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!
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!
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.
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.
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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!
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