Bar Belle_Winter23_Ed-final.qxp_Road Trip_Cinci.qxd 11/25/23 7:47 PM Page 12
liquids | the bar belle
Belle B elle
The
Bar
BY SARA HAVENS AKA THE BAR BELLE
I
Does this column make me lookold?
never thought I’d be the old lady at the bar complaining about kids these days, but alas, here I am in all my Gen X glory hole. Normally
I keep to myself and my posse of pals when I’m out among Louisville’s wide array of neighborhood taverns, but lately I’ve been observing the bewildering behaviors of younger patrons. Like Claire Danes poring over an evidence board while chaotic jazz plays in the background, I’m categorizing, labeling, hypothesizing, spreadsheeting, making notes and taking names.
Listen, I’m not mad at ya. I’m just a little concerned. When I turned 21, I couldn’t wait to legally order my first drink at a bar. In fact, because of a kind soul at a roadside liquor store somewhere outside of Lancaster, Ohio, on Route 33, I was able to purchase a bottle of Andre sparkling wine an hour before the clock struck midnight to begin my 21st birthday. I was about an hour from my dorm room in Athens, Ohio (Go Bobcats!), so the clerk figured I wouldn’t be able open it until I made it back. He was right. And I was a hero bringing bubbly to my thirsty roommates. But you all turn 21 and you’re nowhere near a bar! You’re filming TikTok videos or storming the Taylor Swift merch tent. You’re not sipping a Sex on the Beach, you’re actually having cake by the 12 Winter 2023 www.foodanddine.com
ocean. Don’t you want to figure out if you like margaritas with or without salt? What color of wine you prefer: red, white or pink? Do you sin with gin or hum with rum? And when it comes to beer, are you a bottle snob or a draft dodger? Y’all don’t seem to be as attracted to carrying on at bars and consuming crappy alcoholic beverages as my generation was when we came of age. And that’s OK if we’re talking about your health and all. But as a buzzing barfly in this town, I’d like my mainstays to be successful and thrive for many more years. I’m trying my best to keep several of them afloat, but my measly bourbon budget can’t do it alone. For the handful of you youngins who do crowd my space at the bar, I’ve got some interesting observations to share: • While my generation was down with OPP, yours seems to be consumed with CBD. • We had Zima and Goldschläger, you have Truly and Fireball. • We ate Fruity Pebbles. You vape Fruity Pebbles. • You have Furries. We had Furbies. • We had Phil Collins on drums. You have Emily in Paris. • You know how to work the latest iPhone before it even comes out. We know how to fix a frozen Nintendo and set the time on a VCR. • We got our driver’s licenses THE VERY DAY we turned 16. You all wait till after 18 and beyond to hit the road. • You got awards. We got detention and summer school. This list could go on and on, and mostly I’m just teasing here. Of course there are Millennials and GenZers I love and a$$holes from my own generation I can’t stand. Cocktail culture also has