by liquor behind the bar, and it
interferes with the performance of duty also.
During the daytime the bar tender has MANY
long. dull hours. when few people come in to
be served and there is great temptation to
make the time 80 easier by a small dose of
cheering stimuant. But a single dose is not
apt to be satisfying. You remember that old
pr0verb-Ive understood that il is Chinese
to the effect that first the man takes drink;
then the drink takes drink. and finally the
drink takes the mau. translate that in this
way: The first drink is agreeable. but
creates desire for second, and the
third makes the man drunk. l don't mean
to IMPLY that the average person is rendered
unable to take care of himself by three drinks
OF whisky; but do assert that no man after
his third drink of whisky is really sober.
Though, presumably he will not make the fact
percept!ble TO others, he does not feel quite
ike the same man. nor Is he go, indeed. How
ever as l was gong to say, bar tenders as a
class, are not drinking men. 1t is with them
about liquor very much as it is with the en-
p!oyes III candy shops and factories, who see
such quantities of sweets all the time in the
way OF their daily work that they get disgust
for them"
rs the bar tenders work hard?'
The labor is not arduous, but 1t is exceed
lngly tedious and the hours are very long. 1
open this place myself before 6 O'Clock every
morning and am on duty until 10 o clock every
evening except one, when l have my night off.
vi course have my Sundays free also"
But who wants to drink at in the morn
ing!'
EARLYMoRNING DRINKING.
"Lots Of people. You have no notion of the
amount of drinking done at that time of the
day. Nearly every shop keeper who takes
down bis shutters early wants an eye-opener
the first thing to wake him up and brace him
for bu.lness. The miikmen on their routes
watch for the first saloon they can find open
to get ~ nip, especially in cold weather, when
they have hard work to keep from falling asleep
and freezing to death in their wagons. At that
hour, too, the laboring men are going to work.
and--If you keep cheap place-they will come
IN TO get little something for q bracer. And
you are very likely to find a few customers
who have been spreeing the night before
eagerly waiting for chance to get badly
needed cocktail. The market is not far from
here aud the butchers and other stall keepers
come in for their regular doses. There is
hardly market man who does not take
drink at about q. H., and the most inveterate
topers OF all are the fish men, who need stimu-
lants because of the wet to which they are ex-
posed"
Beer is not what such customers want?"
NO. whisky, rum, and gin are the articles
called for. In saloons that cater to this sort of
custom 10 cents is the usual price for drink;
but there are places frequented by iaborers and
others where nothing costs more than cents"
''And are the glasses the same size?'
UP TO THE BRIM.
"Just like the whisky glasses at this bar, and
the ive-cent patrons fill them up to the brim
every time. Those fellows have no bashful-
ness about helping themselves from the bottle.
They want ali they can get for their nickels
every time. The only difference the price
makes is in the quality Of the liquor served
It's fresh from the still Of course-the sort that
burns the very lining out Of a mans stomach
but they don't care so long as it has the desired
effect. Give them turpentine and water for
gin at five cents drink, and they are salts
ned II they get big measure. The negroes
of the lower class are very fond Of a
mixture Of beer and whisky. They say
that the whisky gives the beer strength and the
beer relieves the whisky of its disagreeable
taste. You can get the same quantity of spirits
to a drink whether you pay 5, 10. or Is cents
a l5cen saloon you will be given whisky that
is five years DID, at 10cent place it will be three
years old, and what you pour out from the g.
cent bottle will be the cheapest possible stuff,
just made and perfectly raw. The keeper of
the lO-cent saloon expects to make an average
Of cents on each glass of whisky he sells 1t
costs him % a gallon and he estimates that
there are 90 drinks in gallon; SO that he sells
the gallon for 90 every time and his profit is
100 per cent. The lucent gin mill makes a
rather greater percentage and the scent place
rather less. The 16-cent saloon has this advan-
tage, very few of its customers take in de-
Gently large swigs Of the liquor. Its patrons
are content with modest helps"
Ills there no way to discourage the hog Of
this species?"
ROUGH ON HOGS.
ooh, yes. The bar tender not finding his
patronage profitable does not hesitate to eye
the man in a sarcastic way while he gulps down
the big drink, to hold up the bottle to the light
for a moment or even to ask the custome
whether he has enough, il the case is very
aggravated. Some persons of this sort are
altogether shameless, but even they are likely
to find it more convenient to 60 to another
place. The fellow who waits until the bar
tender turns his back for change to pour out
and hastily swallow his bath doesn't escape
the watchful eye OF the artist in the white
apron to any great extent. And there is one
protection which the bar tender is accustomed
to use against the hog; he always has a bottle
of cheaper stuff. or watered whiskey at hand.
and when big drink patron comes in this bot
tie is handed out 1t is q part of the bar