What kind of whiskey do cowboys drink?
Bulleit Bourbon stamps the words "Frontier Whiskey" on its bottle even though the brand has only been around in its modern form little more than a decade. In fact, all those brands were created well after the West was tamed, and also probably taste better than most offerings from 150 years ago.
Cowboy Blended Whiskey is a smooth American Whiskey with honey and tobacco notes, with splashes of caramel and white pepper.
The simple ingredients included raw alcohol, sugar burnt, and a little pouch chewing tobacco. Whiskey with terrible names like “Coffin Varnish,” “Tarantula Juice,” “Red Eye,” and others was common among the early saloons. Later the word “Firewater” would be used to describe Whiskey.
To convince the Indians of the high alcohol content, the peddlers would pour some of the liquor on the fire, as the Indians watched the fire begin to blaze. But the majority of western saloon regulars drank straight liquor — rye or bourbon.
Champagne was described in primary source documents, and bottles that may have contained this specialty wine were also common. Gin was common besides whiskey. Ginger bottles were also common, perhaps as a drink mix (both with beer and whiskey). Soda water bottles were common.
Saloons were a cheap form of entertainment. A glass of beer cost 5 cents, a shot of whiskey 25 cents (two bits) and a premium cigar another 5 cents.
| Brand | Garrison Brothers |
|---|---|
| Region | United States |
| Spirits Type | American Whisky |
| Spirits Style | Bourbon |
| ABV | 65.65% |
Cowboys never had a reputation for being very sophisticated connoisseurs. The whiskey they drank was simply fuel for the saloons' many other pastimes, whatever those happened to be. Quality and flavor among whiskies in the late 1800s varied widely. There were few regulations about how the stuff should be made.
It would usually last most of the summer. Down in Arizona, you'd see signs in front of saloons saying “Cool Beer,” not “Cold Beer.” Wet gunny sacks and sawdust would keep the beer fairly cool. Outside of Flagstaff were some ice caves, and saloonkeepers would harvest ice from the caves during the summer.
The cowboys were actually eating “sowbelly.” It was pork fat from the belly, and perhaps the back and sides, of a hog carcass, cured with salt. Sowbelly could last a long time without spoiling. Marshall Trimble is Arizona's official state historian and the vice president of the Wild West History Association.
What do cowboys call a bar?
A Western saloon is a kind of bar particular to the Old West. Saloons served customers such as fur trappers, cowboys, soldiers, lumberjacks, businessmen, lawmen, outlaws, miners, and gamblers. A saloon might also be known as a "watering trough, bughouse, shebang, cantina, grogshop, and gin mill".
Usually it was up to the judgment of the proprietor or bartender. It looks like Billy the Kid was hanging out in saloons by the time he was 18. Billy Clanton was doing the same when he was a teenager. They were accepted as adults at that point and so their presence was allowed.
The Majority Of Saloons Across The West Were Not As Ornate As Hollywood Films Suggest. Saloons often began as nothing more than a piece of canvas spread across a wooden frame, essentially a tent under which men could drink, talk, and gamble.
But after the Civil War, beer started showing up in Western saloons and became very popular, as well. It had as many colorful monikers as whiskey: John Barleycorn, purge, hop juice, calobogus, wobbly pop, mancation, let's mosey, laughing water, mad dog, Jesus juice, pig's ear, strike-me-dead, even heavy wet.
Author and Frontier Fare columnist Sherry Monahan says, “While it's true that wine, beer and whiskey were largely consumed in most Western saloons, many also offered fancy mixed drinks.
If you refer to an alcoholic drink such as whiskey or gin as rotgut, you mean that it is of very poor quality.
The cowboys were actually eating “sowbelly.” It was pork fat from the belly, and perhaps the back and sides, of a hog carcass, cured with salt. Sowbelly could last a long time without spoiling. Marshall Trimble is Arizona's official state historian and the vice president of the Wild West History Association.
Whiskey labeled as bourbon was actually distilled from low-grade molasses. Whiskey shipped west in the 1800s might have started out as bourbon but along the way it was watered down and mixed with other ingredients to expand the supply and increase profits.
Did They Really Drink Whiskey In The Old West? There was no reputation that cowboys were connoisseurs of whiskey. They drank it simply as fuel for whatever other activities occurred in the saloons. A wide range of whiskies was available in the late 1800s, each with a different quality and flavor.
