The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1920-06-03

The following remarkable story is clip
ped from the Dearborn Independent
1.-THE Ford International weekly Of
some months ago. and was introduced
by the editorial note here shown:
The identity OF the writer is not
given for obvious reasons. He is. ut
this writing, the head bartender in one !
of the best known cafes In New York.
dispensing now "o7J beer : instead of
"hard STUFF His story il an intimate
revelation of drink--as observed for
years by this man behind the bar.
For twenty years have been mixing
drinks. l do not drink myself. | have
tended bar in cheap corner saloons. In
clubs, In hotels, In Old-fashiOned cafes
of the downtown business district
of New York and in Broadway cafes.
The making Of drinks that please men
is the only profession ever knew.
1 was not born in America. but ]
came here when l was young. think
that prohibition came to us because
most of us Americans do not kn0ir hOn
to drink. We drank too much. too
quickly; we drank wrong kinds of
drinks and ut wrong, hours. In our
impetuons way, we did not give Thought
to drink. Most Of us, not knowing how
to drink. abused it. And SO prohibition.
We drank standing up" at bar.
That is wrong. To stand is tiresome.
It made men drink quickly and far
more than they would were they sitting
down and conversing. between sips,
with friend. We had the have-one-
on-me" habit. Generally, If four men
came up to the bar. knew 1t would he
four rounds; each man had to treat"
Our use of mixed drinks (" induced
us to drink more. Disgusting the taste
of alcohol. as we bartentlers did with
eggs, fruits and leaves, it was possible
for d customer who wOnld balk at
three "straight Whistles to down six
"mixed drinks" without his stomach
protesting.
To me there was always fascina-
ton In tending bar. l liked to study
the various ingredients with which l
made drinks, and their effect upon diff
ferent kinds of men. | think that In
twenty years 1 came to know "bOOze 8
intimately. 1t had secrets. These I
shall tell YOU.
There has always been more or less
mystery about drinking. The swinging
| doors to every cafe and saloon sug-
gested secrecy. They hid the drinkers
from the world Behind the bar, on my
side of 1t. the side where the bottles
with their varicolored contents, that
| was a mystery What was really III
those bottles? Why the colors? Why
did men like cocktails, fixes. rickeys
juleps, highballs, punches. toddys, cor
dials, wine. wlliskey, beer?
Frankly, l liked the bottles behind
a bar-not all Of them. for I shall tel
you, too, how men were cheated.
liked to choose. from n large number
of bottles. certain bottles which III,
experience told me to take. enjoyed
pouring from these bottles just tn,
exact quantity Of liquors to produc'
drink satisfactory to my patrons.
consider the mixing OF drinks an art
l know the taste a certain mixture vii
produce, also the effect. For twent.
years I watched the effect Of alcOllO
upon men.
4 have seen the 8 occasional drinker.
the moderate drinker, the stead,
drinker..' and the souse' l hav
watched the faces Of these men rs the,
! lined up along the bar in front of me
1 have heard much OF their CONVERSE
ton. have been witness to thing
they have done. Some customers. upO
! reaching a certain stage In their drink
ing, insist upon the bartender :" havin
one" A bartender cannot accept an
. properly attend to his business. Th
mixing OF drinks requires an accurat
, eve, a very steady hand. OF cours,
} everybody knows that after a man h,l
had few drinks, he becomes slight
inaccurate. Also. IL bartender refuse
to drink with a customer. the ma
! became offended and went to SON
: other bar.
I have heard a lot about what boo7
5 does to men. Set one thing straigli
4 There is one reason, and only one, VIII
men drank. + have seen them denlaIl
of me certain brand Of whiskey an
show pettishness when we were o,
Of it. have seen them call for a pa
:. ticular make of gin. have seen vii
drinkers-who, in America, are rare
hold up glass to the light and go in1
! delights about its color and odor.
Z have heard men speculate upon Il
: standings of color and creaminess !"
:, beer. have heard the virtues Of j
leps' argued against those of .'rickeys
:. But don't fool yourself that ma
drank whiskey or gin because certa
brand offered some mysterious piquan'
of flavor. Don't fool yourself that m.
drank wine because Of the color or Il
. bouquet; that. men drank beer for
: color or creaminess; that men draI
"juleps for the mint, or !. rickeys
for the lime-juice. Men drank for Il
alcohol In the drink and for no 9th
= reason. Believe me, know. The sc
= reason for the existence of these Y
riOus drinks was to induce the body
!. accept them. Were man to mix ale
" hol with water and drink it, the pala,
: the stomach, would rebel. So it becaI
a profession for the makers Of boo
!. and for MS bartenders to disguise aid
II hOl with odors and fiavors SO that m
II could more readily accept 1t. Al.
Df different drinks provided men with d
r. ferent quantities of alcohol, as til
le wanted. 1t was for the alcohol alol
what 1t did to them, that men drank.
h. About inducing the stomach to acce
at drink. Rare indeed is the man who