The morning call., 1891-10-31
HARD DRINKS FOR A NICKEL.
The Mind -wrecking Five-Cent Drink

The Mind Wrecking Five-Cent Drinks
Sold in Some Bowery Groggeries.
The "hummer" is not. as might be sup
posed, either bird or a bee. In the par
lance Of the Bowery the term is applied to
all the 5-cent drinks OF an alcoholic char
acter to be had on Park row, Chatham
square and as far uptown on the Bowery as
Houston stree. and the side streets lying
between it and the East River on one side
and Broadway upon the other.
Within the last six months the domain of
the hummer" has extended until now it
has gone uptown as far as Twenty-seventh
street on tile west side, and has invaded
Harlem on the east side. While all kinds
of mixed drinks are sold in the scent
houses they have different modes of treat
ing their customers.
Ia all the BoweTy places the liquor is
drawn from the CaSk by the bar tender,
who fills the glass to the brim. There is
none of the artistic mixing of drinks which
marks the professionals who attend TO the
wants Of the thirst at the Hoffman or the
Astur or other equally distinguished bars
where men with millions imbiDe. A ii the
drinks in the hummer" house are in casks,
each cask labeled with the decoction with
in, and one faucet is turned 10 give you
cock ktail aud some other a milk punch. The
foundation of all the drinks, plain and
mixed, is in every case the same-perfeetly
raw alcohol reekng with the deadly fusel
oil which makes men not only druDkardS
but demons.
The stuff, which costs less than 81 a
gallon, and the legitimate use OF which
should here, as in England, be legally con-
fined to manufactures and arts, is never re-
fined. Color is given 10 it by the addition OF
burnt sugar. II it is to be sold as pure
Bourbon whisky" not much sugar is added,
but little alum gives 1t the required astrn-
acid imparts that bite" so dear TO the
wornOut stomach OF the tramp.
Where II is 10 pass as brandy or rum.
quite quantity Of burnt sugar Is used, and
a few drops of brandy tavorng essence is
put in. Diluted. and with burnt sugar,
with the addition of some tiayoring
extract of juniper berries. it appears
iu the guise of gin. The few uptown
houses engaged in selling the delectable stuff
put on more style. The visitor is handed a
bottle and glass as in an ordinary respect
able saloon and helps himself Then, again
the uptown houses do a good business in
the legitimate sale Of California wines,
which can be sUld at five cents glass,
es' ecially clarets, with fair show of
profit Their patrons are a slightly better
class than the beSOtted BOwery tramps,
who have adopted for their wretched life'S
motto Alfred de MuSset's adage:
What matters the girl solong as you love her,
What matters the tottie so long as Il mikes you
drunk.
The effect of long or regular indulgence
in ''hummers" is 10 make of man phgsi-
cal and mental wreck sooner than if he be
came a confirmed Observation-Disclosures. Fuse
oil, which is present in large quantity in
unrefine6 alcohol, has peculiar action on
the brain. While 1t benumbs ana eventually
destroys the intelligence, it unfiames the
animal passions TO madness. Hence the
nightly rows in the Scent drinking-shopS
and the army Of tenants they furnish to the
island.
The effect Of a hummer" is felt in mo-
ment or so after it has been taken. The
sensation is that by some accident you have
swallowed 4 red-hot watch-spring, which is
calmly uncoiling itself in the pit Of
your stomach. This is accompanied by
strong suspicion that you are about to be-
come sfasick on dry land. To overcome
This feeling jugs of milk and lemonade are
placed on the counter free for the patrons
wash down the fiery dose, but it is only
oreenhorns who use either. The cast-iron
stomach of the Bowery tough is only less
affected by the hummer" than his head is
by the nightstck Of his deadly enemy "de
cop."-N. !. Recorder