MuckFlash

Lancaster, PA -17 March 2009- Staff. Although the Amish aren’t known for their drinking, an Amish ‘entrepreneur’ is planning to bring back some “Plain People” tastes from the past with a new, Amish themed saloon and concert hall planned to open later this year.

Troy Blauch, a local farmer who left an Amish community in rural Pennsylvania during his Rumspringa, or transition period, plans to feature uniquely Amish concoctions in the new establishment. “You wouldn’t know it from what you read, but there is a precedent for Amish cocktails,” says Blauch. “Most histories gloss over the fact as shameful, but I think the world and the Amish themselves are willfully ignoring a fascinating piece of history. No matter what your beliefs, humans everywhere know how to have a good time.”

The menu will feature drinks not commonly served since the Middle Ages: Gin pine fizz, whiskey with bitter soda, Cherry bock, mint grog, just to name a few. The Amish are commonly viewed as a hardworking, ascetic people, and most Amish either drink very little or abstain completely. Still, Blauch maintains that his idea is legitimate. “Every group of people of European descent has this kind of history,” insisted Blauch. “The Amish have made some fine cocktails in their time.”

Indeed, the Amish are mainly of Swiss-German descent, and all of Northern Europe has a common history of producing and consuming greater than average amounts of alcohol. Though not entirely implausible, however, this is the first time anybody has attempted to even construct, much less commercialize the drinking history of the Amish.

The bar, which will be named the Buggy Stop, will also serve more common drinks, but it will also feature traditional Amish music, which typically involves a full choir and a simple, three string version of the mandolin. “It will be hot, in a completely unique and Amish way,” promised Blauch.