BITTERS bottles By Robert Strickhart
New Jersey Bitters
and Hostetter’s?
You never know where a story will lead you This article was originally written last year. For a variety of reasons which are of little or no consequence, the article didn’t make it into the November issue which it was originally intended for. No problem, I figured it would make just as much sense around Thanksgiving 2020 as it did Thanksgiving 2019. Right?
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Few could have predicted the massive changes to our way of life that were on the horizon. And boy, have things changed. The last bottle show I attended and set up at was Baltimore, which was just before the proverbial poop hit the fan. When I began to write this, it was late October 2019 and fall was in full swing. Halloween was just around the corner, the foliage was spectacular and the apple cider tasted better than I ever remember it. We had made some Thanksgiving plans and we had wonderful friends and family gatherings lined up. We really didn’t see the storm clouds brewing. By the time St. Patrick’s Day rolled around, the world was quite different. Things have changed concerning our travel and gathering plans but still today one thing is true. Thanksgiving is one of my most favorite holidays, in spite of the fact that it kicks off the dreaded holiday buying frenzy, which actually starts two
weeks before Halloween in Home Depot, the mall and Walgreens. Guess that will even be different this year. I know there will be no Rockettes at Radio City in the Big Apple this year and I’m wondering if even Santa will be able to make his entrance at the Macy’s Day parade. On Thanksgiving, there is no gift-giving pressure, just a day to reflect on how fortunate we all are. No matter who you are, where you come from, or what you believe in, on this day we all have the chance to say thanks for all our blessings. This Covid-19 thing has given all of us a chance, whether we like it or not, to step back and reassess. No great words of wisdom here. This is a really bad time, but it could be a lot worse. We’ve survived worse. It will pass sooner or later. Perhaps we should take stock and be thankful for the truly important things we have. My hope is that we come out of this smarter, better and wiser. One of my regular Thanksgiving traditions is the Bethlehem, Pa., bottle show on the Sunday after Turkey Day. I don’t know if it will run this year. But in all the past years, it’s a great time, a great chance to stop eating leftovers, and a tradition for me personally, as I’ve attended Bethlehem for longer than I’d like to admit. For me, it’s the last show before Christmas and it ushers in the Holiday Season.
Laubach's Bitters from 100 Reservoir Avenue, Jersey City, N.J.
Most folks know I am proud of my Garden State. Yeah, we don’t have Florida sunshine or California girls, but we have The Jersey Boys, Jersey strawberries and the Jersey shore. Don’t even talk to me about Chicago deep-dish Pizza; if you November 2020
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