Madtown Bar Talk
Welcome to Madtown Bar Talk, the podcast showcasing how the heart of Madison, Wisconsin comes alive through the clinking of glasses and the lively chatter of its vibrant bar scene. Join your host, April Disch, as she sits down with the charismatic owners and hardworking staff of the city's most iconic bars.
Madtown Bar Talk
Jackson Halink: Drackenbergs Cigar Bar
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April sits down with Jackson, owner of Drackenbergs Cigar Bar. In April's eyes Jackson is a true iconic legend to the bar industry!
I'm your host, April Disch. Welcome to Mad Home Bart Hub, a podcast showcasing how the Heart of Madison Wisconsin comes alive to the clinking of glasses and the lively chatter of its vibrant parsing. I got a PhD in bartending, don't hate on me. I'm here to serve drinks, give a great atmosphere, and allow people to have the best time imaginable with all blocks of life. My very special guest and dear friend Jackson, owner of Drakenberg Cigar Bar, located at 605 North Sherman Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin. Casual bar in the Lakewood Plaza shopping center, offering a selection of beer, wine, and cocktails plus cigars. Welcome, Jackson. Thank you for coming.
SPEAKER_01Hello, April. Good morning to you. How are you? I'm doing just fine.
SPEAKER_03God, God, you look amazing.
SPEAKER_01Oh, thank you very much. I have a perfect face for radio.
SPEAKER_04You do. You do. I love it. My first question I wanted to ask you right off. Um, we we are um good at talking bar talk. We're around it all the time. So um thank you for coming here and talking bar talk with me today. How long has Drakenbergs been open? And how long have you owned Drakenbergs?
SPEAKER_01Uh Drakenbergs has been opened as of July 9th, 18 years, and I have owned it the whole time. We did the build out from a photography stop or shop that was there beforehand. Yeah, so we gutted it and pieced it together and still working. Yeah, 18 years.
unknownWow.
SPEAKER_02It flies by.
SPEAKER_01It does.
SPEAKER_02Flies by.
SPEAKER_01Never thought it.
SPEAKER_04So I would consider you uh an old G a legacy in the bar industry just because of your um history of being a bartender um in Madison at different different bars.
SPEAKER_01Um worked many places, and that's the way we do is bartenders. Get experience doing one type of service to another and different group of friends, whether it's uh downtown fun bars around the square or hotel bars, private country club bars. I've done all of that. Yes.
SPEAKER_04You kinda I I d did the same. I kind of had to, you know, get the feel and vibe for all of it and kind of piece it together and take it wherever I decided to park it.
SPEAKER_01Right. You know, I don't mind serving food at the bar, but waiting tables can't stand it. Because I get too nervous about forgetting something, and you know, I know so much about how fine, fine service should be, and then I realize this is a burger joint. They don't need rolled napkins, they just need to know where the ketchup is. Right, right. So yeah.
SPEAKER_04How many years in total have you bartended?
SPEAKER_01Oof. Uh had to be back in the 80s when I started at the Dice, learned some tending bar.
SPEAKER_04The good old paradise.
SPEAKER_01Yes, the paradise, parasite, paradise, love it. I still go after all these years. I know. Still the same owners and kids, and soon to be, yeah, next generation.
SPEAKER_04Third generation is my my case. Yeah, yeah. And they do their their part uh helping us do cleaning and restocking toilet paper. Good. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Well, yeah, they're big enough. They can carry a case of beer up. Don't drink any on the way, Thomas. They are big.
SPEAKER_03They're very big humans.
SPEAKER_04Just, you know, that's what we do. Um how did you get the name Drakenbergs?
SPEAKER_01It was named after my first little girlfriend when you're a child. Uh she was my our minister's, our pastor's daughter, Tricia Drakenberg.
unknownOh.
SPEAKER_01Out near uh Boaz in Richland Center, Wisconsin.
unknownWow.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And what do you have you spoken with her?
SPEAKER_01No, not one bit since we were children. And there's some Drakenbergs in town in Madison area. But uh I've never been.
SPEAKER_04Did she know you named the bar after?
SPEAKER_01Oh, hell no. No. No. I mean, I haven't seen her for probably 60 years. Oh no, 50 some, 50 years probably.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. How cool is that?
SPEAKER_01It's weird saying it's 50 years ago, and because I can't I don't seem that old. I don't feel that old.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01But hey, it's but yeah, that's why I named it Drakenbergs. It also reflects German Norwegian heritage, which I am. And the dragon, of course, blowing smoke, cigar bar, yeah. On fire. It goes kind of went on there. Yeah, it goes on. And we're not kitschy and you know, cutie little dragons. We're mean and ornery sometimes. Okay. I that's just me. And maybe Josie the bartendants and Greg sometimes. Yeah. And it's yeah.
SPEAKER_04It it fits well. It does. It fits well. The bar industry has uh I would consider pretty high turnover in bartenders and just staff, especially now in this day and age. Um, would you agree with that? The bartenders are there's a pretty high turnover, so I I feel like the bartenders that do exist, um, they're special and they're hardworking and they're loyal.
SPEAKER_01Have you been fortunate enough to I have been very fortunate. Um Jonesy has been with me for almost 12 years. Wow. That's really incredible. Thoroughly honest, nice. Well, you know, up until you push him too much, then he takes care of business. Waving her behind that bar, behind the stick, you're in charge. And that keep an eyes on everything. Um, Greg's been almost three, and but so many places, especially now with people in their 20s, they don't stick to anything, they don't feel they're getting what they deserve. When you have to work to get what you think you deserve, you have to build up your clientele. We provide all this liquor, you know, the the atmosphere, the music, use it, build up that clientele, we all make money. I mean, I completely changed the governor's club at the Concourse Hotel, and I still have people after not working there for 30 years that come out to find me at Drakenberg. Had a nice couple who used to stay with us up from Rockford, and they come up once, maybe twice a year, just to come see me after that. Now that is what good service will get you. Lifelong commitment of friendship.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. I always tell the the staff too at the Paradise, you know, the bar provides what it provides, and the rest is up to you sometimes. You know, the we do have a following. The bar does have a following, but sometimes that bartender needs to have its own following as well. So it goes hand in hand.
SPEAKER_01It's it's good to have consistency, especially drinks. It's tough getting the bartenders who gotta know the hustle. Well, you should still use the jigger, you know, to show the people that they're getting the full measure and the there's things to work on all the time.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it's never a dull moment.
SPEAKER_01Oh, good god, no.
SPEAKER_04Never a dull moment.
SPEAKER_01Because you're always scanning people with as they come in the door or a stranger, or why is this regular acting like this? What's going on in his life? Because who knows, you know, maybe he'd lost a family member and you want to make him feel better. So we do what we can.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, provide the a fun, friendly, safe environment.
SPEAKER_01It's family that you can that you can hang out with that you're not related to, that you can actually bitch at about.
SPEAKER_04Well, some people just want to be seen and heard. Yeah. And you know, that can go a really a long way where you're not expecting it initially when they first come in, but when you sit down, they sit down and you're like, hey, what can I get to you to drink?
SPEAKER_01And then Yeah, but that can be extreme too. Have you had the talker adders? I'm sure you have. Yeah. Where a person just won't be quiet. Get four of them in a bar my size. We had an old bartender years ago who just yelled at him, shut the F up. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Shut the F and they didn't.
SPEAKER_01They didn't hear him. They just kept yapping at each other.
SPEAKER_03Four. I know that's all that's excessive.
SPEAKER_04You look like maybe one, two at the most. Oh, yeah. But you have to be able to have multiple conversations with people. You need to be able to, you know, if you know, people start arguing, break that up possibly.
SPEAKER_01No politics, no religion. Correct.
SPEAKER_04Those are the two rules that I have behind the bar.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely.
SPEAKER_04No politics, no religion.
SPEAKER_01And unfortunately, everyone's talking politics now. And if you don't, they think you're instantly Mega or instantly this. It's like, no, I just don't care. I have rules because I just don't care. And no one else does. And if we don't follow them, why should we suffer?
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Why do you make us feel bad about the shit like that?
SPEAKER_04Do you think it's important that a bar has a a manager besides the owner? Do you think that it's necessary?
SPEAKER_01Not particularly. If the owner's there enough, you may not really need that. Well, I mean, a title is nice, but do you have the skills to back up that title? Um. I I don't know.
SPEAKER_04Kind of a mix on it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04I guess it just sometimes just depends on like how big it is, the bar, or if there's multiple levels, or you know. James and I split the roles at the bar. So like he, you know, I I do a lot of the staffing and doing like the ordering and he does some of the or so we kind of we half do, you know, you do this list, I do this list. You know, we kind of share the duties of what what needs to be in the bar at all times. You have to keep restocking and because we serve a lot of food. Yeah. You know, it takes two of us at the paradise just because there's there's so many different things that we have to do, and I don't want to put just put that on one person. No, it's then you're but if you have enough to do for just yourself, then yeah, it's fine, I think, for sure.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I mean we're the old old days of the dice where they did have a manager, you know, full-time manager, and who did all that and really didn't tend bar, but was always there.
SPEAKER_03Was that Rick at the time?
SPEAKER_01Oh, Rick at the time, and for that Patty and Susie and and uh golly, yeah. Kurt Kurt.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, the Paradise has had some really, really good managers. Great, great people, and just staff in general.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean friends to this day after all those years, Rick and Gwen.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Wow, yeah.
SPEAKER_04Some of the best relationships, I say I I have been in the bar industry.
SPEAKER_01People are pretty honest, and it's good.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it makes it all worth it. It does. At least I have these really good relationships, even though it was hard.
SPEAKER_01You have to have that drive to please people and make a good living at it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, you not it's not meant for just anybody.
SPEAKER_01No, but you also have to protect yourself and the bar. It's it's a knife edge to balance on sometimes.
SPEAKER_04It is.
SPEAKER_01We have a terrible situation going on on in well, it's the area, let's put it that way. It may even be out of state with people talking about uh banning certain people without having all the information of what has happened. And uh that falls on owners, on managers, and staff, because in this cancel culture, and I'm just sick of the internet trolls, uh, how they've done things on the east side of Madison, and now on the north side, and they just automatically claim assault. Oh, it was an assault. She wasn't touched, or you know, he never touched her. No one, no one touched her. She just was drunk and decided to leave. But to save her ass from her boyfriend, living boyfriend, she claimed she was assaulted without even talking to all the other people, including witnesses on camera, what was really involved, without even looking at the camera or listening to the video. That makes me sick. Because now you've that business is gonna lose all of our business that we were giving them. People are there five, six times a week for lunch or dinner or drinks, instantly gone. And all their friends. Boy, they screwed up big, and they are really end up paying. Sorry, you owners. You used to be friends, but I'm not going there. It's it's bad. Yeah, but it's caused by people not checking cancer, cancel culture.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it's a different time.
SPEAKER_01It is, with this all the phones and the video and stuff.
SPEAKER_04It's a different time. Uh on that note, uh, as far as uh owning a bar, what is something that you think is challenging besides like what you just talked about, the banning and stuff like that? What else is a challenging aspect of owning a bar?
SPEAKER_01Keeping track of all the taxes you have to pay. Um gosh, what else? The prices of liquor going up, it seems like for no reason. Um based on international demand. I mean, McAllen Scotch, you know, damn near tripled in price in 10 years, and that was 15 years ago. Well, why? Because of the Chinese market, they were buying it all. Now they're not buying it, now it's held steady for a while.
SPEAKER_04So it's just like a roller coaster. Oh, sure.
SPEAKER_01And you see, now you can get so many good wines much, much more reasonably. Uh and it should be showing up in the grocery stores too, because there's deals out there, because people are drinking less and there is not the market.
SPEAKER_04Well, like even like the sales reps, like the liquor and beer reps and stuff, they don't come as as frequent as they used to.
SPEAKER_01No, they're not doing the job like they used to.
SPEAKER_04You want them interaction, right? I don't want to look at my phone to do an order to send to you. Right. I want you to physically come and let's go over what I need or you know.
SPEAKER_01How am I supposed to know about new products if they don't do that? Yeah. The owners of the distribution companies, it saves them money.
SPEAKER_04It does. It does.
SPEAKER_01A huge amount of money without having salespeople and and vehicles and gas, and you know, they're paying mileage and this and that. But why should we even bother with them? I mean, pretty soon it's gonna come down to oh, I'm just gonna order everything online and have it here. And they're gonna be out of work, out of no business unless they move into that business. Who knows? I mean, all it takes is the legislature to to not do a three-tier system, yeah, which we have now. And I tell you, it's probably coming. Yeah. So, you know, Frank liquor and the Minkoffs from GB and whoever else, it's it's gonna happen.
SPEAKER_04I agree with you.
SPEAKER_01It's just we'll just call and get the deliveries ourselves and bingo. Yeah. And someone will fill that niche.
SPEAKER_04Or there's such a high increase in like a surcharge just to deliver the product that you need.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04I'm like, you're adding a surcharge.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. We won't name the companies, but I know exactly who you're talking about. But I'm just like, I don't they want to put me on once a month delivery. How do I find storage space for me without a basement? Right. That doesn't make any sense. And then you have that huge bill coming once a month just for them. Yeah. Now some of that got rescinded, but there's still surcharges added. Yeah. Which builds in. It's like, you want to know why drinks have gone up? That's it. Yeah. Yeah, it sucks. Distribution costs. Everyone wants to make more money. Sure. Where does it come down to? We pay those bills to them, and we're charged so, so, so much. No more free shots for birthday people. How can we afford that?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Or the last drink. I know the last shot in the bottle. Oh, remember that?
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Our old friend Bose remembers it finally too. He doesn't get it very often anymore.
SPEAKER_04Not, I mean, I don't know of any bar that I mean, I'm sure there are bars that possibly still do it for sure, but I don't know of any.
SPEAKER_01Not in town. No. Uh-uh. I had to yell at Jonesy for leaving a little bit in the bottle the other night. He goes, So there's nothing there. I go like, yes, there is. Pull out a full shot.
SPEAKER_04Did you really?
SPEAKER_01Yes. Yeah.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_04Everything has to we have to measure everything, food and make sure the liquor is being poured how it's supposed to be. So you know. Yeah. It is just that time now where it's too expensive. It's just too and it's just gonna keep getting more and more expensive. So what is Drakenberg's um or what is your favorite like cigar? What is the what do you think A, what is the the most popular cigar at Dreckenberg's? And then B, what is your favorite cigar?
SPEAKER_01Um probably the answer to both are a Nicaraguan cigar from Perdomo company. Is it is it sweet? Is it not flavored, just good terroir? Same as they use in wine terms. It's where it's grown, gets uh how it's prepared and and uh fermented, they ferment tobacco leaves and to form cigars and age them, much like wine. But uh it's not as well, they don't last as long as wine, though they can if properly stored. Um yeah, most cigars go with certain beverages, right?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, or you're heavier stuff.
SPEAKER_01If you're drinking a vodka martinia cigar is gonna way overpower that. But some great wines can match up with cigars like especially something a little on the sweeter, like port, sherry, Madeira is a wonderful wine to go with a cigar. Oh that in the old days, you know, the 1890s, the Gilded Age, guys would go for their cigars and port or Madeira in the, you know, and play uh billiards after dinner. And then women would go to the music room or whatever and do whatever they wanted. So they didn't like the stinky cigars. Yeah. But that's men wore smoking jackets and they had all kinds of cool contraptions for cutting the cigars and storing the cigars. Yeah. Yeah. I love collecting that stuff. Yeah. Fancy ashtrays and cool cutters and lighters.
SPEAKER_04I bet you have a great selection of stuff. I bet you do. So what um do you ever get do you ever get unexpected permits for outdoor patio space? Or I know you're in Maple, we're you're in Maple Bluff. Yes. And you're very fortunate to be in Maple Bluff. You don't have to deal with like the Madison aspect, but you do hear about a lot of different things that people have to go through. And uh just I think I wish Madison would just try and be more understanding, or they don't have to give things out for free or not expose. Certain, you know, fees and all that, but it's kind of like these people are trying to run a business and all they want to do is have a patio, and you have to spend an arm and a leg to be able to do that. I just what are your thoughts on that, Jackson?
SPEAKER_01It's license fees and all these added restrictions and everything, it make no sense to me. They're oh, they say, oh, it's you need this for the cleaning and this and that. You know, the proper business will take care of their area. And just think a hundred years ago, you didn't have all these fees and licensing for building a home, owning a business, running the business as you saw fit. And it's not just bar biz, it was all these businesses. You didn't have to have this and that. And why did we let all these license fees? Because once they get them, they keep upping them. I mean, we pay hundreds, if not thousands, a year in licensing fees for a piece of paper. Exactly. That never changes from year to year. I mean, I had to pay $10,000 for my bartender's license. Or not m not bartenders, but license in the bluff. That's the initial cost. I'm never gonna s you know. No. Oh, they said it'll add value to it when you sell it. Pardon my physical you can't see that take that.
SPEAKER_04But yeah, with like you've been bartending and in the industry for so long, you've seen, and I I have with this, like the smoke band, right? Oh yeah. And with them um changing bar time to later.
SPEAKER_01You know, that's the one I agreed to make it consistent within the state. Um that that would save so I because I did some of those stupid runs to Milwaukee to have a couple last drinks because their bar time was later than Madison's.
SPEAKER_04By an hour, hour and a half or something.
SPEAKER_01I saw yes.
SPEAKER_04So you had enough time to get to Milwaukee.
SPEAKER_01Yes, and I was that much of a dumbass, I fully admit it. But you'd be you'd be laughing if I could tell you who I was running with at the time. A very high political figure in the past of Wisconsin history. I'll tell you later on. Yeah, can't do it on the radio. But it was still a good buddy, yeah.
SPEAKER_04You made memories and had adventures.
SPEAKER_01Uh yeah, oh, just going down there and just because we need a couple more drinks. But things are a little looser, weren't as many people, and people know how to drive.
SPEAKER_04But uh What are your thoughts, Jackson, now that COVID has been here and gone now, six years? What what do you do you think the bar industry like we survived it, right? But like, do you think that it I don't know how like do you think it did we're in a a better place, obviously, than we were during COVID, but it changed our industry.
SPEAKER_01Oh, it certainly changed our industry. Um made people weirder.
SPEAKER_04Well, they had to relearn how to be uh in public all over again.
SPEAKER_01Oh yeah. They have no social skills. Yeah. Or fewer. I mean, something's they're learning, which is good. We'll help them. But uh they didn't come out in droves. They don't drink late at night like they used to. And um gosh, I don't. It's we once in a while still have people come in in a mask. Yeah, and they don't have health problems. They're just are their minds are just changed.
SPEAKER_04And it's I think the government wanted to like freak everybody out.
SPEAKER_01And core or certain businesses, sorry, are have all kinds of these people that just still come in in masks. They don't need to. I mean, look at Sweden didn't go with masks, and they didn't have any higher um problems, they didn't have that social distancing, and they didn't have any higher uh percentage of death than the United States did.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it was a funky time to bar try and bartend or enforce the six inches or six feet and yeah, moving bar stools around. Keep your mask on, please. You have to have your mask on, like it was like And it was all bullski.
SPEAKER_01Isn't that something that's all come out? All bullshit. I know.
SPEAKER_04I hope we just don't ever have to experience that.
SPEAKER_01Losing St. Paddy's Day parade. Called on the day of. We were already downtown. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yep. Yeah, it's not happening.
SPEAKER_04No, no, no, no. So your area there in Maple Bluff, where you uh where Drake and Burks is, there's a lot of redevelopment going on in your area. That's true. How are your thoughts and feelings on the redevelopment going on near you?
SPEAKER_01Certain concerns about new neighbors moving in. Hopefully, they're good for the whole strip mall and all of our businesses. Um though the police have been called numerous times. We had an arrest in front of Drakenberg's last night, but the guy had a warrant and had probably a stolen vehicle or something parked in in the strip.
SPEAKER_04Do they run the license plates in the parking lot?
SPEAKER_01Uh no, but they were, I don't know how they found him, but all of a sudden I'm tear tearing down the patio, and there's uh two squads, and this guy who asked me a question and started to go into my bar. The officers came right up to him and took him over the car, their car, the squad. So that's something you don't see every day. We're seeing it much more often. It's becoming a regular thing. It's becoming a regular thing. We uh that's 700 and 700 apartments or at least behind, you know, two blocks away.
SPEAKER_04It's good for community, and you want that dynamic as as far as community, but you don't want the the riffraff.
SPEAKER_01They're riffraff. They if it better not go. I don't know. We'll see. We've had a couple good regulars out of the group so far. Uh we have to kick the kids out of the lot for riding their bikes through. Well, it's not interesting. Exactly. They have so much area back there to play in. They have a swimming pool, they have a playground, they have a woods, actually, that's not part of theirs, but it's across the street where they can play. There's no need for them to come on bikes and scooters through our parking lot. No. It's you're it's it's dangerous.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it's not necessary.
SPEAKER_01And there's Demetral Park so close, also. So it just takes him informing them. The alderman should be over there informing them, whoever that is.
SPEAKER_04Checking or just making sure everything's going the way it should.
SPEAKER_01Because Maple Bluff cops, they are on the alert. We are so many patrols coming through, for better or worse. I mean, we love the cops, but uh, you know, clientele doesn't like to be watched when they're leaving the bar.
SPEAKER_04Right. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And they when they sit across the street, I don't think that's exactly kosher either. And that's a common occurrence across from Vic Pierce.
SPEAKER_04Hopefully that will start dying down.
SPEAKER_01No, we'll see. Time will tell. Time will tell.
SPEAKER_04In your opinion, why own a bar? What does it do for the community? Why did you wanna open up a bar, Jackson?
SPEAKER_01And oh, I wanna make the decisions myself. Uh I thought it was a good opportunity to open a cigar bar since I had been in the bar, restaurant, and worked numerous cigar shops. Uh I like the people that hung out in cigar shops and the owners. And I'm a bar person. I had a lot of good friends. Wanted to give them a place to go to and have fun with me. And boy, we've had fun. Oh God. Uh yeah, I mean, I've known your husband since he was me hido a grasshopper. And drinking with his dad. Golly, you know.
SPEAKER_04I'm sorry for exactly. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01No, I'm kidding. It's crazy. No. Yeah, it that's why. Uh why get in the barbers. Uh it was time. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04I mean, separate clubs are good, but you know, they're they're family versus But it's important that we have these bars and bars that have been, you know, established for a period of time. If, you know, you don't have certain bars established, then I don't know.
SPEAKER_01And if you don't know bars or have worked in bars or had to make a living in a bar, or make a living for you and your employees, you're you're not gonna understand that. Because you can't just shut up a bar and then you open up again and all your clientele's gonna come back. That's how COVID killed us. People found new places to go. Look at the poor esquire that's closed now. If they open the doors, they're not gonna come back and be a through four million dollar a year business. No, they're not ever. It took 46 years that John Cav now put in there besides his father before him to build it up to something. And these people have no concept of it, and they never will unless they have grown up in the business. It's like farming. Yeah, it's very true.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it holds a lot on us because yeah, we have staff and they have families and mouths to feed, and you know, this is a career for a lot of people, and it's not just a second job, right? It's their full-time thing. So, you know, if I don't do my diligence to run the bar with James, then my staff does they don't have a a place to work. Nope. And then the community doesn't have a uh old dive to go to.
SPEAKER_01So and wherever they live, the landlord's not getting his money and that space is empty, and we all have to work together in this. Yeah, that's that's why it's a community.
SPEAKER_04I agree, Jackson. I love we agree so much on so many different levels. Is there anything else you wanted to like talk about? Bar talk?
SPEAKER_01No, I'm good. Oh, well, sure. If anyone has any extra ashtrays, humidors, cigars, pipe tobaccos, pipes, and you that you inherited it or you don't need anymore. Come on by. We can use them. Yeah, it's amazing how ashtrays get stolen. Well, it's just amazing. Beer signs. Oh god, I love my beer signs.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. No. We know when we put it out and set it out or put it in the bar, it may or may not last. Right. But it's amazing how many things can get taken.
SPEAKER_01Oh. You've heard about you know, a three by five foot mirror coming off a wall that was, you know, screwed into the wall. That's happened at places. How people managed it is years ago on State Street. It's like, where'd that thing go? The owner comes in. What are you talking about? Had no idea. It just gone one night. How many coats would you have to throw over that to get that out in a winter? And they're walking outside without, but they've got a great mirror. But folks, you have to understand, we're not given that stuff hardly ever. It's state law, there it's limited. So the breweries could not buy the bars and just have their product. It's unlike England and maybe Germany. We have to pay for coasters now. We don't get free glassware unless we buy a whole bunch of beer. It's been a few. It's only from the brewery rep, not your local sales rep, do you get anything slightly free or discounted?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, we used to get coasters at any given time. They would just look out of case.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, they would give them to us and no cocktail napkins imprinted.
SPEAKER_04Everything you have to pay for now. Nothing is swizzle sticks.
SPEAKER_01You know, companies you could or you can get them cheap. The finer bars had these beautiful plastic or glass swizzle sticks. No longer.
unknownNo.
SPEAKER_01Signs, mirrors.
SPEAKER_04The only time I think we get any merch or swag is for St. Patrick's Day.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and then you're buying 15, 16 cases of Tully or James that we're still sitting on. Me too. I didn't buy that much, but yeah. But then what I don't use, I saved it the next year. I mean, not the booze will be gone, but the uh schwag.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01But it's nice to be able to pull it out for someone who's having a bad day. Throw them a t-shirt.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Or a hat or something.
SPEAKER_04What is a popular beverage that gets ordered at Drakenberg's right now? Like, do you have a seasonal beverage that you make right now?
SPEAKER_01We make a rhubarberella using an Irish rhubarb gin that uh is spectacular.
SPEAKER_04Really refreshing.
SPEAKER_01Really refreshing. And um it from it stays on our menus that change. So that is pretty much always on there because it gets so much repeat business. You know, we're we have to buy in a they we bought in extra just to make sure we last until this fall when they get the next shipment of gin comes over from Ireland. So that's the tough part. Make sure the product is there.
SPEAKER_02Well, yeah, you have to make sure because that's what people if that's what people want, you have to make sure you can get it.
SPEAKER_01Right. But we do want we're in good with the distributors, so keep our bills paid.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that helps.
SPEAKER_04And you uh have like you were talking uh you have movie night sometimes at Jackenbergs.
SPEAKER_01Uh we only have one TV because it mostly a cigar bar it should be conversation, talking about or watching sports.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. I love a good movie though.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. It just depends on what the crowd's like. Yeah. And it's just it's not illegal movies. Right. This is all paid through. Yeah. The fees are taken care of in case everyone's wondering. Because I got busted on that once. Yeah. Well, I didn't know. I set it up the same way someone told me to use personal uh TV. Yeah. Because you could have install it yourself or have someone install it. And a couple other bars in town were doing that and did it to, and so they had all these HBO and all these channels. But no, I didn't understand. Then you had to have for business, it's separate.
SPEAKER_04Well, that's that's like sports nowadays, football, right? It's like actually. Nothing is on fucking local channels. Everything is, you know, streaming off the fucking internet.
SPEAKER_01The peacock or the apple or this. I get it.
SPEAKER_04There's a lot of a lot of money involved. And but you know, as far as like the Packer games go, I think let's put it on local TV, please, in Wisconsin. Let's not stream it. Yeah. I agree. You know, people go to the bars and and that to watch certain things, and you know, the owner should be able to to be able to do that, not Whoa.
SPEAKER_01And then those companies will say, Well, the owner can do it for this small fee. Yeah, yeah. Another licensing fee.
unknownI know.
SPEAKER_04Check. Got it. So I always like to end my episode with a bar quote. Um, this quote I picked, uh, it says, Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.
SPEAKER_01Perfect for what we're talking about.
SPEAKER_03Ernest Hemingway. He was uh he was good at uh what a character.
SPEAKER_04Well, thank you, Jackson, and I um really appreciate you coming and talking bar talk with me.
SPEAKER_01Appreciate the invite and welcome to your home. Yes, thank you. It's very nice.
SPEAKER_04We can do this again next time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, we'll do it the dice. Yes. Uh maybe I'll uh have a shot of cranberry juice. I know, I will too.
SPEAKER_03I will I'll be there right there with you. Love you, Jackson.
SPEAKER_04I'd like to give a special thanks to Chloe Louise Webster for music, social media, and everything she does. Charlie Monroe Kane, amazing human being. Thank you for helping me get this podcast up and going again. And to my amazing, amazing supportive family. As always, be safe. Tip your bartender and server.