There will be trends in mixed drinks, but I think that the cocktail and mixed drink popularity (which was very popular before Prohibition) will go on, just as there are trends in food. I think the craft cocktail movement is like the foodies movement. That has gone beyond “just a trend.” Americans are more and more interested in wine, in small distilleries as well. You might look at the craft cocktail movement as a trend… but think of the popularity of microbrews. As drinking habits and preferences change, is it likely that these places will weather the whims of the public? Today, places like Drink and the late B-Side Lounge hold up the cocktail mantle in fine fashion. Foley’s remembers a time when overnight workers would start imbibing after their shifts at 8 in the morning, and the favorite libation was a beer and a shot. In general Bostonians are drinking more responsibly and are tasting a wide range of liquors, beers and wine.
#Boston gay bars 1970s free
Boston has always been a kind of place where people would have a drink after work, whether it was half price or came with free food. How does this change the nature or culture of the after-work drink and other pastimes?įrankly, I don’t think it makes much difference here. When I think of key differences between Boston’s drinking culture and other places I have lived, I immediately think of the fact that Boston (or more accurately, the Commonwealth) does not allow happy hours. Bars still play a vital role in neighborhoods, but the new craft cocktail bars are creating a new kind of community – one not bound by geography, but by interests and outlook. Foley’s and Doyle’s Cafe, where candidates go to curry favor during election season. I think there is less politicking at bars - with exceptions like the Eire Pub,J.J. One of the first meetings of the AIDS action committee was held in the Eagle Bar on Tremont Street. But until a decade or so ago, Boston’s gay bars were places where lesbians and gay men could gather and “be themselves” as well as meet people. Does any of these exist today? Or is it all just loud TV’s and shiny bars? You talk about the key role that taverns played in colonial Boston in terms of being a center of activity for political intrigue, community gatherings and so on.
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People like to dwell on the scruffy Scollay Square but Boston once had hot, swinging night spots that attracted all ages and classes.
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Even South Boston had Blinstrub’s – a popular club that featured big stars of the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1930s and 1940s, night spots like the Latin Quarter, the Brown Derby, Fox and Hounds and Cafe Manana had the show girls, cocktails, and glitz you associate with New York. For starters, I never realized that Boston had such a vibrant, glamorous nightclub life. When you started doing the researching for this book, did anything surprise you in terms of Boston’s drinking culture and nightlife? I caught up with Stephanie via email and she gladly offered to reply to a few of my queries about her book. It’s a delightful read and her musings and rich historical analysis make the book quite compelling. When I heard about Stephanie Schorow’s new book Drinking Boston, I thought that perhaps this book had been written just for me. I’ve always been intrigued with the history of drinking, nightlife, and other leisure pursuits in Boston. Drinking Boston: A Conversation With Author Stephanie Schorow