In this post, I would like to pay tribute to the Great American Dive Bar…a concept that will never go out of style, and so will never be passe, irrelevant, or extinct.

Why do we love dive bars? Simple. We love them because they reflect the very essence of our nature: imperfection. I spend a lot of time in conversations about high-end spirits, trends, craft technique, etc. And you know what? Sometimes we all just want easy. In that light, here are my top ten reasons to hug your local dive bar:

1. The chairs don’t match, but they work just fine…a reminder that things don’t always need to be perfect.

2. The juke box reverberates the crowd’s ‘country-metal-emo-hip hop’ collective diversity. Difference doesn’t matter here. Hippies, hipsters, hicks, metalheads, grungers, ravers, pros and cons alike, gather like wild beasts at a watering hole, operating under social contract to ignore their ‘real world’ food chain status.

3. The restroom seems like Dante’s Tenth Ring of Hell to a germaphobe, but Sharpie professions of love, hate and well-lubricated philosophy serve as an effective distraction (not to mention entertainment).

4. Here, bad life choices are not only allowed, they are expected.

5. Fight-Flight reflex engaged!

6. The people-watching alone is priceless…A good dose of general public submersion is therapeutic for conditions such as the propensity to wonder why the world is so screwed up. Look around. Ah…that’s why.

7. It’s very possible you could run into an ex…or two…or three. It’s like a real life ‘choose your own ending’ adventure!

8. Everyone is smashed, so your relative smashedness will probably go unnoticed…slur away!

9. No dress code.

10. Best of all, it’s easy…there is no pressure to impress your comrades with your super-obscure-amaro request. In fact, dive bar etiquette is so perfectly inverted (and I say that with sincere reverence), that expecting the bartender to produce a Sazerac legitimately makes YOU the idiot.

Dive bars are the balance keepers of our universe. They are a pleasant reminder that, ultimately, people will always be drawn to comfort and simplicity…and the imperfection that makes us human.

While I am not an advocate of over-consumption, I would like to quote Oscar Wilde: “Everything in moderation. Including moderation.” Cheers!

What is your favorite dive bar, and why? Share a treasured dive bar memory…to the best of your recollection!