Highball Correspondent: Weldon Gardner Hunter
I have a favourite street in the city. It's not in my neighbourhood, so I walk down it only on occasion. On a recent Friday night, I was coming back late from having daiquiris at Friendlies, and my walk to 41st offered me the rare chance to the see the street at night.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered an adult lemonade stand on the edge of someone's front lawn:
There were some middle-aged guys in Hawaiian shirts and a speaker lightly playing 60s hits by the Kinks. As a 52 year old who hosts a podcast on garage, girl group, and doo wop music, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Turns out a local homeowner sometimes wheels out his gin stand on select summer evenings, something he started doing during the pandemic.
He emails the people who live on the street, asking if anyone objects to the special saloon opening up for a window of time. If it's a go, he slings G&Ts for free to anyone who sidles up. The proprietor is originally from Nottingham, so he’s keeping the outlaw spirit of Robin Hood alive.
On the night I was there, the gin was Tanqueray, but a spirited conversation ensued about previous picks. The proprietor spent years in Vanuatu, where he gained the nickname "Longfala" due to his 6'4 stature and that became the moniker of his moveable beast.
The hour or so I spent on the street, sipping two gin and tonics and chatting with the locals, was magical. The street only exists for one block and consists of several character older homes along with tasteful infills. Last call was at 11, and I helped lift and stow the stand in the yard, then return the parking pylons to a neighbour's.
Of course, I can't reveal the location of this periodic gin palace lest the Sheriff shut it down. But I'll join the band of merry men, and any Marians, for more merriment the next time it rolls out.
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