Greetings and Salutations,
You may not think about it, but we often associate colors with specific actions or feelings. A great example is the traffic light: green means go, yellow is take it slow, and red means stop. Red is also the color of love, fire, and passion. So when I came across Redbar for the first time, my instincts kicked in and I stopped because I have a strong passion for exploring new places (and I’m in love with beer)!
Redbar has everything that makes a bar great: fun drinks, one heck of a beer selection, and amazing food. Redbar teamed up with The Saucy Swine to create a menu that plays almost like a symphony for your mouth, thanks to amazing BBQ offerings and a variety of sauces that include Milwaukee Sweet, Bourbon Barbecue, Jerk Pineapple, Mango Habenero, Korean Kick, and Smoke & Fire – you are sure to find something that tickles your fancy. I can’t wait to get out to Redbar this Thursday to enjoy some amazing food and drinks with even more amazing friends!
While researching Redbar, I found nothing out of the ordinary. They are one awesome bar with tons of amazing qualities; but The Saucy Swine told a different tale. You see, when I started to dig into them I found that their inspiration came from an old pub in Melksham UK called The Pig & Whistle.
Photo Credit: Redbubble.com
The legend goes that a long time ago, the owner of this fine establishment inherited a pig. He was not sure what exactly to do with it, but he let it roam freely at a young age. One night after having one too many, he and his mates decided to give the pig a beer. Not only did the swine finish the ale, but he drank 12 more! The owner knew he was on to something here, so he decided to open a pub and give the pig a dedicated seat right at the bar. He then taught the pig to blow a whistle whenever he was ready for another! More and more patrons crowded into this small new pub every night to see this pig drink more beer than humanly possible. Soon enough he had Melksham’s most popular pub, and the legend of the Pig & Whistle was born.
Photo Credit WordPress.com
Word of this carried across the country and found its way here to Milwaukee. Many have tried to re-create the same legend as the UK pig, but none would prevail, until some fine folks in Milwaukee found one pig that could drink more Old Milwaukee than a Welcome to Thursdays Anniversary Party! (that’s a lot of Old Mil’ btw.)
Unfortunately, they could not teach the pig how to blow a whistle; but they did find that whenever the pig wanted to drink, it would put a red hat on – almost as if he was signaling that he was thirsty. The finders of this pig knew they had to jump on this, so they started placing signs around town simply saying: “Come See the Sauced Swine!” The owner of Redbar noticed this and made one simple suggestion: change the name to “The Saucy Swine” as it sounds more classy – a partnership was born! Unfortunately, the Old Mil’ drinking pig has not made an appearance in years, but some say he is still out there crushin’ another can of Old Mil’.
Photo Credit: Bostonglobe.com
Cheers my friends!
Your Co-founder and Friend,
Jeremy J Blandin
*Keeping your glass filled and spirits high one Thursday at a time, this is Welcome to Thursdays: a local social group determined to make your Thursdays more fun. Each week, The Squeaky Curd features a (generally) fictitious story of a Milwaukee County bar that we gather at on Thursday evening. Join us Thursday, May 17, 2018 at Redbar, 2245 E St Francis Ave (St. Francis), at 7:30pm.*