Beer and Morale

Ah, another "beverage of moderation" ad from the Brewing Industry Foundation. The shock of prohibition hadn't dissipated in July of 1943 when this ad ran and it shows. Behind the typical World War II patriotism and white-wash of mom, home, and apple pie Americana there's a slight "we're still good, right?" self-checking.

Notice that the image used for this ad doesn't even show a hint of an alcoholic beverage? Nope, not even a coffee cup that could conceal a little nip of whiskey. In fact it's very Norman Rockwell with the wife looking on fondly while her husband stares adoringly at the radio. Ah, the forties, when spouses didn't speak to each other...

And who knew we probably would be speaking German right now if it wasn't for the morale-improving characteristics of beer? Yup, if the American worker wasn't half soused between shifts he just might have fallen into a lethargic depression and we know where that leads. Yup, all work and no play sinks ships...or something like that.

Rocking Chair Underwear

Henderson and Ervin and their Rocking Chair Underwear have disappeared into history, leaving only cryptic ads in their wake. I'm not exactly sure why a fellow would want a button "adjustable" flap on the side of his underwear or how it makes said britches more athletic, but apparently it had something to do with unusual range of movement and adjusting in a jiffy.

The ad comes from the July 1918 issue of Metropolitan Magazine and has the boot camp imagery associated with most World War I era magazine ads.

Old Quaker Whiskey

Old Quaker whiskey, apparently they thought Curly Joe would make a good spokesperson. Well actually it isn't Curly, but it must be his twin. I'm not sure who the guy is, apparently just a tux-clad whiskey enthusiast and part-time cue ball.

Schenley Industries, the outfit behind Old Quaker, had offices in the Empire State Building and a distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana where they distilled bourbon whiskeys including Schenley, Carstair's White Seal, and Golden Wedding Rye as well as Black Velvet, the only whiskey available to submarine officers at Midway during World War II (where it earned the nickname Schenley's Black Death).

Financier Meshulam Riklis bought Schenley in 1968 and then the company was sold to Guinness in 1987.

The Funnies - Check the Trunk (1901)

Life Magazine, 1901

Overland

Claude Cox, graduate of Rose Polytechnic Institute (which later would become Rose-Hullman Institute of Technology) founded Overland while working at Standard Wheel Company of Terre Haute, IN. Later he moved the company to Indianapolis and in 1908 the company was bought up by John North Willys and renamed Willys-Overland in 1912. The Overland nameplate continued production until 1926 when it was replaced by Willys Whippet. Now all that remains of Overland are the chimneys of its former Toledo Ohio factory with the company's moniker laid in brick.

The ad itself seems to focus on the word "standpoint" an awful lot, an odd word to build advertising copy around. The picture's a little odd too. The fellow wearing the Overland name on his head seems to be staring at some distant point to the right of the car and waving as if he's a stranded. Not exactly an image that makes me want to buy that car. The woman seems to have given up on her hapless fellow and taken to looking for the next passing Greyhound.

National Irish Coffee Day

If you went by the crowd-sourced genius volume of all-things-true known as Wikipedia, you'd believe that the first Irish coffee was "...conceived after a group of American passengers disembarked from Pan Am flying boat on a miserable winter evening in the 1940's." I'll admit that Wiki's answer is pretty, it has a lovely feel and I'd love to believe that some wry, Irish character tailored the first Irish coffee out of kindness and inspiration, but for me the doesn't pass the smell test.

The problem I have is that it's easy to find similar drinks made with other alcohols which are much older than the proposed birthday of the Irish coffee. For an example, in 1888 a bar tending book called the New and Improved Illustrated Bartender's Manual printed the following recipe:

At it's root, Soldier's Camping Punch represents the theme of all coffee drinks. It features strong, sweet coffee mixed with high-proof liquor. In the case of the punch the two liquors involved are rum and brandy, but it it's hardly a stretch to imagine a barkeep or host substituting whatever high-proof liquor of modest vintage was at hand. Sure, the fabled Joe Sheridan may have been the first to record the recipe, but the inspiration surely came from one of a slew of existing bar tender's favorites.

Regardless, Happy Irish Coffee Day. Pour yourself a strong one, drink to good ole' Joe, and watch the snowflakes fly. It's good to be warm inside and out.

Sunny Brook Kentucky Whiskey

When I hear "Sunny Brook", I don't think of fine Kentucky Whiskey. I think of an institution with high walls, razor wire, and a staff of nice (brawny) fellows in white coats supervising recreational activities. In fact, the copy in this ad could be for Sunny Brook the institution and Sunny Brook the blended whiskey. Regardless, I'm pretty sure the codger in the ad should be in the former and shouldn't be drinking the latter.

Sunny Brook was bought by Jim Beam in 1987 and the brand still is available. Jim Beam must have been in a buying mood that year, because they bought another brand with an ad that showed up in the same magazine. Jim Beam eventually sold Old Taylor to the Sazerac Company.