Drunk in New York
Seinfeld was one of the most NYC-centered sitcoms of all time. Has any other comedy show revolved so heavily around neighborhood life and references to everyday NY things as Seinfeld? If so, I can't think of them.
I loved that show, but one thing always struck me: the abstinence from alcohol. Jerry wouldn't even drink caffeine, much less alcohol. One scene showed Elaine pound a can of beer and an incognito Kramer chug a pint. Farfle the dog's owner was a drunk. Elaine's author father liked a stiff one. Other than those handful of references, I can't recall any drinking references in its nine seasons. I'm sure there were others, but the bottom line is: If Seinfeld is the NYC norm, Manhattan is drier than a southern Baptist revival.
But Seinfeld isn't the NY norm. Of that I'm reasonably sure, and New York Magazine recently verified it with The Bars of New York: The discriminating imbiber's handbook. It contains all sorts of useful and entertaining information, like recommended bar crawls and where to get good finger food (and they ain't just talkin' pretzels and beer nuts). The also feature over two dozen recommended watering holes. The Duck is probably the one that fits me best:
In East Harlem, better known in nightlife circles for its great merengue and salsa scenes, a honky-tonk bar is somewhat out of place. Still, dive-bar impresario Tom McNeil (of the Patriot Saloon and the dearly departed Yogi's) opened this two-room saloon last fall, and the local crowd has embraced his formula: Johnny Cash tunes, baskets of peanuts, and cleavage-baring bartenders who pour $6.50 pitchers of Pabst and stiff Wild Turkey shots.
I'm not sure I've ever seen "Harlem" and "Johnny Cash" used in the same paragraph.
I also appreciated snippets of interviews with some of NYC's finest (bartenders). Samples:
What's the craziest drinking feat you've ever seen?
“A couple of Wall Street guys came in and ordered two well shots of tequila with lime and salt. They proceeded to snort a line of salt, squeeze the lime in their eyes, do the shot, then punch each other in the face. I actually named it: the Tequila Stuntman.” . . .
What's your least favorite type of customer?
“Whiny girls who order twenty cosmos and tip a dollar.” . . .
What's the weirdest drink request you've ever received?
“A sidecar followed by a grasshopper to a 21-year-old who had seemingly been reading a book of cocktails from 1935 in hopes of impressing his date.”
Some Moonshine History
While listening to a podcast about moonshining this week, I heard about Glenn Dunnaway, the man who won the first NASCAR race in 1948. But he was disqualified: "Hours later, Chief Inspector Al Crisler disqualified Dunnaway. Rules clearly prohibited modifications, but owner Hubert Westmoreland had shored up the chassis by spreading the rear springs, a favorite trick of bootleggers looking to improve traction and handling." Link.
NASCAR, of course, has its roots in moonshining. Southern moonshiners outfitted their cars to make them extra fast in order to escape the revenue men. Fast cars became an interest in-and-of themselves. Moonshine runners then started racing against each other in informal competitions. The natural out-shoot was NASCAR. So natural, in fact, that (according to the podcast) Dunnaway wasn't trying to cheat in the race. The reason Dunnaway's car had the illegal contraption was because he had been using the car to run moonshine just a week earlier in North Carolina.
