News From the Front

Mea Culpa

Frank Kelly Rich

Drunkards of the Issue #56: Beer Money

Richard English

Rip Griffin: The Deep End of the Pool

The Mourning After

Frank Kelly Rich

Why I Drink

No. 56

Home Back Issues No. 56

The Founding Drunkards

Richard English

King Con

Sluice Your Gob!

Sluice Your Gob

The Fire Inside: The Great Drunkards and What They Drank

Frank Kelly Rich

An Open Letter to a Roommate

Frank Kelly Rich

Agave Empire: Three Centuries of Drinking in Mexico

Richard English

Boozing With The Bomb

Frank Kelly Rich

September 16: The Cry of Dolores
On this day in 1810, the Mexican war for independence kicked off with what's now revered as The Cry of Dolores. A Roman Catholic priest named Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla tolled his church's bell in the town of Dolores, calling together local residents, then gave a fiery speech demanding independence from Spain. And France, since at the time Spain was controlled by Napoleon Bonaparte and his elder brother Joseph. It would take over a decade of brutal struggle, but in 1821 they finally drove out the colonial powers and secured their independence. It's like America's Fourth of July, with a lot of parades, speeches, outdoor cooking and, of course, heavy drinking. Because what better way to celebrate independence day than using alcohol to throw off the shackles of your greatest oppressor, that is, yourself?