NYCBP Blog

Did you watch the president's speech last night? There was one topic he did not mention, in all that talk about banks, schools, the war in Afghanistan:

Alcohol sales are down.

I was shocked by that. Particularly since movie ticket sales are up. It seems to me, if the economy sucks, you'd either go to see something like Transformers 2, or else buy a 12-pack and go home and watch porn.

According to Bloomberg News:

Beer sales fell the most, 14 percent, in last year’s fourth quarter. They accounted for 61 percent of the $111.9 billion in alcohol sold to drink at home. Wine sales retreated 1.6 percent and sales of liquor slid 0.9 percent.

There is more here about the startling statistics. Let's just hope we get over this recession soon.

Labels: beer, drinking, news

Finally some good news to read today. Even though the economy is in the toilet, $16 million was spent to renovate the Beacon Theatre. This beloved concert venue, which many of us love for hosting the Allmans every spring, is back after seven months of work to bring it back to its 1920s glory. The Times has a great overview and photo gallery which says,

New end standards along the aisles of the 2,829 new rust-red seats were cast from patterns close to the originals. Furthermore, multiple levels of ceiling cove lighting were rewired, then the fixtures rebulbed, as restorers say, returning the illumination to a glory not seen for 50 years...

I've been here many times; the last was to see David Gray. It is a special place on the Upper West Side. Even though Yogi's is not within stumbling distance any longer to The Beacon, there are many more watering holes nearby.

Hats off to Madison Square Garden Entertainment for bringing back this jewel to New York. Paul Simon is the first to perform in the renovated landmark.

Labels: music, upper west side

I always hated the Hawaiian Tropic Zone as a bar, a restaurant, and a tourist trap. I went there a bunch of times with the ultimate wingman, my cousin, and it always sucked. Well now comes word in the Daily News that it is shutting down for an overhaul. This is kind of hard to believe, since it only opened in a couple years ago, and now it needs "a lengthy renovation."

Now a sprawling two-story eating, drinking and ogling destination, the place will reopen as a one-story bistro with the same menu and scantily clad servers. While some managers will keep their jobs, most of the waitstaff will be forced to seek other work.

This is the second time in a week this dump has been on NYCBP; don't forget the Latin bombshell who is suing the place, one of two pending lawsuits.

Labels: bars, new york city

I have always liked the Times blog about drinking. This installment really makes it clear how the "downpour" works and dispels the myth of premium spirits. I bartended a little in a past life, and we never did this, because we never had the time or energy to sit there and pour cheap hootch into the premium bottles. (I do know of one bar that did this; I saw them do it in the basement). I love this part:

The bar staff dubbed the place “The Make-Believe Ballroom.” We obviously downpoured to keep liquor costs down, which helped the house. But it also allowed us to buy back more drinks for customers, which got us better tips. It was a fairly busy place and I worked there for three years. In all of that time only twice was the validity of a cocktail’s ingredients questioned.

Have any of you bartenders and patrons experienced this? Or have a working knowledge of a funnel-and-bottle operation in a back room of your bar or saloon? This is a great blog, and although he is talking about Elaine's, it could just as well be an NYCBP bar.

Labels: bartenders, drinking