The Strange Craze of Inhaling Whiskey
A local saloon patron discovers a new way to enjoy spirits without taking a drink.
'Just a few drops, please,' said a gentleman yesterday afternoon as he stepped up to the mahogany in a swell sample room holding a fine silk handkerchief part way over the bar. The mixologist took a bottle labeled 'private stock' off the shelf and poured about a teaspoonful in the handkerchief. Then the gentleman hurriedly applied it to his nose. He stood sniffing with the handkerchief pressed closely to his face. When he seemed to have gotten all he required he put 15 cents on the counter and walked out. The man behind the bar claimed the man gets more satisfaction out of a few drops of whiskey by breathing the fumes than by drinking it. 'There are four customers who come here and either get a few drops in their hand or handkerchief six or eight times a day. One of them told me not long ago that a man with a keen sense of smell can get more satisfaction that way than by imbibing.'
“A man with a keen sense or smell can get more satisfaction that way than of imbibing.”
While this historical account captures a peculiar local habit, it reflects the era's fascination with temperance and the lengths people would go to consume alcohol, even as societal pressure to abstain grew. It stands as a curious, slightly absurd footnote in the history of North Yakima's early nightlife.
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