A slice of life in pre-Prohibition Sacramento was on display at the Sacramento County Historical Society’s monthly meeting Tuesday night as saloon ware collector Steve Abbott gave a presentation on artifacts from the 1860s through the 1920s. The Sacramento Press caught up with Abbott Wednesday for a more in-depth look at his collection. “I come from a family of collectors,” the 73-year-old retired English teacher from Rancho Cordova said. “One day I was in Old Sacramento in an antique store, and I saw an old whiskey bottle for $7. That was when I got into it – about 30 years ago.” While whiskey was made back east, in states such as Kentucky, Ohio, New York and Indiana, it was shipped to

Sacramento musicians and their followers are waiting to see whether this summer brings an end to an era of live music at Old Ironsides. Countless local bands broke into the music business at the bar/restaurant known as "Old I" over the last two decades. But there's currently only one weekend show booked for July. Two shows that had been set for next month have been moved to another location, one has been canceled and future bookings have been postponed for now. The family that has owned the bar at 1901 10th St. for 76 years is working to replace a rented sound system that was removed Sunday. The Kanelos family rented the system for about 17 years and was unable to negotiate a lower fee

When the owners of Shady Lady Saloon decided Sacramento needed in on the newest bar craze, Prohibition-era drinks with people who are passionate about their craft, they lit up the Sacramento nightlife in a way that was just whispering through before. An artisan like Matt Nurge, an incumbent craftsmen at Shady Lady Saloon, makes the third bartender showcased in my All-Star Bartender series. The first time I met Nurge he was loaded down with drink orders and making it look like a snap. I don't like to burden bartenders with making labor-intensive drinks when they’re "in the weeds," but we waited a couple of minutes, and he was excited about the idea of making something new, not tired o

Ever wonder who's peer-recognized as the best bartender in Sacramento? Who makes the cocktails that scintillate the palate, dazzle the mind and always keep you guessing? Go no farther than 19th Street: we have a local treasure right here. For the second installment on the All-Star Bartender Series, I'm speaking of Chris Tucker. Tucker has been a Northern California local for much of his life, and after working in San Francisco for a period of time, and learning a great deal about his craft, he decided there was something special in Sacramento worth coming back for. So upon returning, Tucker has been working with L Wine Lounge and moonlighting at Shady Lady Saloon ever since. More than a

“Once, during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water.” ~W.C. Fields     The 18th Amendment, which banned the sale, manufacture and transportation of alcohol in the United States, was ratified on Jan. 16, 1919. As a result, drinking in the United States stopped almost completely. Drunk and disorderly behavior went the way of the dodo, crime rates sunk like a turd in a jug and America became an idyllic utopia full of stolid, sober, upright men and women who had finally been saved from that liquid Mephistopheles which had held them captive for so long. "Is this Heaven?" people were known to ask one another. "No, it's just government-mandated Prohibition" s

Tonight, the Shady Lady Saloon will have two guest bartenders, Erick Castro and Owen Westfield of San Francisco's Bourbon & Branch. Bourbon & Branch has a set of house rules that coincide with the simplicity and no-funny-business attitude of the Shady Lady: No use of cell phones No photography No standing at the bar Please speak easy (or quietly)   Don't even think of asking for a Cosmo Please be patient as the drinks are labor-intensive Bourbon & Branch used to be the location of the JJ Russell Cigar Shop which operated as a speakeasy from 1923-1935, complete with a password that needed to be uttered to gain admittance, a trap door that opened and led down to the bar and five s