Last of the old-time beer joints
Rosie’s Bar and the Full Moon Saloon in Atchison County, Kansas, serve only 3.2 beer. Not places to seek out because of their beer selection, but this look at the “Last of the old-time beer joints” is worth a few minutes.
March 2nd, 2006 at 10:06 am
I would like to know how beer joints got the name “joints”. My friends and I are interested in trivia. We would appreciate a response.
March 2nd, 2006 at 11:02 am
That’s a fine question. Beer establishments were long known as taverns or pubs before the rise of the saloon in the American West.
It seems that joint as a slang word meaning establishment probably arose in the 1920s. It was first use to stand by itself, but modifiers were soon added, like “beer joint” and “strip joint.”
Of course, there is the famous line from Humphrey Bogart in Casa Blanca (1941): “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”
So joints came first, then beer joints. Hope that makes sense.
- Stan