Always Drink Bourbon With Your Gun Hand Vintage T-Shirt

Not available in stores

Prost! Always drink bourbon with your gun hand!

You are in Berlin at the famed Adlon Hotel on the grand boulevard Unter den Linden. Writer Ben Hecht was there in the aftermath and rubble of World War II.

"It was snowing. The night was blue with moonlight. I registered at the Adlon Hotel desk. A frock-coated gentleman bowed, shook my hand stiffy and hoped I would be comfortable. He was the hotel manager.... Tears filled his eyes when he saw me. I was the first American in since the war."

-- Ben Hecht, Child of the Century

Here you are now, at the lobbybar. You still have your t-shirt but you're wearing a classy short coat over it. You wonder if they have your favorite American whiskey but of course you should try ein bier or maybe some schnapps. Your German friend suggests a Berliner Weisse, a pale, sour wheat beer from Berlin, on account of your interest in wheat bourbons. You even try the splash of woodruff flavored syrup.

The beer arrives. It's time to toast. Your friend has brought a few of his friends to make you feel more at home. Cheers but in Germany, prost! You say prost and take a swig. In the instant you have committed a horrific faux pas, an oops of etiquette and diplomacy that not only the Germany culture would find rude.

It's not your fault. How would you know? But when you return to America and everybody commits the faux pas, it will bother you.

You see, America is the teenager of the world, still youthful, not binded by traditions and rituals, handed down through the centuries. This is America's strength, its distinctive advantage in so many ways. But it can be awkward a little. 

Here's the faux pas:

When you toast, and you clink glasses, you need to make eye contact with everyone in your party before drinking.

Legend has it European knights and assorted rapscallions would lock eyes in good faith; that you will not be slayed in the middle of enjoying your drink, led into a trap by an foe with less than good intentions.

And that's what this tee is about. It's based on an old Scottish Klondiker proverb. We've brought it to the USA with the whimsey.

Imagine the save on this one. You are wearing that classy sport coat, the mood darkens with your supposed faux pas. You open your coat, reveal your tee, and say: "But ah, I'm drinking with my gun hand, to show my good intentions!"

"The next day a group of American and English correspondents cornered me in the Adlon bar. A London reporter named Rennick who was baldheaded and full of high-class journalism, informed me that I had violated all civilized newspaper ethics... and that I was being dropped from the Berlin Foreign Correspondents Club.

I had not been aware of any such club."

-- Ben Hecht

 The Vintage Look

The shirt has a unique distressed, vintage look; cool, subtle, like washed in a creek. Like maybe it's seen a few things. The fabric remains the highest quality (see below).

The T-shirt

Our tees are the highest quality you will find. 100% combed and ring-spun cotton by Bella Canvas, a USA-based company. Feels soft and lightweight, with the right amount of stretch. It's comfortable and very flattering for both men and women.

Free Shipping -- Please allow from 7 to 14 days for shipping.

• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton (Heather colors contain polyester)
• Ash color is 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
• Heather colors are 52% combed and ring-spun cotton, 48% polyester
• Athletic and Black Heather are 90% combed and ring-spun cotton, 10% polyester
• Heather Prism colors are 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
• Fabric weight: 4.2 oz (142 g/m2)
• Pre-shrunk fabric
• Side-seamed construction
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping

Size guide