The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-07-31
LONDON MILLIONAIRES
TAKE TO CHEAP DRINKS
Heavy and Expensive Wines Are Out
of Fashion

LONDON, July 30.-Londoners have
formed new drinking habit. 1t has
nothing to do with the hot weather.
They have been experimenting with it
quietly for year or two, and the habit
IS now quite confirmed. Caterers
shareholders have distinctly felt the
force of it.
What is this new drinking habit?
In the words of the manage of the Sa-
voy, it is this: More people drink
wine than ever, but they do not drink
so much per head as formerly. 1t is a
scientific, sensible drinking habit.
Is over their dinner in the evening
they think of headaches in the morn
ing. They want to live as long as pos
sible in this. very fine world. and to feel
TIT and we'll. every day. Modera ton is
the fashion with the smartest people.
For that reason We no longer meet
with the two-bottle or three bottle gen
tleman of the past. Even one bottle
gentleman is very rare. He only ap-
pears when there are no ladies present
If by any chance he should fall off his
chalr-which, of course, he never does
at the Savoy-then he is an outcast
and no gentleman
Champagne at 20s Or sos a bottle is
left in the hotel cellars to gather cob
webs. Only on the rosiest occasions do
even wealthy men pay these prices.
American millionaires seldom do;
Frenchmen, Germans and Scotsmen
never do; Englishmen only do when
dining with ladies. Irishmen have no
| use for fizZ.
Fifteen shillings a bottle is about
the top price paid for champagne say
the people at the Cecil. "and Us the
ruling price. Only connoisSeurs can
distinguish the superior flavor
And here is a strange thing. For
one man years ago there are ten today
Who content themselves at lunch and
supper with Scotch and soda. You
hardly ever hear of B. and s. now
adays."
| For dinner the less expensive light
| variety of beverage wines is preferred
| by West end families, to whom a
| spread table without decanters would
| be a cherries object
| Claret is winning a way back to the
honorable position it held with out
| acknowledgement the high vintage
costly claret at 30s quart bottle, but
| claret a fifth of that price. BLACK
port for dessert is going off, and most
| men eschew sherry for their stomach's
/ sake.
mo people in the world drink more
| Wine than Englishmen do today said
| the manager of the Carlton. 1T is wine,
wine, wine all the time, but always in
! studied moderation. This has of late
years become very marked. Beer? Oh,
| nol"-wlth Carltonian gesture of es-
| thetic diStreSs-'our customers do not
| drink beer-glorious beer, you call it,
Wine merchants are all cogniZant of
the new drinking habit. They welcome
| it, on the sound business basis that
moderate drinkers are good steady
| customers. The curious thing about
| this silent, salutary revolution is that
! it began at the top of the social lad
| der.
1.-The whole tendency is towards mod
Grafton" said one of the heads of a
1 ee-hundred-ye ar-old establishment,
/ whose office is decorated with a pic
/ ture. gallery of kingly and queenly pa
/ irons.
Among the younger generation
physical fitness is a craze that initiates
against excess. Indoors or outdoors,
I every gentleman ScornS to exhibit
! wine eXhilaration. A drunken man
/ would be bundled out of sight by his
| friends for the sake of his reputation"
Another West end wine merchant
of the fine old English gentleman"
/ type, hit off the new habit. Thus ..Oh,
/ yes An alcoholic pimple would put
/ your present day moderate wine-bib-
Der into fits. He would consult his
doctor about it, =
4 why, I believe English families are
giving up keeping wine cellars now.
! They are certainly not stocking them
! with 92s and 74s for posterity. What
would their grandfathers say to this
i moderation fad. But, perhaps, should
not call it fad.