The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-07-29
Substitute Bars i'm st. Louis Are
Almost Without Any Gus
toners.
THE BOTTLES LOOK GOOD
But the Folks Who Want a
"kick" in What They Drink
Don't Think the Substitutes
Worth While.

(From The st. Louis Post Dispatch.
st. Louis spurns the synthetic
spree" which is vainly trying to find
a place in the dry scheme of things.
Substitutes for practically all the old
intoxicating drinks, except straight
whiskey, are displayed on the ba elk
bars of many ST. Louis saloons, but
thus far their only office has been to
fill up the space left vacant when the
real stuff disappeared when the war
time prohibition went into effect July
1.
The bottles containing these sub
uct of the glassblower's art and have
fancy labels closely resembling those
formerly used on the drinks which
they are designed to substitute. 1t is
claimed for all of them that they have
"the taste, but not the kick
Signs That StartIe.
Bars in the hotels and a number of
the larger downtown and West End
saloons have an array of these bot
ties and an assortment OF signs on
the mirror that would startle the pro-
hibitionist If he should drop in for a
sarsaparilla. The signs proclaim that
there are on sale gin rickeys, Martini
cocktails, Bronx cocktails. ale, por-
ter. vermouth and, most startling OF
ALL mint juleps.
The drinking public" has been
slow to respond to the appeal of these
non-alcoholic concoctions. There was
some trade in them when thev were
first put on sale. This was purely
speculative and based on the chance
that they were not really limitations.
but the genuine mixtures in disguise
1t did not take long for the knowing
to establish that this faint gleam Of
hope was will-o'-the-wisp. The
only kick was that which came from
those who failed to find one
Investigator Went Home Sober.
A man who went out with the de-
liberate intention of 'tanking up" on
these imitation drinks found that he
became progressively more sober, ar
rived home before supper was ready
and put in the intervening time push
ing a lawn mower over the backyard
in perfectly straight lines.
At downtown saloon. formerly ia
nous for the superior quality of it's
mixed drinks, a Martini cocktail was
ordered The skilled mixer of other
days put il together in his usual
painstaking way.
Reads Like Other Days.
First he filled tall glass with
cracked ice, then he reached to the
back bar and got a bottle conspitu-
ously labeled "vermouth." He poured
a iigger Of this on the ice in the glass
From another bottle he put in dash
of "gin syrup" After giving the mix
ture time to chill he strained it into
a cocktail glass and dropped an olive
on it,
The drink looked like a Martini So
far as the flavor went it also tasted
like one. except that the ardency
which goes with every genuine hard"
drink was not there. This is true of
all other non-alcoholic substitutes
Saloon Keepers Learn Something.
Saloon keepers who have tried to
push" these new drinks say that they
have made several startling discov-
cries since July ] which upset their
preconceived notions as to the func-
ton OF the saloon. They have learned
for one thing that the lure of the
brass footrail and the "companion-
ship and good fellowship" supposed
to go with it are not sufficient to keep
the trade alive when alcoholic drinks
are not sold.
They also have learned that many
former whiskey drinkers have been
able to get along on beer containing
only "a per cent alcohol, and most
startling of all. they have found that
large majority of the supposed
STEADY drinkers" have conscientious
scruples against trying TO induce them
(Coat.Iued on Page Eight.)