Hennessy for the Homeless

Walking downtown today, on my way to lunch, I saw an empty booze bottle on the sidewalk. It was what we used to call a tenth, which stood for tenth of a gallon. About 12 ounces. Flat bottle, one that can fit into a jacket pocket. Out of curiosity, wondering what the locals are finding fashionable, or tasty, I took a look at the label – Hennessy. Cognac.

When I was a kid, and worked in the liquor store, we had regulars who came in for pints. But by and large, they were wine connoisseurs, or what we more colloquially called winos back then. Bums. And their drink of choice typically cost well under a dollar. Wild Irish Rose, Gallo Sherry, both about sixty-five cents a pint. Very affordable stuff, even on a bum’s budget.

Back in those days, very few customers even looked at cognac. There were brandy drinkers, and around holiday time, brandy sales would pick up, as people would pour it on their egg nog. But we sold almost no cognac. A couple bottles a week. Forget that it had a snobbish aura to it. By and large, cognac was too pricey for pretty much all of our customers. And you could probably get a case or two of Wild Irish Rose, or Mad Dog, for the same price as a single bottle of Hennessy, or Remy Martin, or Courvoisier, or any other decent cognac.

Apparently, things have changed. Now Hennessy is affordable for everyone, even citizens on a fixed income, or even no income at all. Bums don’t need to settle for cheap booze, or sweet wine, but can develop a sophisticated palate, and can enjoy fine spirits. Right out of the bottle. Paper bag or no paper bag. Is this a great country, or what? My only question is this: who drinks Wild Irish Rose any more?