A Citywide Special is a Philadelphia drink combo pioneered at Bob and Barbara’s Lounge located in the city of… you guessed it…Philadelphia!
What is a Citywide you ask? It is a shot of some distilled spirit and a beer: a quick way to amp up your night. It is typically a well whiskey (some may read into that: cheap) and a cheap beer. Older generations of drinkers might call it a Boilermaker, but they are deidedly differeent.
Here’s a bit of trivia and backstory to quickly explain the difference. Boilermakers were created in the 1890s in Butte, Montana as a drink served to miners at the end of their shifts. How they differ from a Citywide is that Boilermakers have two different variants; one is a cheap shot of beer and a cheap beer, and the other is a cheap beer with a cheap shot of whiskey dropped into it. Neither of those is a Citywide and you will never (ever!) hear this when in Philly, so make sure to order a Citywide and drink it the correct way. Which way is that? Shoot down your shot of whiskey and chase it down with a beer. It is that simple, but be weary if you drink too many of these you may forget your night.
Over at Bob and Barbara’s the Citywide deal is simply known as the “Special” and “Citywide” dropped. It is acknowledged that back in 1994, a musician named Rick Dobrowolski, aka Rick D, suggested to owner Jack Prince that he sell a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon and a shot of Jim Beam for $4 at the dive bar at 15th and South Street to bring in more people on less popular days. Thirty years later, the “Special” is still there as a Philadelphia thing. Simple, delicious and a bargain!
Nowadays cheap shot-and-beer combo are everywhere. Well maybe not cheap, as the price can surpass the $4 mark to as much as $15 or more, but you do get a different caliber Citywide. You find the occasional bar selling what is by definition a Citywide but stick on their own name to make it “fancy”. To each their own.
No matter whether you’re ordering the “Special” at Bob and Barbara’s, a classic Citywide, or a snobby not-called-a-Citywide Citywide ….. a shot and a beer will always be a Citywide to Philadelphians!
Cheers!
