Saturday, April 12, 2014

Lost Booze of the Ancients

I spend an inordinate amount of time poring over old newspapers to get the latest news of what's happening in Interzone. I'm consistently struck by the plethora of old Florida liquor ads for mystery brands I ain't never heard of and can't find info on using this here World Wide Web.

I'm especially fascinated that Floridians imbibed so many products alleged to come from Kentucky, especially something called "Mr. Ed". I know there has to be an unopened bottle of Mr. Ed Kentucky Bourbon out there somewhere, dammit, and I'm gonna find it.

Most of it just washes over my consciousness like a surreal dream or a phone book accidentally teleported from another Universe; but that's Interzone for you. What the hell are these brands, where did they come from, and where did they go? Corby's? Gold Coach? Tom Sims? Quail Creek? Long Branch? Lewis "66" Kentucky Blend? And how about "Old Repeater" Kentucky Bourbon with a happy little picture of a rifle on the label? Truly, these are relics of another era, as wondrously inscrutable as any Dead Sea Scroll.

1 comment: