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SPIRIT
ARCHIVES, LIQUOR EXPERT: JEFFREY POGASH |
HAPPY
HOUR
The birth of our Nation and Happy Hour
by Jeffrey Pogash |
As one who attained drinking age in the 1970's, Happy Hour was and still is, an inescapable way of life. Hand-made signs adorned with cocktail glasses or champagne coupes that had bubbles coming out of them or fancier neon signs bombarded the senses. From my first bar experiences in a remote area of Wisconsin, to the watering holes that I see on every street corner of New York City while walking to work, those magic words "Happy Hour" act like a magnet, drawing customers into a fantasy world that begins every day at 5:00 p.m. In the minds of the American workforce, "It's Miller Time" is synonymous with "Happy Hour," that anxiously awaited that moment in the day when thoughts of work evaporate from the dazed and cob-web clogged mind of the office worker, bringing with a sort of Zen-like cleansing of the brain. In other words, Happy Hour = R & R, rest and relaxation, a chance to unwind with friends after a difficult day in the "the cube."
The hectic, often frantic pace of life that has become the American lifestyle for the past 50 years or so is partly responsible for the continuation of the Happy Hour by successive generations of bartenders and restaurateurs. Consumers need a little R&R every day and bar owners find if profitable to dedicate a few hours of their week to the promotion of food and drink. But what we think of as a very contemporary phenomenon actually has roots going back more than 200 years. Even John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin had to relax after a hard day in the Continental Congress.
In Colonial America, the ever-increasing production of molasses-based rum, especially in Massachusetts, made this spirit into sort of national drink. Sure, there was Madeira, Sherry, and fine Bordeaux for upper class Bostonians and Virginians, but for the average American, the much lower priced rum became the drink of choice. It was around this time that mixed drinks such as Grog, Rum Toddy, and Rum Punch became standard fare in taverns, especially in the northern colonies, heralding the birth of our cocktail culture. But the one drink that seemed to be served in every country store and tavern throughout the thirteen colonies was Black-Strap, a mixture of molasses, run, and other ingredients, most of which remain a secret to this day. There was so much arum available, both domestic and imported, that creative ways of selling it became necessary, hence the birth of Black-Strap and its subsequent promotion. In what might have been our country's first Happy Hour, tavern owners devised ways of creating a thirst and a demand for the Black-Strap cocktail. One method was to hang a salted codfish near the barrel and offer a taste of the fish. A thirst quickly developed, followed by an order (or two or three) for tankard of Black-Strap. Another popular drink at the time was mixture of rum and beer, America's first Boilermaker.
The term Happy Hour became part of the American lexicon in the 1920's, originating in an unlikely place, aboard U.S. Navy vessels. It was slang for that moment in the evening when entertainment was scheduled for the sailors. Some accounts state that the word "happy" in this context meant slightly tipsy, implying that some sort of alcoholic beverage was part of the evening's festivities. As those sailors mainstreamed to civilian life and as Prohibition became law, Happy Hour meant drinking cocktails in a speakeasy (illegally of course) prior to going to a restaurant for dinner. During Prohibition restaurants were barred from serving alcohol, so the illegal speakeasy became the place to meet for a drink and to socialize …. until it was raided and closed down by the police.
Happy Hour as an expression seems to have taken hold in the 1960's when articles in newspapers and magazines began referring to it. During the 1980's, when drinking and driving became a major issue in America, more and more establishments included free hors d'oeuvres with their promotionally priced drinks. Considering that cocktail promotions have existed since the founding of our country and remain strong to this day, it appears as though Happy Hour is here to stay, both in name and in practice.
We can safely say that it is "as American as apple pie."
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