The Jolly Roger Wine List
A group of us were at The Collins Pub in Pioneer Square, Seattle last night for some pre-dinner pints. After drinking the Boundary Bay IPA and the Russian River Brewery, Pliny the Elder I took a walk around. To my surprise I found pages from The Jolly Roger menu.
The Jolly Roger, 1935, Image from Shoreline Historical Museum, Under a Creative Commons License
There is a rumor that the Jolly Roger operated in Lake City Way during prohibition. Apparently people would stand watch in the tower for any police activity and if needed alert the patrons. They could then leave through an underground tower. According to Paul Dorpat of The Seattle Times, it did not even exist during Prohibition. The plans for the building were presented by the architect on Dec. 15, 1933, a week and a half after the repeal of Prohibition. Originally operating as the Chinese Castle it became The Jolly Roger when the original license was revoked after two years. In 1979 it was designed a Historic Seattle Landmark and eventually burned down in 1989. If you poke around the web you can find Jolly Roger menus for sale from several different decades.
The Jolly Roger Menu
The prices on the wine list are interesting. The cheapest wine listed is the Claret for $1.25 per bottle with the most expensive being the “Imported Burgundy Macon Brand” for $3.50 per bottle. Particularly interesting are the bottle and glass prices. A $2 bottle of wine could also by had by the glass for $0.15. So either the bottles were big or the glasses were small!
Closeup of The Jolly Roger Wine List
Hogshead - A Wine Blog 
The Collins Pub is a hidden gem. Hope you were able to pop into Salumi for a sandwich. Jealous you found some Pliny!
Yeah, really great beer list and everything was fresh. I’ve only had Pliny the Elder once, from bottle, so I was shocked to see it on tap. Truly a great beer.