The Wild West Saloon (Part 2)© Elizabeth Gibson
Jul 29, 2003
One of the early drinks was Taos Lightning, a corn or wheat based liquor. It was brought up
from New Mexico and was popular with both Indians and trappers. Different varieties of bourbon
were very popular too, such as Old Crow and Old Gideon. In San Francisco, they liked Pisco Punch, made with Peruvian Pisco brandy and tasting like whiskey but with a fruity taste. Cactus wine, a mixture of tequila and peyote tea, was popular in the southwest. Mule Skinner was
whiskey and blackberry liquor and popular with the cowboys. The popular Shawn O'Farrell was created in Butte, Montana, a straight shot of whiskey followed with a glass of cold beer; it gave birth to the boilermaker.
Beer hit the saloons in the 1850s. It was cheap to produce so most towns of any size quickly
erected a brewery. There were also beer gardens. Monks created vineyards in the San Francisco area in the 18th century. "Trade whiskey," was the "rotgut" used to trade with the Indians. It was also called firewater because traders would toss a little in the fire, where it would crackle, to prove to the Indians it wasn't just water. Mexican mestizos introduced mescal. It was made from distilled agave juice and salt. Many drinks were at least 100 proof and drinkers did not water them down, though some bartenders watered down the liquor before passing it on to the patron. Some bartenders put coloring in oil or turpentine. Others bought cheap tequila and put a fancy whiskey label on it. Creosote, tobacco, ammonia, gun powder, oak bark, cayenne pepper, and other additives were used to stretch the whiskey a little further. Booze was pretty cheap compared to today's prices. A gallon of whiskey cost the proprietor 25 cents per gallon. The customer paid an average of 25 cents for two glasses. In a remote boom town, you might pay as much a 25 cents a shot. The good stuff might cost $2.50 per gallon. These prices were pretty stable up through about 1920. They may seem cheap, but a man didn't make much money then and it was not uncommon for the average man to spend a third of his wage on drink. For years, patrons paid for their drinks with gold dust and a bartender had a set of scales on hand to weigh it. Besides a place to drink, saloons were the only place a traveling man could take shelter. They
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