Bar Eggs Encouraged More Drinking

American saloons began offering complimentary hard-boiled and pickled eggs during the mid-1800s, with New Orleans adopting the free-lunch tradition in the 1860s. The eggs gave customers enough sustenance to keep them from becoming sloppy drunks while also making them thirsty enough to order more drinks. Eggs suited bars because bartenders already used them in punches and flips, while their shells protected them from customers' hands. Health regulations eventually helped drive complimentary hard-boiled eggs from most bar counters.

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