As a small business owner/operator, one of the most demoralizing things that occurs fairly regularly are dog owners letting their dogs relieve themselves on the hydrant directly in front of our door, in the doorway itself, or on the outside cellar door (almost always right on the pull handle). But the most offensive infraction in this direction results in us finding urine running down a leg of our chalkboard, and/or the potted tree (which I grew from seed), both of which are carried inside at the end of every night. I love dogs, but if you direct your sweet four legged friend to pee somewhere that a hard working business owner and/or employee might put their hands later, it’s possible that I hate you. Hate holds singularly aggressive intent which I try to only employ toward truly evil things (like genocide, Dick Cheney, and Auto-Tune), but I would argue that these people qualify via obliviousness, which shares an apartment with willful ignorance, who is the not so bright step-cousin of evil. You can see the family resemblance. Recently, I saw a woman walking her cute little Puggle close to the building side. I headed for the door when her dog went on our potted tree, and stepped outside in time to watch him go again on the front door of Absolute Coffee, again on the front step two doors further down, and one more time on the vestibule in front of the animal hospital, before strolling out of sight. I was out front washing off my tree’s pot when they came back this way, and I attempted to have the conversation about “curbing one’s dog”.
It’s true that the acid and salt content is quite detrimental to the base of the trunk (more so than to the tougher exposed roots) of our city’s largest and oldest flora. I blame a 2000 NY Times article (remaining in perpetual online circulation), which quotes the director of horticulture at the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy, and offers the curb as an alternative (aka curb your dog), but didn’t bother to specifically tell dog parents that it’s not cool to leave puddles in doorways and on stoops on the building side of the sidewalk. I’m down with the Lorax, who speaks for the trees, but I’m guessing the Lorax also would prefer, after a hard day of Lorax-ing, not to get his furry little Lorax hands wrist deep in another animal’s nitrogenous waste water. As usual in these situations, I tried to broach the subject as gently as possible, and was met with a fairly vacant stare and a string of non-sequiturs leading me to believe that little was accomplished, and at the end we both felt bad, but only one of us had to clean up after the other. I promise that I had planned some sunnier material for this space this week, but last week’s was fairly positive by my standards, and one can’t expect uplifting content all the time. Have you met/read me?
What were we talking about? Ah yes, we’re open daily for in-store shopping 1-8pm, and are still requiring masks for entry into the shop, but we are re-examining this policy daily, and staying tuned to CDC and local guidelines. as of this week, we’ve started to schedule in-store tastings for July and August. Very excited about this. Tasting days are really fun for us, and we do our damnedest to make them fun you folks and for the great producers and reps that come here to pour for us all. Already in the queue are our old friends from Greenhook Ginsmiths, St. Agrestis, and Maison Noir, as well as new to the shop Journeyman Distillery. Watch this space for dates and times. Can’t wait to taste and talk with you all again soon!
For years we’ve refused to carry “Brooklyn” Gin, as it is not made in Brooklyn; they do not create jobs, or pay taxes here (hence the quotes around Brooklyn). From the start it was a marketing play, and though we’ve heard that they’ve applied to break ground on a facility here in Brooklyn, they’ve been unrepentant squatters for far too long to make it right, at this point. They’ve also taken (and threatened) legal action against actual Brooklyn producers for treading on the name of our fair borough. #unforgivable At the very best, “Brooklyn Gin” is at least misleading branding.
So, while these marketing usurpers are fresh on our jaded minds, we thought it fitting to offer you 15% off all ginproducts we carry that are actually made in Brooklyn. The coupon code is automatic, and your discount is applied in your cart!
Breuckelen Glorious Gin Greenhook Gin
Forthave Blue Gin .375 Greenhook Old Tom Gin
Forthave Blue Gin .750 Greenhook Beach Plum in Liqueur
St. Agrestis Negroni Greenhook Gin & Tonic CAN
St. Agrestis Negroni BOX
** This week only, as supplies last! **
* No other discounts apply.*
