Alco-Hall of Fame: Class of 2012

Last year we inducted 6 members onto the Alco-Hall of Fame for it's inugural class.  This year we elected 4 men and 1 team of legendary boozers.  Here is the Alco-Hall of Fame Class of 2012:

Alfred Manuel Martin Jr. - “Billy” b.1928-d.1989

Drinking buddies with Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford and many other teammates along with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. Got into a massive brawl with teammates (including Mantle, Ford and Yogi Berra) sticking up for Sammy Davis at The Copacabana after somebody was yelling racial slurs at Sammy.  Billy will go down in advertising history as one of the pitchmen for the legendary “tastes great/less filling” Miller Lite ads of the 1970’s. He died on Christmas day driving drunk near his home in Binghamton, NY.

Earnest Hemmingway- “Papa” b. 1899-d.1961

Notorious for making fun of his fellow writers who sought help with their alcoholism, Hemmingway said to F. Scott Fitzgerald (After Scott told Earnest that “alcohol bested him”) “Take your balls and throw them in the sea-If you have any balls left.” It was once said that "His drinking would have killed a less tough man."  Drank in the hospital after a WWI injury, moved back to Europe during prohibition just to drink, drank on the front line of WWII when he was covering it, drank while on Safari in Africa, drank in Cuba while writing some of his best known works, created a drink while be drunk in Florida (A Papa Doble is a Daiquiri with double the amount of rum and none of the sugar) and spent some of the last years of his life drinking on his yacht while sailing the Caribbean.  Known as a messy drunk, he was told by a doctor to stop drinking to save his liver, advice he ignored. He drank to alleviate pain from a bunch of random injuries (it’s suspected that most were caused while drunk) and penned most of his greatest works under the influence (he supposedly wrote standing with a pen in one hand and a drink in the other). He died from a self inflicted gunshot wound after a forced 3 month abstinence from alcohol.

Herbert Walton Gleason Jr. - "Jackie" b.1916-d.1987

Raised by a "Hard working, hard drinking" Father (that left the family when Jackie was just 10) and an "I drink because I buried my child" Mother (who fell further in the bottle when Jackie's old man left), Jackie was born with booze in his blood.  Jackie's father would take him to see the pictures on Saturday, but only after a stop at the speakeasy.  It was on these Saturdays where Jackie fell in love with alcohol and the stage.  On of Jackie's first gigs gave him free booze and it was here that he learned people laughed when he got drunk.  Only problem was Jackie never remembered his act, because he was blacked out, but he did entertain the crowd.  Once Jackie started making some money he felt it was his duty to pick up tabs and buy rounds.  And his daily routine of shooting scenes, going directly to the bar, closing the bar, going to after hour parties and showing up on time the next day were legendary.  He created many drunkard roles on "Cavalcade of Stars" including Joe the Bartender, Rum Dum and Reginald Van Gleason III, who loved booze and the high life.  Drank on set, in front of the camera, on The Jackie Gleason Show.  A lover of drink, food and smoke (he smoked close to 5 packs of cigarettes a day) he also wrote some original songs and released a few albums.

Oliver Reed - "Ollie" b.1938-d.1999

He got drunk, got naked and wrestled a dude on the beach in front of a fire in the movie Women In Love and no one questioned his manhood.  That's how much of a tough guy Reed was.  Got into a bar fight that resulted in 63 stitches in his twenties, beat Lee Marvin in a drinking contest, and once threw up on Steve McQueen after an all night pub crawl.  Almost fought Letterman when he wouldn't stop asking questions about his drinking, had a glass of whiskey poured over his head by Shelly Winters on Carson, and tried to kiss a feminist writer on an English TV show after saying "C'mon big tits, give us a kiss" - all while being stinking drunk.  There are also tales of him and 36 friends drinking 60 gallons of beer, 32 bottles of Scotch, 17 bottles of Gin, 4 crates of wine and a bottle of Babycham in one sitting.  He claims he drank 106 pints over two days before marrying his wife.  Died at 61 of a heart attack one day after downing 3 bottles of Rum.  To see some of his antics YouTube this dude.

The 1986 New York  Mets

Pitcher Bobby Ojeda said "We were throwbacks.  We were gimmie a steak, gimmie a beer, gimmie a smoke and get the fuck outta our way.”  To me baseball and booze goes hand and hand and the 1986 Mets would have agreed.  Pretty much the whole 25 man roster, excluding "The Kid" Gary Carter who didn't partake much in the drinking, loved to party down.  They had a fridge stocked with booze in the clubhouse and often times the trainer would come into the locker room for a day game after a night game to find half a dozen players sleeping face down on the floor with crushed beer cans surrounding them.  The trainer would wake them, give 'em a B12 shot, a couple of aspirin, a couple of cigarettes, a drink or six and send to the shower to get ready for first pitch.  They were also known for drinking at a working class bar in Queens named Finn MaCools where the owner once joked that the Mets singlehandedly keep him in business in 86'.  All this is enough to make them Alco-All Star's.  What gives these guys legendary status is the plane ride home from Houston.  After a grueling 16 inning back a forth brawl of a baseball game, the Mets finally had one more run then the 'Stros.  Now it was time to celebrate.  Even Carter enjoyed his share of Champagne.  The problem was the game lasted over 4 hours and the plane was ready to leave.  This meant most of the celebrating happened on the plane.  Most times the players, manager, and coaches were the only people on the chartered flight.  However, the Mets front office allowed players wives to travel with the team.  This meant that they stocked the plane full of 3 times the amount of alcohol that would normally be on the flight.  Let me tell you, the Mets made them pay for that decision.  The team drank every last drop of alcohol, along with eating all the steak and lobster and causing hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage on the plane.  From what I understand it was one of the wildest parties ever.  When they landed they looked like hell and "The Straw" poured a bottle of Andre champagne over Mayor Ed Koch's head.  Legend has it that Keith Hernandez didn't sleep after game 7 of the World Series until after the parade 2 days later.  "You don't win a World Series drinking milk" is what Hernandez said of the 1986 season

A Few of My Favorite Things

These are a few of my favorite things:

Sangria: Ahhh, all the tell tale signs are there. Crooked smile, enibri-eye, a mouth stained with purple teeth. You've been drinking wine my friend. But wait, you weren't drinking just any kind of wine. You were done in by Sangria. Usually Red Wine mixed with, Brandy, Triple Sec, fruit juice, cut up fruit and maybe a little 7up or Sprite. Served with ice it's the best thing you've ever tasted on a summer day. Head on down to the Ironbound in Newark for the best of the best.  Be careful when induldging though, this stuff goes down like water but has mean after effects.

Malt Liquor: Beer that's cheap, available in 40oz bottles and strong enough to be called liquor, count me in. The Forty has a bad rep but it does get the job done like no other.  Anyone who doesn't appreciate the true value or "Bang for the Buck" factor that a 40 holds, doesn't know good from bad. Getting drunk is good, judging is bad. Drink em' up (or down, whatever you prefer).

Whiskey: If you could distill heaven, I believe it would taste like Jameson Gold Reserve Whiskey.  Shots, strait, sour or on the rocks, I want it all.  Irish or Bourbon it doesn’t matter because they’re both great(Canadien Whiskey doesn’t count and shouldn’t even be called Whiskey).  I've read about how Jack Daniel's Whiskey is less proof (80%) then it was ten years ago (86%), and less then the 90 proof Jack used to distill himself, but still claims that it's the same formula (A corporate spokesman for the company claimed customers preferred the 80 proof), so that makes me want it less then ever (never enjoyed the taste).

Beer: The easiest and most plentiful thing to drink.  From Red Dog to Rouge, Palm to Piel’s, Miller to Magic Hat you can find a beer for your taste buds. Beer is that perfect comfort drink to aid us in thirst between shots, mixers, and cocktails as we stumble through our evening.  Whether it’s at 2AM or 2PM it’s always tasty.  Plus the beer industry has been employing Americans since the 1600s so be patriotic and buy a beer.

My Favorite Dives

I love dive bars (See Issue #5), here are some of my favorites:
The Wilton House (Newark Ave, Hoboken)-The Wilton House is right smack in the middle of the "New" Hoboken but retains it old school charm.  It's got wood paneling, and most importantly, cheap drinks.  It's a classic bar in a town full of yuppies, hipsters, preppies and wannabees.

 Ralph's Tavern (Central Ave, Jersey City)-Although it's located right on the major thoroughfare in the neighborhood I've never seen more then two people in there - EVER.  Passed it 20 times then finally went in.  $1.75 Pints, $1.25 Mugs and $.50 short beers (7 oz).  Fifty fucking cents.  I love this place just for that reason.  They only got 2 TVs, 2 beers on tap and no more then 2 customers.  Classic shithole bar, but fifty cents is only fifty cents.

Oh-La-La-La’s (Main St., Bound Brook) - Titty bars can be dives also and this place is proof.  My friend lived with 2 of the dancers at Oh-La's so I got to know the bartenders, dancers, DJ and the bouncer.  We didn't even have to tip the chicks.  Let me tell you though, this place is really a dive.  Don't except to get excited in this place.  Cellulite, strechmarks, bad boob jobs, and dyed grey hair run rampant in this joint.  
Somerset Hotel (Main St, Somerville)-This place is rad, it’s really the only REAL bar left in Somerville.  They don't have any food, except maybe hot dogs from a crockpot, but they do have pool tables, questionable clientele, and a package goods department to rival some liquor stores.  It's also got sick cigarette burns in the Men's room.Rick's Tavern (First Ave, Raritan)-This place is a real hidden gem.  This place looks like a house, is off the beaten path (IE: less cops) and got no draft beer.  I'm not even really sure if they got a liquor license.  But you do have to see the empty patio outside because it's truly amazing.  Stop by and order a drink from either the owner(Rick) or a bartender that has no clue what the hell is going on.    Check this place out and it will amaze you that this place exists.

Court Tavern-(RIP, New Brunswick)-Yeah it was a music venue, sometimes, but it was a dive bar ALL of the time.  That place smelled, had warm beer, bathrooms that didn't work, it was hot in the Summer and cold in the Winter, plus a thousand other things that made that place the shittiest of shitty places to drink.  All that being said, I would trade every bar in New Brunswick to get the Court back.  No joke.  Sorry Ale and Witch, McCormick's, Tumulty's and the others, but some of the best times of my life, and many others I know, happened at this place.  Don't know if we'll ever have another place like that.
Riverside Tavern-(RIP, South Bound Brook) - You never forget your first love and this was it.  This place was located around the corner from where I grew up and was empty at night.  They had a sick lunch time and after work crowd but for some reason couldn't keep it crowded.  They had a huge bar, real darts (no plastic shit), food, and frosty mugs plus they had a side room that had a pool table (crooked as shit), 5-10 tables and about 8 TVs that was always empty.  I always knew the bartender's so I would get hooked there also.  It was a great place and I wish I could have shared a pitcher with you there.  Now it's a high end restraint.  Bullshit.

Liquor Store Guide

Liquor stores are a dime a dozen right?  No way.  Everyone is different and unique in their own ways.  With that being said, most liquor stores can fit into one of these 6 categories.

1. The Chain - Buy Rite, Wine Country and Bottle King are some examples of the chain.  I love Mom & Pop liquor stores and generally hate chain stores in general, but sometimes the prices of these places make them hard to resist.  Also most have parking lots, fantastic selections and take credit cards for the cash strapped.  Lack of atmosphere and the one on one relationship you build up with the corner store guy hurts these places in my mind though.

2. Combo Liquor Stores - My favorite is the liquor/pharmacy combo store.  Two prescriptions, one stop.  Need that Valtrex script and a sixer, they got you covered.  Also available in the liquor/deli, liquor/pizza and liquor/fried chicken variety.  These places are all over Jersey City and some, like Manhattan Liquors, would stand alone as a very good liquor stores even without the combo.

3. Emergency Store - This is the place that somehow doesn't follow the law.  It's the store that's open at 10am on a Sunday or still selling booze at 2am.  Sometimes it's a combo store (like above) or sometimes it's one of those weird liquor stores with 4 stools and no taps that actually count as bars - but you would never drink there because all the lights are on and there's no TV (Hub City Liquors).  Other times it's a house illegally selling booze out of the back door (like in Plainfield a while back) or a bar with package goods (Somerset Hotel has a better selection then some stores I've been in).  Anyway you slice it, these places are usually way over priced and are used only in an emergency.

4. The IT Store - Whether this place is your Boone's Farm spot, your 1/2 pint spot or it's the only place that carries that fancy imported beer you like -It's the place that has IT, has the best selection of IT or has IT for the best price.  Couldn't even really tell ya how the rest of the store is because you usually only buy one thing there.  IT.

5. The Convenience Store - This place usually sucks but it's very "convenient".  It's the place you pass leaving work, or the place that has a parking lot(parking is tough in Jersey City and I think I know most of the liquor stores with parking lots and would then deem most of them "convenient"), or it's the place you can see from your front door.  Chances are this place is overpriced or only carries 4 kinds of beer but you're there a lot because it's "convenient".

6. The Old Faithful - Ahh, the cashier knows your name and is reaching for a 1/2 pint of Beam when you’re reaching the register.  You’re greeted with a friendly smile and hello that's genuine because you're in there so goddamn much.  You know the selection back and front and know exactly where everything is.  You actually notice new products or price increases.  If the cashier held on to all your receipts for a month it would blow your mind of much money you've spent there.  But you love the Ol' girl and wouldn't trade her for the world.

Now sometimes you get lucky.  My 40oz and 1/2 pint spot are the same.  It's also my "Convenience" store because I can walk there and so it's become "The Ol' Faithful".  Lee's Liquors in Jersey City is the lucky recipient of about 25-35 percent of my monthly pay.