quote:

Originally posted by IslandCruz:
The Blue Laws in the Carolinas are weird. This is a state that just this year abolished the mini bottle law. Before that all restaurants and bars had to use mini bottles. Strange laws in the southland.

Dwayne

Tell me about it! I remember taking a long weekend and driving down to Charleston. The first drink we ordered came in minis - I thought we were on a plane again! My partner ordered a Long Island Iced Tea and they brought FIVE minis to the table along with some Coke and ice. The waitress told us the only reason she was able to serve it was that there were two of us sitting at the table! I told her I wasn't going to drink it - she didn't care about that as long as there were two of us, it was OK!

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Sauza Tres Generaciones Anejo, Sauza Hornitos, El Patron Anejo, all neat.

Tequila man, eh?

I had a similar "booze" shock while living in London a few months back. I'm from NY, and very close to Manhattan where you can drink in a bar till 7am if you like. So I'm in London, where people clearly enjoy their beer/spirits, and I'm ready to party. We all head out around 10 or 11 (pretty standard by me), only to learn that the bars close at midnight! I finally understood why so many people starting drinking so early - because they need to stop so early.

Oh, just remembered one more thing - this time while I was in Ireland (though I think I saw it in other large cities in the UK and Europe - someone confirm this). When you order a mixed drink, they put the alcohol in one glass, and you need to buy the mixer separately. You then mix it yourself. And all the bottles dispense exactly one shot at a time, so you get exactly what you pay for - not like here in the states where the bartender pours in as much as he likes. That always bugged me...

Mike,
Yes, a really good Tequila is like a really good single malt scotch or fine brandy. It needs to be sipped and enjoyed neat, without adulteration.

On my intro to Pubs in the UK (a very long time ago) I learned about pouring my own mixer, getting my own ice at the end of the bar, and the biggest shocker was finding Scotch in my glass instead of Bourbon when I asked for "whiskey and water". And yes, the hours were a bit bizarre.

A couple years later, with the help of a "publican" whom I had met in the US, I was able to find my way around the Pub crawl scene without too much trouble.

As far as "metered" bottles, I've seen them in Manhattan (you're from NY), as well as other watering holes in other cities across the country. They can be set to pour whatever the business decides - 1 oz, 1.5, 2, whatever. They are intended to help the bottom line but the bartender can hit the leverl twice if he/she is so inclined. However some of the more sophisticated systems send a message to the computer that is keeping track of your tab. The bartender then has to make an entry deducting that drink as a "promo" if they are not going to charge you. Then the house knows how many freebies the bartender is giving out. (You can blame me - I've designed some of those systems!)

Jim C, are you talking about the Beer Barn in Grand Prairie? I used to live about 3 miles from there, yet I'd have to drive to almost Ft. Worth, the edge of Arlington to get anything stronger than beer. That included wine. I couldn't believe there were sections of Dallas county that were dry, I mean, get real. Dallas, Texas with dry areas-geesh!

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I couldn't believe there were sections of Dallas county that were dry, I mean, get real. Dallas, Texas with dry areas-geesh!

It's a southern, blue law thing. Throughout the south there are still scattered communities that are dry. I grew up in eastern KY in a dry town but right across the river there were bars and liquor stores. When I first came to Houston I was surprised to find the old blue laws still in effect on Sundays in a metropolitan city. Tradition dies hard in the south.

Cheers, Neil

quote:

Originally posted by penny3333:
Jim C, are you talking about the Beer Barn in Grand Prairie? I used to live about 3 miles from there, yet I'd have to drive to almost Ft. Worth, the edge of Arlington to get anything stronger than beer. That included wine. I couldn't believe there were sections of Dallas county that were dry, I mean, get real. Dallas, Texas with dry areas-geesh!

Well, its probably a chain because the Beer Barn I was referring to is a new one in Keller. But, we still have to drive to Fort Worth of the edge of Alrington to buy "the hard stuff". we tend to only stop when we are going by the places on some other errand. But, if you can manage to cruise enough, you can stay pretty well stocked and not have to make the trip.

quote:

Originally posted by TrvlPro:
It's a southern, blue law thing. Throughout the south there are still scattered communities that are dry. I grew up in eastern KY in a dry town but right across the river there were bars and liquor stores. When I first came to Houston I was surprised to find the old blue laws still in effect on Sundays in a metropolitan city. Tradition dies hard in the south.
Cheers, Neil

Interesting you would use the term southern. Growing up in the Rio Grande Valley, when asked if I was a southerner my response was always a firm "No, I'm a Texan!" The only time we used "south/southerly/southern" was to denote a compass heading. "South" Padre Island was simply Padre Island until the causeway was finshed at Port Isabel making the invasion and subsequent desecration of the island easy.

I suppose since the snowbirds have migrated into Texas from the north and the east and stayed, things have changed.

Growing up in Ft. Lauderdale, we had the blue laws as well. Yet, the bars closed at 4am and you could go to a bottle club and drink 24/7. They've probably changed it by now, we used to get so many mad customers on Sunday, waiting for the clocks to strike noon. Where we live in Alabama, it's a dry county, but we're close to Decatur which is wet. There is absolutely no alcohol at all sold on Sundays unless we go to Huntsville and I think Huntsville only sells drinks in bars/restaurants, no package store. Dave probably knows for sure.

Yes Penny, everyone knows to come to me when they have questions about liquor laws.

Actually, the law in Madison County was changed a couple years back and you can buy on Sundays from package stores as well as by-the-drink in bars and eateries. And note this is the whole county and not just Huntsville. For me, we are about 7 miles from the county line and the Windmill Beverage store. The place does land office business on Sundays with a whole lot of vehicles in the parking lot with Limestone County tags.

Athens is like Decatur - bone dry on Sundays, but at least we beat back the dry vote attempt this past August, and by a 2-1 margin, so Athens is safely wet now with no real chance of going dry again. In fact, I had lunch at one of our numerous Mexican places today and had a Corona with it!

Seems funny to me that some communities are still proposing legislation to go dry. How long has it been since prohibition failed?

It has been 74 years.

Dwayne

If I'm on a cruise, my drink of choice is a Long Island Ice Tea (vodka, gin, rum, triple sec, sweet&sour and just a splash of Coke). I tend to consume quite a bit of alcohol on cruises, so I'm always looking to get the most bang for my buck!

At home I'll mix myself up a whiskey sour (Seagrams 7) or a margarita (regular 'ol Cuervo). If I feel like a shot, I like Jagermeister or a good, 100% agave tequila. My fiance is a former bartender and likes to mix up seasonal drinks... he makes an absolutely heavenly pumpkin pie martini with vodka, pumpkin liqueur, kahlua and heavy cream. Is it 5:00 yet???? LOL

Tortuga Rum... Piton beer from Castries, St. Lucia is my favorite import. Staying at Sandals, I would stay at the main pool all day and drink Piton beer at the swim-up bar. Ahhhh.

Just returned from our 7-day Mexican Riviera cruise and had an interesting experience. We purchased a bottle of very expensive (impossible to get here) Añejo tequila from a small boutique distiller. I had them double-wrap the bottle in bubble-wrap (since the ship was going to "keep" it for me until disembarcation). The store put the wrapped bottle in a plastic bag with their advertising all over it!

We re-boarded the ship, the bag went thru the x-ray, we picked it up, walked to the elevator and left the area WITH the bottle! We weren't attempting to sneak it aboard because that bottle was destined for some serious, at-home sipping! BTW, we were not in a "crowd of people". We were the ONLY four people going through security!

I guess Edgar Allen Poe was correct in that the best hiding place for anything is in plain sight!

And you are not going to share Chuck?

Welcome back Chuck!

Your story reminds me of the guy pushing a wheelbarrow out of a factory every day with all kinds of stuff in it. They kept searching for something that didn't belong to him, suspecting him of perhaps stealing. One day they finally figured it out; he was stealing wheelbarrows.

Sonny

Different rum from the various ports.

JimC
Was Las Vegas good to you or will you stick to the ship's casinos from now on. Interesting experience - I had a very hard time in the casino on the ship dealing with the smoke. I used to be a very heavy smoker but I quit two years ago with the help of Zyban. Don't know what it did to my "nicotine receptors" but now if I'm in an area with a lot of smoke my tolerance level is zip and I have to get out. I don't say anything cause I understand - heck, I used to be where they are. Anyway, just thought I'd share. Back to the tequila. I still haven't uncorked it. Maybe this New Year's I'll have one (or two) by the fire. If you're in the area, stop by and I'll pour you a finger or two!

SonnyV
Yea, you're right on with that story. Here's another one. A few years ago, a friend was working in a department (name withheld) store in Lakewood, CA. It seems two well-dressed, clean-cut, college-type young men walked in one evening, walked into the sporting goods department, picked up a canoe, turned it upside down, got under it at each end and walked out past the store manager and the head of security who were having a conversation regarding what to do about reducing the shrinkage in the store!

This happened pre-9/11 when it was a little easier to get on a military base, but even so, you gotta' wonder!

Two guys in coveralls and driving a truck that said, "Piano Movers" drove onto the grounds of The Persidio in San Francisco, went to the band rehersal auditorium, and announced they were there to pick up the piano. They wrapped the grand piano in moving blankets, loaded it onto the truck, and left, without ever being challenged for identification or paperwork of any kind.

The next day at rehersal the band director asked what happened to the piano, and was informed the "movers" picked it up the day before. You know the rest: there were NO orders for the piano to be moved. It was just a very brazen theft.

My rule of thumb on a ship... Get in good with all the bartenders. I always order from them directly and am quick to disperse a little cash to them. After that, my glass is never empty and what they put in it is seldom "well brand" and it is very seldom weak.