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Leather District market wants to sell half pints of liquor because nearby lofts don't have much storage space
By adamg on Wed, 04/20/2016 - 12:39pm
For years now, city officials have resisted letting liquor stores add nips, half pints and pints to their stock because the sort of people who buy them are the sort to just toss them on the ground nearby when they're done. A Leather District market currently banned from selling the smaller bottles, though, says its customers are different and is asking the Boston Licensing Board to let it sell liquor in volumes as small as a half pint.
Karen Simao, attorney for Sagarino's, 106 South St., said at a hearing this morning that the store's customers today are largely the residents of nearby loft units, who love living in the heart of the city and love to entertain and serve exotic and handcrafted drinks but who simply don't have the storage room of their suburban counterparts for full liquor cabinets.
"They're living a lifestyle where everything is smaller, where everything is more compact," she said, adding her clients have proven themselves responsible members of the community over the 20 years their store has been open - including dropping products that seem to get turned into litter on local streets.
Simao said that over the past 20 years, the Leather District has changed from a desolate commercial wasteland to a thriving residential community whose denizens want the ability to stock their pint-sized liquor cabinets. She gave the board petitions signed by 250 Sagarino's customers in support and said the local civic group voted in support as well. Simao, a veteran of licensing-board hearings, said that fact was particularly important because generally, civic associations come out strongly against letting stores sell smaller bottles.
"What a ban (on smaller bottles) is doing, quite frankly, is encouraging people to have more alcohol than they need on their premises," she said.
Although Sagarino's request for a license change also seeks permission to sell the even tinier nips, Simao said her clients would be amenable to continuing the restriction on those.
Mayor Walsh's office opposed loosening the license to allow sale of smaller bottles. Neighborhood liaison Samuel Chambers said that residents across the city have consistently opposed any expansion in the sale of the items and that there's no reason to change the current policy.
The board decides tomorrow whether to grant Sagarino's request.
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Comments
South Street was never really a "desolate wasteland"
For a few years, it was the place to go for art galleries, after they got priced out of Newbury Street but before SoWa developed.
I think she meant the entirety of the Leather District
Which, granted, is only like four square blocks, but which still used to be kind of desolate.
Old South Street days
When I first worked on South Street over 30 years ago it did indeed have a desolate feel to it compared to now. There were, however,a few of those old great kinds of funky urban places that don't really exist much anymore. The Gallery East was there, held in beloved memory by ancient punks. Corn Hill bookstore was a great used book place. There was a liquor store, Dewey Square Liquors. Can't remember if they sold nips. The only restaurant around there at that time was an earlier incarnation of the Blue/South Street diner which was much closer in tone to an actual greasy spoon diner and not the more upscale diner of now.
Straw-man?
As if the Leather District is the only place in Boston with small apartments. Her reasoning sounds like a child who insists they just want to spin around and around with their fists out, and it's their little brother's fault he got punched.
Well ...
Far be it from me to defend either high-priced downtown licensing lawyers or the sale of half pints, but the main problem with hip flasks (and nips) is that when you think of who buys them, you think of homeless alcoholics huddled around a bottle on a bench somewhere, who will, at best, just leave their bottles behind, whereas the people she's claiming patronize Sagarino's are only high-flying yuppies of the sort you see huddled around granite-topped kitchen islands laughing as they hold a cocktail in one hand and pointing at something with a celery stalk in the other in an ad for high-priced custom ranges and refrigerators, who you just know that, after they get over their hangover the next morning, will do the responsible thing and put the bottles in the recycling.
If that's the case, then the neighborhood doesn't have to worry about attracting vagrants and thousands of discarded bottles, so the ban doesn't make sense, at least according to her argument.
B.S.
Not you, friend Adam, but that whole justification is pure BS concocted by someone who knew what the objections were. High flying yuppies should be able to afford at least a pint of their favorite.On the other hand, if those objections are legit at that location, then they are legit everywhere in our fair city. And Adam, nips are sold in many places where there are not homeless alcoholics leaving their bottles behind.
LOL
Yeah I love serving exotic handcrafted cocktails from the types of liquor which are sold in half-pints or nips. What a liar.
St. Germain, for one
I've seen quite a few quality liquors in small bottles and nips in the past couple of years - I suspect that the cocktail craze has actually driven a move towards smaller bottles for many more liquors than in the past. For instance, you can get St. Germain in a 200 ml bottle (roughly half a pint) and a 50 ml nip. Since St Germain has a very short shelf life, unless you go through a lot it makes sense to go for small bottles if possible.
I haven't noticed that kind of deterioration of my lower-proof
liqueurs and cordials, but now I'm going to check on my bottles of St.-Germain, Cointreau, etc.
I use a VacuVin and refrigeration to extend the shelf life of my fortified and aromatized wines (vermouths, chinatos, and the like).
Liqueurs and cordials
Nor have I, really, except for the St. Germain, which had definitely lost a bit of its flavor by the time we finished our first, full-sized bottle. But we're only occasional drinkers, so we take a REALLY long time to work our way through some of the liqueurs and cordials.
next time try local elderflower instead
Have you tried St Elder? Made in somerville, cheaper than st Germain and just as good imho.
We did!
Yes, the last time we ran out we replaced with a bottle of St. Elder, and we're liking it just as much. (Although I do wish they had a 200 ml bottle available. I see they do have nips, though!)
nips and nightmares
someone very close to me is a recovering addict. he says it terrifies him when he sees nip bottles in the streets. they were always a convenient way to mask one of his addictions and honest to God, those bottle scare him.
That's sad
But there are others who aren't addicts who might like to buy some nips or half pints.
Seems like the whole point of nips and half-pints is
for consumers who want to drink on the go, in public spaces, as opposed to at home; certainly restaurants and bars don't truck with them.
It's illegal to drink in public, and you shouldn't be drinking in a motor vehicle. So who needs nips and half-pints anymore, exactly?
Also, "[w]hat a ban (on smaller bottles) is doing, quite frankly, is encouraging people to have more alcohol than they need on their premises,' she said."
So: she's saying that the government needs to protect consumers from buying too much of the deadly product she is peddling?
people
"It's illegal to drink in public, and you shouldn't be drinking in a motor vehicle. So who needs nips and half-pints anymore, exactly?"
People who are adults and want them. It's nice to know that next time I want to grab a half pint to split with a couple of friends in my house that I'll need to get a liter instead because someone else might commit the horrendous, awful crime of drinking alcohol outdoors.
What business is it if yours
The size of alcohol containers adults buy and their reasons? Alcohol is a legal product for adults. Period. Full stop. 've seen many people who did not appear to be s ary, raging, out of co trol addicts buy nips, pi ts, half pints. I buy them off and on myself, and don't have to give my reasons to you.
Agree 100%
But please lay off before posting next time.
Funny
I posted very quickly from my phone with one hand. The phone has been acting up lately, software issue.
Nice to see Puritanism is alive and well, except today many call themselves progressives and activists. They are the ones who need to take it down a few notches, nit me.
Yes, Puritanism, that's it.
We progressives are famous advocates for self-denial when it comes to booze. I try to include a stern lecture about the evils of drink in every one of my restaurant reviews.
I *demand* to know your reasons!
Kidding. Yeesh, I had no idea this would a touchy subject. I understand you aren't required to answer to nosy people about your private hooch-purchasing habits.
I'm just curious -- I don't know anyone who regularly buys booze in these small formats. I avoid them because it's obviously a much more expensive way to drink, and I'm well off (and frugal) enough to spring for a whole 750ml at once.
If I want to drink on the go (pretty rare these days, maybe the odd sporting event), I have an old pocket flask I use, a groomsman's gift from ages ago.
I'm going to guess that baking accounts for fewer than 1% of nips purchases.
Small bottles
I've only bought nips a couple of times. Once to smuggle onto a cruise ship (turns out the drinks on the cruise weren't as expensive as I thought, so that wasn't the blockbuster scheme I thought it would be). The other time I was making margaritas and I wanted to experiment with different brands of tequila without committing to a larger, more expensive bottle. But, yeah, I bet 99% of the time people buy these for the reasons you state above.
On another note, I very much enjoy your writing about food. And I just figured out that you're on twitter. Keep up the good work!
> who needs nips and half
> who needs nips and half-pints anymore, exactly?
Someone who wants to have a whiskey and coke at the movie but forgot their flask?
Err...flight attendants who need to restock the cart before the next flight?
College students who want to make a tiny bong with the bottle?
One legitimate use of a small bottle is if you want to make a specific cocktail or recipe that calls for a small amount of some exotic thing and you don't want to have 750 mL of it in your closet. I always realize that I want a tiny amount of kirschwasser just before making cheese fondue.
You are right, though. Nips, in particular, seem designed to be consumed on the go.
And to step right in the class connotations...Sagarino's is a good shop, but that area still has a decent concentration of junkies and homeless people wandering around. If that's the concern about nips, that store seems no different from any other downtown store.
Or
Someone who is making something that requires cognac, or something similar and doesn't want to buy a full liter.
Four words for you...
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie.
I made two of these for friends around Thanksgiving and, while I drink bourbon occasionally when out, I rarely drink liquor in my apartment. A nip was all I needed for the required richness.
They're cheaper (if you're not drinking in volume). And honestly, whoever wants to buy smaller bottles should be able to. I can't believe there would be a ban on purchasing/selling SMALLER containers. Boston makes no sense.
My sympathies for the addict
WTH does it have to do with the vast majority of people, including those who 'drink' alcohol, and aren't addicts, dysfunctional, etc.? We're all demonized and have childish laws aimed at us by recovering addicts and do-gooders, or simply control freaks?
Why don't they just sell them?
It's not like the rule to not sell them will be enforced.
They're not worried about a
They're not worried about a "rule" against selling certain size liquor. This place is worried about losing its liquor license which is an EXTREMELY valuable commodity in Boston. Notice how only stores/restaurants with liquor licenses ask for permission before making any changes to their operating hours & liquor selection (and NO other business asks the city for permission)? It's because they could have their license suspended or terminated and that sheet of paper is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars!
Huh
I could swear the liquor store near me has a restriction on selling nips, but the pile up by the bucket full outside the store and I am pretty sure they sell them. Don't have pictures, but once got the evil eye for dumping a bag of them into the Big Belly down the next block.
What about lottery tickets or
What about lottery tickets or cigarettes? Roughly 100% of the people who have a habit of buying them also have littering on their list of favorite hobbies.
Perhaps we need to raise the bar
(no pun intended) regarding who is allowed to sell those items. Right now, every convenience store I've ever walked into is a Lottery agent and also sells cigarettes.
You mean
..the tax the state levies against its poorest and most desperate citizens because politicians are too cowardly to tax things like property at the proper rate?
No, discarded lottery tickets and the social ills of state-run gambling are the sacrifices we have to make to "fund our schools".
In this case, it's OK to sell little bottles
As the lawyer says, the fact that the local civic group voted yes should make this a slam dunk. The homeless are not going to flock to South Street to buy expensive bottles from this shop. The city is acting all scared that if one upscale shop in an isolated corner of the city sells 1/2 pints that every other packie will demand that they be able to sell nips.
I'll ask again: who the heck buys nips and half-pints, and why?
I'm looking for reasons other than "Because I intend to drink straight spirits in the bright sunshine (or starlight) of the outdoors", and I can't come up with any.
I sometimes buy them when I bake
Since I don't drink enough (or bake enough) to keep full bottles in my apartment, plus they are obviously much cheaper. I didn't realize they were banned in some places.
Not saying that everyone who buys them is cooking and baking, but that is one reason.
Travel
I sometimes buy nips when traveling, for a nightcap, especially if I'm staying in a motel rather than in a city hotel that might have a bar.
Because I'm making small
Because I'm making small batch punch that calls for whiskey but don't drink the stuff myself and don't want to keep a full sized bottle sitting around after I use maybe a cup of it
who buys nips & pints?
who buys nips & pints?
- alcoholics who line up at 9am for their fix and return multiple times a day
- older folks
- college kids for pre-partying or sneaking into bars/concerts/parties
- poor people -- cheaper for a pint than 750mL; yes, sometimes I have only had $10 and wanted decent booze
- travelers
- business folks (quite a few I know keep them in desk at work)
- my mom to put in our cams stockings
Other notible bans for buisnesses
Dunkin Donuts cups
Cigarette filters (just the filter)
Globe ads
Water bottles
Plastic grocery bags
Candy wrappers
Salt and pepper packets
Grocery store circulars
Paper napkins
Individual chip bags
Straw wrappers
Squirrels
Flyers
CVS receipts
Individually wrapped potatoes
Disposable plastic knives
Foil wrappers on chewing gum
Canned asparagus
Lets go City Hall.
Funny story...
I actually work about 2 blocks from this place - the people are nice, they have a ton of stuff in there like tomato sauce, some baked goods, little condimints and some nice pastas, as well as upper class cheeses and some sauces and nuts and such - it isn't just a packie. I have actually gone in their twice in the last year to see if they sold nips, mainly because I wanted to put some Kahlua in my coffee (true story) during a late shift at work. Am I some sort of drunK? No, we have beer and spirits in the fridge at work, and I usually can't stay for the weekly happy hours, and just wanted to spice it up.
However, if I were having a party, I probably wouldn't buy nips unless I was baking or making something like sangria / punch and didn't want to take up a ton of room in my mini-bar, so I think the reasoning is a little off. Couldn't you use the same reasoning for loose cigarettes? "Oh I don't smoke, I just want one for the walk to South Station."