In this lively and engaging history, Madelon Powers recreates the daily life of the barroom, exploring what it was like to be a "regular" in the old-time saloon of pre-prohibition industrial America. Through an examination of saloongoers across America, her investigation offers a fascinating look at rich lore of the barroom--its many games, stories, songs, free lunch customs, and especially its elaborate system of drinking rituals that have been passed on for decades.

"A free-pouring blend of astonishing facts, folklore and firsthand period observations. . . . It's the rich details that'll inspire the casual reader to drink deep from this tap of knowledge."--Don Waller, USA Today recommended reading

"A surprise on every page."--Publishers Weekly

"Here we get social history that appreciates the bar talk even while dissecting its marvelous rituals."--Library Journal, starred review

"Careful scholarship with an anecdotal flair to please even the most sober of readers."--Nina C. Ayoub, Chronicle of Higher Education